A Persian husband-and-wife joke about a mirror and good eyesight, line by line with spoken forms, the double meaning explained and a quiz.
A Persian joke: good eyesight
A wife looks in the mirror and asks her husband a dangerous question. His answer seems kind at first, but the last line changes its meaning. This kind of delayed reveal is common in Persian jokes, and it only works if you follow the grammar closely.
How to study a joke: read the Persian line by line with the pronunciation, then cover the English and retell the joke aloud in your own words. A joke is a good test of listening, because if you understand the punchline, you understood the grammar too.
The joke, line by line
| Persian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| زن: عشقم! الان که دارم خودمو تو آیینه میبینم، احساس می‌کنم خیلی زشت و چاق به نظر می‌رسم! اینطور نیست به نظرت؟ | /zan: eshgham! alân ke dâram khodamo tu âyine mibinam, ehsâs mikonam kheyli zesht o châgh be nazar miresam! intor nist be nazaret?/ | Wife: "My love, now that I'm looking at myself in the mirror, I feel I look really ugly and fat. Isn't that right, in your opinion?" |
| مرد: خیلی فوق‌العاده‌اس! | /mard: kheyli fogholâde-as!/ | Husband: "It's really amazing!" |
| زن: وای، راست میگی عشقم؟ | /zan: vây, râst migi eshgham?/ | Wife: "Oh, really, my love?" |
| مرد: معلومه عزیزم! من همیشه بینایی و دقت نظر فوق‌العاده‌ات رو تحسین می‌کنم! | /mard: ma'lume azizam! man hamishe binâyi o deghghat-e nazar-e fogholâde-at ro tahsin mikonam!/ | Husband: "Of course, dear. I always admire your amazing eyesight and sharp eye." |
Why it is funny
When the husband says خیلی فوق‌العاده‌اس (kheyli fogholâde-as), "it's really amazing", the wife, and the listener, assume he means her looks. The last line reveals what he really finds amazing: her eyesight, بینایی (binâyi). In other words he agrees that she looks ugly and fat, and praises her for seeing it so clearly. The joke works because the subject "it" is left open until the end.
Notice how the husband's answer avoids the question. The wife asks a yes-or-no question, اینطور نیست؟ (intor nist?), "isn't that so?", and in Persian a polite listener would normally reply نه، اصلا (na, aslan), "no, not at all". The husband gives no yes or no, only an exclamation. The listener notices the missing "no" only at the end, which is part of the fun. Also notice the many terms of endearment: عشقم (eshgham), "my love", and عزیزم (azizam), "my dear". They are used all the time between couples and in families, and their sweetness makes the final insult even sharper.
Spoken vs written forms
| Spoken / Written | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| خودمو / خودم را | /khodamo / khodam râ/ | myself (object) |
| تو / در | /tu / dar/ | in |
| فوق‌العاده‌اس / فوق‌العاده است | /fogholâde-as / fogholâde ast/ | it is amazing |
| میگی / می‌گویی | /migi / miguyi/ | you say |
| معلومه / معلوم است | /ma'lume / ma'lum ast/ | it's obvious, of course |
| فوق‌العاده‌ات رو / فوق‌العاده‌ات را | /fogholâde-at ro / fogholâde-at râ/ | your amazing … (object) |
Grammar notes
- دارم … میبینم (dâram … mibinam) is the present progressive: "I am seeing, I am looking". It is formed with داشتن plus the present tense.
- به نظر رسیدن (be nazar residan) means "to seem, to look": چاق به نظر می‌رسم, "I look fat". به نظرت (be nazaret) means "in your opinion".
- دقت نظر (deghghat-e nazar), literally "precision of view", means attention to detail or a sharp eye.
Glossary
| Persian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| آیینه | /âyine/ | mirror (also spelled آینه) |
| زشت | /zesht/ | ugly |
| چاق | /châgh/ | fat |
| بینایی | /binâyi/ | eyesight |
| تحسین کردن | /tahsin kardan/ | to admire |
| فوق‌العاده | /fogholâde/ | extraordinary, amazing |
- Laugh and Learn Persian: all jokes
- Joke 1: Memory Loss
- Joke 2: Lazy Robbers
- Joke 3: Biology Class
- Joke 4: Snake in Love
Practice
-
How do you say "in your opinion"?
Show answer
be nazaret به نظرت
-
Give the written form: معلومه
Show answer
ma'lum ast معلوم است
-
What does "be nazar residan" mean? به نظر رسیدن
Show answer
to seem, to look
-
What does the husband really find amazing?
Show answer
His wife's eyesight: he agrees with her that she looks ugly and fat.
More jokes: Laugh and Learn Persian.
زن : عشقممم ! الان که دارم خودم و تو آیینه میبینم احساس می کنم خیلی زشت و چاق به نظر می رسم ! اینطور نیست به نظرت !؟ نه : خیلی فوق العاده اس ! زن : واااای راست میگی عشقم … مرد : معلومه عزیزم ! من همیشه بینایی و دقت نظر فوق العاده ات رو تحسین می کنم !
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