Compliments in Persian: What to Say and How to Reply

The everyday way to compliment something in Persian is خیلی قشنگه (kheyli ghashange, spoken: “it’s really beautiful”). For someone’s looks, Iranians say خیلی خوشگل شدی (kheyli khoshgel shodi, “you look really nice”), and for food, دستت درد نکنه (dastet dard nakone). The usual modest reply is لطف داری (lotf dâri, “you’re kind”).

Iranians compliment generously, and the replies are part of the fun. Below you will find the key words, compliments for people, food, homes, work and children, the polite ways to accept praise, and a few things to avoid. Most phrases are spoken Persian, the way people really talk; formal versions are marked.

The key compliment words

Learn these adjectives first. With خیلی (kheyli, “very”) and the spoken ending -e (“it is”), each becomes a full compliment: خیلی خوشمزه‌ست (kheyli khoshmaze-st, “it’s very tasty”).

قشنگ Listen خوشگل Listen خوشمزه Listen

A useful rule of thumb: قشنگ for things and خوشگل for people. It is not strict, but it keeps you sounding natural. Our word page on ghashang (قشنگ), “beautiful” has more examples.

Compliments on how someone looks

Notice the verb شدی (shodi, “you have become”). Persian often praises a change: you look nice today, in this outfit. It sounds warmer than a flat statement and avoids any hint that the person usually looks worse. خیلی خوشگل شدی Listen

Compliments on someone’s character

The ending -i means “you are” when you speak to a friend (تو, to). With someone you address as شما (shomâ), it becomes -id: شما خیلی ماهید (shomâ kheyli mâhid). If you are unsure when to use which, see polite Persian: shomâ instead of to. خیلی ماهی Listen

Compliments on food (and what the host says back)

Food is where compliments matter most in an Iranian home. The host has usually worked hard, and saying nothing is noticed. These are the phrases you will use at every meal.

And the replies you will hear from the host:

• نوش جان (nush-e jân), “enjoy”, literally “may it nourish your soul”. Listen
• سرت سلامت (saret salâmat), the standard reply to dastet dard nakone, roughly “may you be well”. Polite: سرتون سلامت (saretun salâmat).

دستت درد نکنه Listen For more mealtime words, see restaurant words in Persian and the dialogue in Persian conversation 46: food and daily meals.

Compliments on a home

A common reply from the host is قابل شما رو نداره (ghâbel-e shomâ ro nadâre, spoken), “it’s not worthy of you”. It is pure politeness. Just smile and say لطف دارید (lotf dârid). The word page for khâne (خانه), “house, home” shows both the formal and spoken forms.

Praise for work, skills and favors

A related phrase is خسته نباشید (khaste nabâshid, “may you not be tired”). It is not exactly a compliment, but it recognizes someone’s effort and is said to people at work, from shop staff to a teacher at the end of class. آفرین Listen دمت گرم Listen

Babies, children and the evil eye: mâshâllâh

Many Iranians, especially in traditional families, believe that strong praise can attract the evil eye, چشم‌زخم (cheshm-zakhm). So compliments, especially to babies and children, often come wrapped in a protective phrase:

So a natural compliment for a friend’s baby is: ماشالله، چقدر نازه (mâshâllâh, cheghadr nâze, “mâshâllâh, how sweet he/she is”). Persian uses the same word for “he” and “she”, so this works for any child. The formal spelling of mâshâllâh is ماشاءالله; the shorter spelling is common in everyday writing. ماشالله Listen

How to accept a compliment in Persian

In English you might simply say “thanks”. In Persian, praise is usually answered with modesty that turns the compliment back to the speaker. This is part of taarof, the Iranian art of politeness.

لطف داری Listen چشمات قشنگ می‌بینه Listen

Saying مرسی (mersi) is not wrong, but on its own it can sound like you agree with the praise. مرسی، لطف داری (mersi, lotf dâri) is warmer. If someone says قابلی نداره about an object you admired, they are not really giving it to you; thank them and leave it. Gift phrases like this are practiced in giving gifts in Persian.

Things to avoid

• Comments on weight or body. Stick to clothes, style, eyes or smile with people you don’t know well, and be careful with personal compliments to someone of the opposite sex.
• Praising a baby with no mâshâllâh in a traditional family can make parents uneasy. Adding it costs nothing.
• Accepting an offer made out of taarof. If you admire a scarf and hear قابلی نداره, do not take the scarf.
• Using zibâ in casual speech. زیبا is correct but sounds bookish in a chat; قشنگ or خوشگل is more natural.

For more everyday expressions, browse 11 beautiful Persian words, review the difference between spoken and written Persian, and test your social phrases with the Persian greetings quiz.

Common questions

How do you say “you are beautiful” in Persian?

In everyday speech, خیلی خوشگلی (kheyli khoshgeli, to a friend) or خیلی خوشگل شدی (kheyli khoshgel shodi, “you look really nice”). The formal, poetic version is شما خیلی زیبا هستید (shomâ kheyli zibâ hastid).

What does “cheshmât ghashang mibine” mean?

چشمات قشنگ می‌بینه means “your eyes see beautifully”. It is a modest reply to a compliment: the thing only looks good because you are seeing it with kind eyes.

How do you compliment food in Persian?

Say خیلی خوشمزه‌ست (kheyli khoshmaze-st, “it’s really delicious”) during the meal and دستتون درد نکنه (dastetun dard nakone) to the cook afterwards. The host will answer نوش جان (nush-e jân) or سرتون سلامت (saretun salâmat).

What does mâshâllâh mean in Persian?

ماشالله (mâshâllâh) comes from Arabic and means roughly “what God has willed”. Iranians say it with praise, especially for children, health and success, to keep away envy and the evil eye.

How do you reply to a compliment in Persian?

The most common replies are لطف داری (lotf dâri) or لطف دارید (lotf dârid), “you’re kind”, and نظر لطفته (nazar-e lotfete), “that’s just your kindness”. For looks or belongings, چشمات قشنگ می‌بینه is a warm, slightly playful reply.

What is the difference between khoshgel and ghashang?

Both mean “pretty”. خوشگل (khoshgel) is used mostly for people’s looks, and قشنگ (ghashang) mostly for things, places and voices. In casual speech they overlap a lot.

Related guides: Beautiful in Persian

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