Persian Conversation 19: Formal Introductions to Family

Make polite introductions in Persian: introduce your teacher, your wife and your daughter with ishun, hamsar and ejâze bedid, plus a quiz.

Formal introductions: meeting a teacher and his wife

Sara introduces her mother, Mrs. Javid, to her teacher, Mr. Kiyani. Mr. Kiyani then introduces his wife, Maryam, to Mrs. Javid and her daughter. Because the adults are meeting for the first time, everyone uses polite language: the respectful pronoun ایشون (ishun), "he, she", plural verbs for one person, and the courteous اجازه بدید (ejâze bedid), "allow me".

This is the kind of exchange you might have at a school event or a family gathering in Iran.

The dialogue

Key words and phrases

Spoken vs written Persian

Formal speech still uses spoken pronunciations. Here are the words as they are said and as they are written.

Respect in Persian

ایشون (written ایشان) is used instead of او (u), "he, she", to show respect, and it takes a plural verb: ایشون استاد من هستند, not هست. The plural ending ـشون (-eshun) works the same way: دخترشون means "her daughter" here, said respectfully.

استاد (ostâd) is used for a university teacher or a master of a skill. A school teacher is معلم (mo'allem). Titles come before the family name: آقای کیانی, خانم جاوید. In speech خانم is pronounced khânum, which is why it is sometimes written خانوم.

همسر (hamsar), "spouse", is the polite word for both wife and husband. Everyday alternatives are خانمم (khânumam), "my wife", and شوهرم (shoharam), "my husband".

Try it yourself

• Introduce your friend to your mother: مامان، ایشون دوست من هستند.
• Begin a polite introduction with اجازه بدید … رو معرفی کنم.

When you are introduced, it is polite to stand up, and the reply از آشنایی‌تون خوشبختم (az âshnâyitun khoshbakhtam), "pleased to make your acquaintance", is another common alternative to از دیدنتون خوشبختم.

• Previous: Lesson 18
• Next: Lesson 20 (talking about family)

Practice

1. How does Sara introduce her teacher to her mother?

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   mâmân, ishun ostâd-e man hastand, âghâ-ye kiyâni. مامان، ایشون استاد من هستند، آقای کیانی

2. Why is the verb {{هستند}} plural when it refers to one person?

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   It goes with the respectful pronoun ishun.

3. Say "Let me introduce my wife."

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   ejâze bedid hamsaram ro mo'arrefi konam اجازه بدید همسرم رو معرفی کنم

4. What is the reply to {{از دیدنتون خوشبختم}} in one word?

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   hamchenin همچنین

5. What is the written form of {{ایشون}}?

   Show answer

   ishân ایشان

Find more dialogues in the Farsi conversation lessons series, and review the sounds behind the transliteration on the Persian pronunciation page.