50+ Essential Farsi Phrases for Everyday Life — With Persian Script

Whether you are learning Farsi to connect with Persian-speaking family, travel to Iran, or simply start a lifelong journey with this beautiful language — these are the phrases that actually matter in everyday life. Every phrase includes the Persian script (فارسی), a pronunciation guide, and a note on when and how to use it.

Persian has a fascinating characteristic: everyday spoken Farsi and formal written Farsi can differ significantly. Where relevant, this guide notes both the formal version and the everyday spoken form you will actually hear.

How to Read the Pronunciation Guide

Persian phrases in this guide appear in three forms: the Persian script (right-to-left), a romanized pronunciation guide, and the English meaning. A few pronunciation notes for beginners:

• â — long “a” sound, like the “a” in “father”
• kh — a gentle throaty sound, like the Scottish “loch” or German “Bach”
• gh — a deeper throaty sound, further back in the throat than kh
• r — lightly rolled, similar to Spanish “r”
• Persian words are generally stressed on the last syllable

Formal vs spoken: where everyday spoken Farsi differs significantly from the written form, both are shown. For beginners learning to speak with people rather than read formal texts, the spoken form is usually what you need first.

Greetings in Farsi — Starting Every Conversation

What Does سلام (Salam) Mean?

سلام (Salam) is the most common greeting in Farsi, meaning Hello or Hi. It is used in virtually all informal and semi-formal contexts — with friends, neighbours, shopkeepers, colleagues, and strangers. Salam is borrowed from Arabic (where it means “peace”) and is used across the Muslim world, but in Persian it functions simply as a universal greeting with no religious implication in everyday use.

Salam can be used any time of day and is appropriate in almost any setting. Unlike English, where you might say “good morning” specifically in the morning and “good evening” later, many Persian speakers use سلام throughout the day as their default greeting.

For a complete guide to Persian greetings including the many ways Iranians say goodbye, see our dedicated Persian Greetings guide and 13 Ways to Say Goodbye in Persian.

Polite Expressions — Thank You, Sorry and Please in Farsi

Persian culture places enormous value on politeness and courtesy — a concept called تعارف (ta’arof). This is a sophisticated system of ritual politeness that goes well beyond simply saying thank you. Understanding ta’arof — even without practising it yourself — helps you interpret why Iranians often decline things multiple times before accepting, or insist on paying when they mean it less literally than it sounds.

Common Questions and Small Talk in Farsi

For a complete guide to introducing yourself in Farsi — including phrases for talking about your job, family, hobbies, and more — see our dedicated How to Introduce Yourself in Farsi guide.

Shopping and Numbers in Farsi

Essential numbers: یک (yek/1), دو (do/2), سه (se/3), چهار (chahâr/4), پنج (panj/5), شش (shesh/6), هفت (haft/7), هشت (hasht/8), نه (noh/9), ده (dah/10), صد (sad/100), هزار (hezâr/1,000).

Food and Restaurant Phrases in Farsi

Directions and Transport in Farsi

Emergency Phrases in Farsi

These are the phrases you hope never to need but must know before any trip to a Farsi-speaking country:

For a full list of medical vocabulary in Farsi including body parts, symptoms, and hospital departments, see our Hospital Vocabulary in Farsi guide.

Farsi Sentence Structure — How Persian Sentences Work

One of the most important things to understand about Farsi phrases is the underlying sentence structure — because once you understand it, you can build your own sentences rather than just memorising fixed phrases.

Persian uses Subject–Object–Verb (SOV) word order. In English you say “I see the book.” In Farsi, you say the equivalent of “I the book see” — the verb always comes at the end.

The ezafe connector (ـِ): Persian connects nouns to their descriptors with a small linking sound written as -e or -ye. “Ketâb-e man” means “my book” (literally “book-of me”). “Pedar-e bozorg” means “grandfather” (literally “father-big”). This connector appears throughout everyday Persian speech.

Verb negation: Persian negates verbs by adding “na-” to the beginning. “Mikonam” (I do) → “Nemikonam” (I don’t do). “Miâm” (I come) → “Nemiâm” (I don’t come). This is one of the most regular features of Persian grammar — once you know it, you can negate any verb immediately.

Questions: Persian forms yes/no questions by adding “âyâ” (آیا) at the beginning of a sentence, or simply by raising your intonation. “Shomâ Irâni hastid?” (Are you Iranian?) or “Âyâ shomâ Irâni hastid?” both work.

More Specific Phrase Guides on Danaa School

This page covers the most essential everyday Farsi phrases. For specific situations or categories, these dedicated guides go much deeper:

Frequently Asked Questions

What does سلام (Salam) mean in Persian?

سلام (Salam) means “Hello” or “Hi” in Persian. It is the most common everyday greeting used in all informal and most formal contexts. The word is borrowed from Arabic where it means “peace,” but in Persian it functions simply as a universal greeting with no specific religious connotation in everyday use.

What are the most useful Farsi phrases for beginners?

The most essential Farsi phrases for beginners are: سلام (Salam — Hello), ممنون (Mamnun — Thank you), خواهش می‌کنم (Khâhesh mikonam — Please/You’re welcome), ببخشید (Bebakhshid — Excuse me/Sorry), بله (Bale — Yes), نه (Na — No), این چقدر است؟ (In cheghadr ast? — How much is this?), and متوجه نشدم (Motavajjeh nashodam — I didn’t understand). These ten phrases cover a surprising range of everyday situations.

How do you say please in Farsi?

There are two ways to say please in Farsi. لطفاً (Lotfan) is added to a request to make it polite — equivalent to “please” in English. خواهش می‌کنم (Khâhesh mikonam) means both “please” when making a request and “you’re welcome” when responding to thanks.

What is the Farsi sentence structure?

Persian uses Subject–Object–Verb (SOV) word order — the verb always comes at the end of the sentence. In English you say “I drink tea”; in Farsi the equivalent is “I tea drink” (من چای می‌خورم — Man châi mikhuram). Negation is formed by adding “na-” (نـ) to the beginning of the verb: mikhuram (I drink) → nemikhuram (I don’t drink).

What is the difference between formal and spoken Farsi phrases?

Written/formal Farsi and everyday spoken Farsi can differ significantly. Formal Farsi uses complete verb forms and formal vocabulary — useful for writing, academic contexts, and speaking with elders. Spoken Tehran Farsi contracts verbs, changes vowels, and uses different words entirely in some cases. Beginners learning to speak with family or travel to Iran should focus on spoken Farsi; those learning to read literature or work in academic contexts should prioritise formal Farsi.

How do you say excuse me in Farsi?

ببخشید (Bebakhshid) serves as both “excuse me” (to get someone’s attention) and “sorry” (a mild apology). For a more sincere formal apology, use عذرخواهی می‌کنم (Ozrkhâhi mikonam). For casual situations among friends, مشکلی نیست (Moshkeli nist — no problem) is the standard response when someone apologises to you.