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- How to ask “what time is it?” in Persian/Farsi
- How to tell the time in Persian with hours, minutes, half past and quarter past
- Essential Farsi time vocabulary for today, tomorrow, yesterday and schedules
- Days of the week, months, parts of the day and calendar words in Persian
- Useful time phrases for appointments, classes, travel and daily routines
- Internal links to pronunciation, common Farsi words and conversational Persian lessons
Time in Persian: How to Tell Time, Ask the Time and Use Farsi Time Phrases
Time in Persian is one of the most useful topics for everyday Farsi conversation. Whether you want to ask “what time is it?”, arrange a class, talk about your daily routine, say yesterday or tomorrow, or understand days of the week, time expressions help you speak Persian more naturally.
The main Persian word for time is زمان, pronounced zamān. The word ساعت, pronounced sā’at, can mean hour, clock, watch or time depending on context. For example, ساعت چنده؟ means “What time is it?”
This guide teaches you Persian time vocabulary, how to ask and tell the time, parts of the day, days of the week, useful schedule phrases, common learner mistakes and real examples you can use immediately.
Quick answer: To ask “What time is it?” in Persian, say ساعت چنده؟ — sā’at chande?. A more formal version is ساعت چند است؟ — sā’at chand ast?. For pronunciation help, use the Farsi Pronunciation Guide.
Start with the most important time-related words in Persian. These are the building blocks for daily conversations, appointments, classes and routines.
| English | Persian / Farsi | Pronunciation | Meaning / Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time | زمان | zamān | General concept of time |
| Hour / Clock / Watch | ساعت | sā’at | Hour, clock, watch or time |
| Minute | دقیقه | daghigheh | Minute |
| Second | ثانیه | sāniyeh | Second |
| Day | روز | ruz | Day |
| Week | هفته | hafteh | Week |
| Month | ماه | māh | Month / moon |
| Year | سال | sāl | Year |
| Calendar | تقویم | taghvim | Calendar |
| Date | تاریخ | tārikh | Date / history |
The most common spoken question is ساعت چنده؟. It is natural, short and widely used in everyday Persian.
Pronunciation: sā’at chande?
Meaning: What time is it?
Pronunciation: sā’at chand ast?
Meaning: What time is it? — formal/written
Pronunciation: alān sā’at chande?
Meaning: What time is it now?
Spoken Persian tip: In conversation, Persian speakers usually say ساعت چنده؟, not the more formal ساعت چند است؟.
To tell the time in Persian, you normally start with ساعت, then say the hour. In informal speech, people often omit است at the end.
| English | Persian | Pronunciation | Natural Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| It is one o’clock. | ساعت یک است. | sā’at yek ast | It is one. |
| It is two o’clock. | ساعت دو است. | sā’at do ast | It is two. |
| It is seven o’clock. | ساعت هفت است. | sā’at haft ast | It is seven. |
| It is ten o’clock. | ساعت ده است. | sā’at dah ast | It is ten. |
For exact times, Persian usually says the hour first and then the minutes. In everyday speech, people may use a shorter form.
| Time | Persian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1:05 | ساعت یک و پنج دقیقه است. | sā’at yek o panj daghigheh ast | It is one oh five. |
| 2:10 | ساعت دو و ده دقیقه است. | sā’at do o dah daghigheh ast | It is two ten. |
| 4:20 | ساعت چهار و بیست دقیقه است. | sā’at chahār o bist daghigheh ast | It is four twenty. |
| 6:45 | ساعت شش و چهل و پنج دقیقه است. | sā’at shesh o chehel o panj daghigheh ast | It is six forty-five. |
Simple spoken form: For 4:20, many people simply say چهار و بیست — chahār o bist — when the context is clear.
Persian has natural expressions for half past, quarter past and minutes to the next hour. These are important if you want to sound fluent.
| English | Persian | Pronunciation | Literal Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Half past two | ساعت دو و نیم | sā’at do o nim | Two and half |
| Quarter past three | ساعت سه و ربع | sā’at se o rob’ | Three and quarter |
| Quarter to four | یک ربع به چهار | yek rob’ be chahār | One quarter to four |
| Ten to two | ده دقیقه به دو | dah daghigheh be do | Ten minutes to two |
| Five past eight | پنج دقیقه از هشت گذشته | panj daghigheh az hasht gozashteh | Five minutes past eight |
Persian often adds parts of the day to clarify meaning, especially because people may use 12-hour time in everyday speech.
| English | Persian | Pronunciation | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morning | صبح | sobh | ساعت هفت صبح — 7 in the morning |
| Noon | ظهر | zohr | ساعت دوازده ظهر — 12 noon |
| Afternoon | بعدازظهر | ba’d az zohr | ساعت سه بعدازظهر — 3 in the afternoon |
| Evening | عصر | asr | ساعت شش عصر — 6 in the evening |
| Night | شب | shab | ساعت نه شب — 9 at night |
| Midnight | نیمهشب | nimeh-shab | ساعت دوازده نیمهشب — midnight |
These three words are essential for daily conversation. They are useful for planning, storytelling and talking about routines.
| English | Persian | Pronunciation | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Today | امروز | emruz | امروز کلاس دارم — I have class today. |
| Tomorrow | فردا | fardā | فردا میآیم — I will come tomorrow. |
| Yesterday | دیروز | diruz | دیروز خانه بودم — I was at home yesterday. |
| Now | الان / حالا | alān / hālā | الان وقت ندارم — I do not have time now. |
| Later | بعداً | ba’dan | بعداً صحبت میکنیم — We will talk later. |
| Soon | بهزودی | be-zudi | بهزودی میبینمت — I will see you soon. |
Days of the week in Persian are important for appointments, class schedules and travel plans. In Iran, the week traditionally starts on Saturday, and Friday is the main day off.
| English | Persian | Pronunciation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday | شنبه | shanbeh | First day of the week in Iran |
| Sunday | یکشنبه | yek-shanbeh | Literally “one-shanbeh” |
| Monday | دوشنبه | do-shanbeh | Second after Saturday |
| Tuesday | سهشنبه | se-shanbeh | Third after Saturday |
| Wednesday | چهارشنبه | chahār-shanbeh | Fourth after Saturday |
| Thursday | پنجشنبه | panj-shanbeh | Often the end of the work week |
| Friday | جمعه | jomeh | Main rest day in Iran |
To talk about plans, you need words like this week, next week, last month and next year.
| English | Persian | Pronunciation | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| This week | این هفته | in hafteh | این هفته وقت ندارم — I do not have time this week. |
| Next week | هفتهی آینده | hafteh-ye āyandeh | هفتهی آینده میبینمت — I will see you next week. |
| Last week | هفتهی پیش | hafteh-ye pish | هفتهی پیش سفر بودم — I was travelling last week. |
| This month | این ماه | in māh | این ماه کلاس دارم — I have class this month. |
| Next year | سال آینده | sāl-e āyandeh | سال آینده فارسی میخوانم — I will study Persian next year. |
| Last year | سال گذشته / پارسال | sāl-e gozashteh / pārsāl | پارسال ایران بودم — I was in Iran last year. |
Time vocabulary becomes much more useful when you can use it in full sentences. These phrases help you arrange meetings, classes and daily plans.
Pronunciation: kelās sā’at chand shoru’ mishavad?
Meaning: What time does the class start?
Pronunciation: gharār-e mā sā’at panj ast.
Meaning: Our appointment is at five.
Pronunciation: man emruz vaght nadāram.
Meaning: I do not have time today.
Pronunciation: fardā sā’at dah mibinamet.
Meaning: I will see you tomorrow at ten.
Pronunciation: lotfan sar-e vaght biā.
Meaning: Please come on time.
If you want to describe your day in Farsi, learn phrases for waking up, working, studying, eating and sleeping.
| English | Persian | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| I wake up at seven. | من ساعت هفت بیدار میشوم. | man sā’at haft bidār mishavam | Daily routine |
| I go to work at nine. | من ساعت نه به کار میروم. | man sā’at noh be kār miravam | Work schedule |
| I study Persian at six. | من ساعت شش فارسی میخوانم. | man sā’at shesh fārsi mikhānam | Study routine |
| We eat dinner at eight. | ما ساعت هشت شام میخوریم. | mā sā’at hasht shām mikhorim | Meal time |
| I sleep at eleven. | من ساعت یازده میخوابم. | man sā’at yāzdah mikhābam | Bedtime |
Persian-speaking communities may use different calendars depending on country and context. In Iran, the official calendar is the solar Hijri calendar, also known as the Persian or Jalāli calendar. It begins in spring, around Nowruz, the Persian New Year.
In everyday life, Persian speakers may also use Gregorian dates, especially outside Iran or in international contexts. This is why learners often need both general time vocabulary and cultural awareness around dates, months and holidays.
Nowruz
Persian New Year begins around the spring equinox and marks the start of the Persian calendar year.
Friday
In Iran, Friday is the main weekly rest day, similar to Sunday in many Western countries.
Social Timing
Business settings usually value punctuality, while social gatherings may be more flexible.
Context Matters
Words like امروز, فردا and هفتهی آینده are essential for clear planning.
Time expressions in Persian are logical, but learners often make mistakes because English and Persian use slightly different patterns.
| Mistake | Why It Happens | Better Persian | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Using زمان for clock time | زمان means time generally, but ساعت is used for clock time | ساعت چنده؟ | What time is it? |
| Saying ربع ساعت for quarter past | ربع ساعت means a quarter of an hour, not always quarter past | ساعت سه و ربع | Quarter past three |
| Forgetting parts of the day | Persian often uses morning, afternoon or night for clarity | ساعت هفت صبح | Seven in the morning |
| Using only formal forms | Spoken Persian often uses shorter forms | ساعت چنده؟ | Natural spoken form |
Minute 1: Say the core words aloud: زمان، ساعت، دقیقه، امروز، فردا.
Minute 2: Ask: ساعت چنده؟
Minute 3: Tell three simple times: ساعت یک، ساعت دو و نیم، ساعت سه و ربع.
Minute 4: Say today, tomorrow and yesterday in full sentences.
Minute 5: Describe your daily routine with one sentence: من ساعت هفت بیدار میشوم.
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Learn Farsi Online →Time in Persian is “زمان,” pronounced “zamān.” For clock time, Persian usually uses “ساعت,” pronounced “sā’at.”
The natural spoken way is “ساعت چنده؟” pronounced “sā’at chande?” A more formal version is “ساعت چند است؟” pronounced “sā’at chand ast?”
Half past two in Persian is “ساعت دو و نیم,” pronounced “sā’at do o nim.” It literally means “two and half.”
Quarter past three in Persian is “ساعت سه و ربع,” pronounced “sā’at se o rob’.”
Today is “امروز” pronounced “emruz,” tomorrow is “فردا” pronounced “fardā,” and yesterday is “دیروز” pronounced “diruz.”
The days are شنبه, یکشنبه, دوشنبه, سهشنبه, چهارشنبه, پنجشنبه and جمعه. They are pronounced shanbeh, yek-shanbeh, do-shanbeh, se-shanbeh, chahār-shanbeh, panj-shanbeh and jomeh.
You can say “وقت ندارم,” pronounced “vaght nadāram.” It means “I do not have time.”
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