Introduce Yourself in Persian: Name, Age, Country, Job and More

To introduce yourself in Persian, start with سلام (salâm, hello), then say اسم من سارا است (esm-e man Sârâ ast, my name is Sara) or, in everyday speech, اسمم ساراست (esmam Sârâ-st). Add where you are from with من اهل کانادا هستم (man ahl-e Kânâdâ hastam) and finish with خوشبختم (khoshbakhtam, nice to meet you).

This guide gives you every line you need, in both polite written Persian and the spoken Persian you will actually hear: your name, age, country, city, job, languages, family and hobbies, plus the questions Iranians will ask you back. At the end there are two ready-made self-introductions, one formal and one casual, that you can adapt and say out loud.

A 20-second self-introduction

If you learn only one paragraph, learn this one. It is polite, correct and fine for any first meeting:

سلام. اسم من مایکل است. من اهل آمریکا هستم. از آشنایی با شما خوشوقتم.
(salâm. esm-e man Mâykel ast. man ahl-e Âmrikâ hastam. az âshnâyi bâ shomâ khoshvaghtam.)
Hello. My name is Michael. I’m from America. Pleased to meet you. Listen

Not sure how to spell your own name in Persian? Try our write your name in Persian tool first.

Formal or casual: which Persian should you use?

Persian has two levels for “you”: polite شما (shomâ) and familiar تو (to). With adults you are meeting for the first time, teachers, colleagues and anyone older, use شما. With children, close friends and people your age who already use تو with you, switch to تو. When in doubt, choose شما; nobody is offended by politeness. Our lesson on polite shomâ instead of to explains the grammar.

There is a second layer: written vs spoken forms. اسم من سارا است (esm-e man Sârâ ast) is correct and polite but sounds a little bookish in conversation, where people say اسمم ساراست (esmam Sârâ-st) or من سارام (man Sârâm). Below, each line is marked formal or spoken. Day 6 of the free course, what is your name, spoken vs written, practices exactly this contrast.

1. Greeting and saying your name

In speech, است (ast) becomes -e after a consonant and -st after a vowel: اسمم علیه (esmam Aliye) but اسمم ساراست (esmam Sârâ-st). Listen

2. Nice to meet you

خوشبختم. Listen همچنین. Listen These two words are the core of every first meeting in Iran.

3. Where you are from and where you live

من اهل کانادا هستم و تو تورنتو زندگی می‌کنم. (man ahl-e Kânâdâ hastam va tu Toronto zendegi mikonam.) I’m from Canada and I live in Toronto. Listen

Look up your country in our list of country names in Persian. Most nationalities just add -i to the country: ایران (Irân) becomes ایرانی (irâni), آلمان (Âlmân) becomes آلمانی (âlmâni). Day 9 of the course, where are you from, has a full dialogue.

4. Your age

Listen Numbers are joined with و (va), pronounced -o: سی و دو (si-o do, 32). Review them in Persian numbers 1 to 1,000. Asking an adult’s age, especially a woman’s, can feel personal in Iran, as in many places; it is normal with children and students.

5. Your job or studies

Useful job words: مهندس (mohandes, engineer), پزشک (pezeshk, doctor), پرستار (parastâr, nurse), برنامه‌نویس (barnâme-nevis, programmer), کارمند (kârmand, office employee), بازنشسته (bâzneshaste, retired). Find more in jobs in Persian.

6. Languages and learning Persian

دارم فارسی یاد می‌گیرم. Listen Iranians love hearing foreigners try Persian, and this sentence often starts a long, friendly conversation.

7. Family

Questions about family are normal in a first conversation in Iran. For all the relatives, see family members in Persian.

8. Hobbies and why you are learning Persian

• به موسیقی علاقه دارم. (be musighi alâghe dâram.) I’m interested in music.
• دوست دارم کتاب بخونم. (dust dâram ketâb bekhunam.) I like reading books. (spoken; written بخوانم bekhânam)
• فوتبال بازی می‌کنم. (futbâl bâzi mikonam.) I play soccer.
• همسرم ایرانیه. (hamsaram irâniye.) My spouse is Iranian. (spoken)
• به فرهنگ ایران علاقه دارم. (be farhang-e Irân alâghe dâram.) I’m interested in Iranian culture.

Two sample self-introductions

Formal (class, office, interview)

سلام. اسم من سارا است. اهل کانادا هستم و در تورنتو زندگی می‌کنم. سی و دو سال دارم و پرستار هستم. متأهل هستم و یک پسر دارم. چند ماه است که فارسی یاد می‌گیرم. از آشنایی با شما خوشوقتم. Listen

(salâm. esm-e man Sârâ ast. ahl-e Kânâdâ hastam va dar Toronto zendegi mikonam. si-o do sâl dâram va parastâr hastam. mote’ahhel hastam va yek pesar dâram. chand mâh ast ke fârsi yâd migiram. az âshnâyi bâ shomâ khoshvaghtam.)

Hello. My name is Sara. I’m from Canada and I live in Toronto. I’m 32 and I’m a nurse. I’m married and have a son. I’ve been learning Persian for a few months. Pleased to meet you.

Casual (spoken, with friends)

سلام، من مایکلم. اهل آمریکام، ولی الان تو لندن زندگی می‌کنم. بیست و هشت سالمه و برنامه‌نویسم. دارم فارسی یاد می‌گیرم، چون کلی دوست ایرانی دارم. خوشبختم. Listen

(salâm, man Mâykelam. ahl-e Âmrikâm, vali alân tu Landan zendegi mikonam. bist-o hasht sâlame va barnâme-nevisam. dâram fârsi yâd migiram, chon koli dust-e irâni dâram. khoshbakhtam.)

Hi, I’m Michael. I’m from the US, but I live in London now. I’m 28 and I’m a programmer. I’m learning Persian because I have lots of Iranian friends. Nice to meet you.

Compare the two: the casual one uses مایکلم instead of مایکل هستم, تو (tu, in) instead of در (dar), and سالمه instead of سال دارم. Want to write your own? Our writing exercise introduce yourself in a paragraph walks you through it.

Questions Iranians will ask you

If someone praises your Persian, reply modestly: لطف دارید (lotf dârid, you are kind) or مرسی، هنوز دارم یاد می‌گیرم (mersi, hanuz dâram yâd migiram, thanks, I’m still learning). Listen

For more dialogues like these, continue with conversation 3: introducing yourself. The Learn Farsi in 100 Days book takes you from these first introductions to everyday conversation in 100 short lessons.

Common questions

How do you introduce yourself in Persian?

Say سلام (salâm), then اسم من … است (esm-e man … ast, my name is …), اهل … هستم (ahl-e … hastam, I’m from …), and end with خوشبختم (khoshbakhtam, nice to meet you). In casual speech, اسمم …ه (esmam …-e) is more natural.

How do you say “my name is” in Farsi?

Formal: اسم من … است (esm-e man … ast). Spoken: اسمم …ه (esmam …-e), for example اسمم علیه (esmam Aliye). You can also simply say من … هستم (man … hastam, I am …).

How do you say “nice to meet you” in Persian?

The usual phrase is خوشبختم (khoshbakhtam). A more formal version is از آشنایی با شما خوشوقتم (az âshnâyi bâ shomâ khoshvaghtam). The reply is همچنین (hamchenin, likewise).

How do you ask “where are you from” in Persian?

Politely: اهل کجا هستید؟ (ahl-e kojâ hastid?) or in speech اهل کجایین؟ (ahl-e kojâyin?). With a friend: کجایی هستی؟ (kojâyi hasti?).

How do you say your age in Persian?

Formal: من بیست سال دارم (man bist sâl dâram), literally “I have twenty years”. Spoken: بیست سالمه (bist sâlame).

Should I use shomâ or to when introducing myself?

Use شما (shomâ) with adults you are meeting for the first time. Switch to تو (to) only with children or when the other person starts using it with you.

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