Persian (Farsi) is the official language of Iran, spoken by over eighty million people. An Indo-European language with Arabo-Persian script, it is also spoken in close variants in Afghanistan (Dari) and Tajikistan (Tajik). It opens the doors of Tehran, Isfahan and Shiraz.
Persian, called Farsi by its speakers, is spoken by over eighty million people in Iran and has close variants in Afghanistan (Dari, approximately twenty million speakers) and Tajikistan (Tajik, written in Cyrillic). It is one of the world's great civilizational languages, heir to over two thousand five hundred years of continuous history from the Achaemenid empire to the Islamic Revolution.
An Indo-European language of the Iranian family, Persian has no genealogical link with Arabic despite borrowing the Arabo-Persian alphabet and many words after the Islamic conquest. Its grammar is surprisingly simple for French speakers: no grammatical gender, regular plural, subject-object-verb order, logical conjugations. The Persian poetry of Hafez, Saadi, Ferdowsi and Rumi remains the highest literary expression of the Iranian world and is recited daily.
Beyond the language, Iran imposes its cultural codes: ta'arof (ceremonial politeness where one offers and refuses several times), legendary hospitality with tea and pastries, Nowruz on March 21st, mandatory modest dress for women (headscarf) and preferred for men. Knowing a few words like "Salam" (hello) or "Mamnoonam" (thank you) immediately changes the welcome you receive.
This kit gathers the bare essentials to handle an arrival in Tehran or Isfahan, a taxi ride to Persepolis, a chelo kabab order at a restaurant, a medical emergency and a warm departure. You will find indispensable greetings, survival phrases, key words for eating and sleeping, as well as cultural tips to respect local customs. Memorize these expressions before leaving and you will gain confidence from the very first hours on site.
Here is how these phrases play out in real life. Each scene sets the stage and gathers the useful expressions.
You land at Imam Khomeini Airport in Tehran at dawn. An agent welcomes you with the universal "Salam" or the more literary "Dorud". You answer warmly, then exchange morning pleasantries ("Sobh bekheir") before looking for the exit.
The taxi driver asks for your destination. You give him the house where you are staying (khaneh), the school you plan to visit (madreseh), the bazaar for your shopping and the restaurant where you will dine tonight.
You sit down in a traditional restaurant to taste chelo kabab. You order nan (Persian flatbread), water (ab), a bit of milk (shir) for your tea and Persian-style grilled meat (gusht).
You feel unwell and need to quickly explain where it hurts. You point to the affected area using key body words: head (sar), eye (cheshm), ear (gush), hand (dast).
On the eve of departure, you wish your hosts good night ("Shab bekheir"). In the morning, at the airport, you take leave with "Khoda hafez" (may God keep you) and "Be omid didar" (see you soon) before a final heartfelt "Mamnoon".
What you need to know before travelling to a persan-speaking country.
Persian is an Indo-European language, with no genealogical link to Arabic despite using the Arabo-Persian script. Its grammar is close to French: subject-object-verb order, no grammatical gender, regular plural.
Iranian Persian (Farsi) is the most standard variant. Afghan Dari and Tajik (written in Cyrillic) are very close variants, mutually intelligible with a bit of phonetic effort.
Ta'arof is a central social code: one offers, refuses, insists, accepts. Refusing once is expected, accepting too quickly can seem rude. Mastering this ballet is a sign of respect.
Iranian hospitality is world-famous. If you are invited to have tea (chai) or share a meal, refusing sharply would be perceived as an affront. Accept at least symbolically.
Nowruz, the Persian New Year celebrated on March 21st, is the most important holiday of the year. The sofreh haft-sin (table of seven items) marks the transition from winter to spring for more than three thousand years.
Modest dress is mandatory in Iran: headscarf for women, long sleeves, trousers for everyone. The rules may evolve but respecting local customs remains essential for visitors.
Iran is a country of poetry. Hafez, Saadi, Ferdowsi, Rumi are recited daily. Quoting a verse, even approximately, opens passionate conversations with any Iranian.
Alcohol has been banned in Iran since 1979 and the law is still enforced. Ramadan is officially observed: avoid eating or drinking in public during the day out of respect for those fasting.
Preview. The full glossary (30 words) and all the phrases are in the PDF.
متشکرم
thank you (formal)
تشکر
thank you (ceremonial)
لطفاً
please
ببخشید
excuse me, sorry
حالتون چطوره
how are you? (formal)
بفرمایید
please go ahead / help yourself
بله
yes
نه
no
من
I, me
تو
you (familiar)
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Every translation is cross-checked against at least two concordant sources among the references below.
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