40 Untranslatable Persian Words and Phrases (With Meaning and Use)

Untranslatable Persian words are words and phrases like تعارف (ta’ârof), the ritual of polite offers and refusals, دلتنگ (deltang), a tight-hearted longing for someone, and خسته نباشید (khaste nabâshid), “may you not be tired,” said to anyone who has been working. English can explain them, but it has no single word that does the same job.

Below are 40 of them, grouped by where you will meet them: at the door, at the table, in conversations about the heart, and in family life. For each one you get the Persian script, pronunciation, the literal meaning, what Iranians actually mean by it, and the reply people expect, because many of these phrases are one half of a fixed exchange. Practice blocks follow each section, and there is a short quiz near the end.

What “untranslatable” really means

Almost anything can be explained in another language, given a sentence or two. A word is “untranslatable” when English has no single word or set phrase that covers the same meaning and is used in the same moment. Take دستت درد نکنه (dastet dard nakone). It is a thank-you, so “thanks” is the closest translation. But it literally says “may your hand not hurt,” it thanks someone specifically for effort, and it has its own fixed reply. “Thanks” captures none of that.

So this list is not a collection of curiosities. Most of these words are everyday Persian. If you learn to use them at the right moment, you will sound far more natural than a learner who only knows textbook translations. Many of them are spoken forms; where the written form differs, it is given too. Our guide to spoken vs written Persian explains the general pattern.

The full list at a glance

At the door: politeness and hospitality

Persian politeness is not just a set of words, it is a whole way of behaving. These words are its backbone.

1. تعارف (ta’ârof): the art of polite insistence

تعارف (ta’ârof) Listen is the Iranian system of ritual courtesy: offering more than you need to, refusing what you are offered at first, insisting, and praising the other person while playing yourself down. A host offers tea three times; the guest declines twice; both know the script. A shop assistant says you do not need to pay; you pay anyway.

English has “politeness” and “etiquette,” but not a word for this back-and-forth game where both sides understand that the first answer may not be the real one. The phrase تعارف نکن (ta’ârof nakon), “don’t do ta’ârof,” means “really, help yourself, I mean it.” Our full guide to taarof and Persian politeness walks through the typical exchanges.

2. رودربایستی (rudarbâyesti): too polite to say no

رودربایستی (rudarbâyesti), spoken رودرواسی (rudarvâsi), is the awkward shyness that stops you from refusing, asking for money back, or saying what you really think, because you would have to say it to the person’s face. You lend your car to a cousin you do not trust: that was rudarbâyesti. “رودربایستی نداریم” (rudarbâyesti nadârim), “we don’t have rudarbâyesti,” means “we can be straight with each other.”

3. قابلی نداره (ghâbeli nadâre): “it’s not worthy of you”

Give someone a gift and say قابلی نداره (ghâbeli nadâre) Listen: “it’s nothing, it isn’t worthy of you.” A taxi driver or shopkeeper may say the same thing when you ask the price. That is ta’ârof, not a free ride: you thank them and pay. The usual reply is صاحبش قابل داره (sâhebesh ghâbel dâre), “its owner is worthy,” in other words, “it’s you who makes it valuable.”

4. بفرمایید (befarmâyid): the do-everything polite word

Literally “please command,” بفرمایید (befarmâyid) Listen can mean “come in,” “sit down,” “help yourself,” “here you are,” “go ahead (you first),” “yes, how can I help?” on the phone, and “please, go on” when someone hesitates to speak. English needs a different phrase for each. If you learn one polite word for a visit to Iran, learn this one.

5. زحمت کشیدید (zahmat keshidid): thanks for the effort

زحمت کشیدید (zahmat keshidid), “you endured trouble,” thanks someone for the work behind a meal, a gift or a favor. The guest says it at the end of dinner; the host answers with ta’ârof such as کاری نکردم (kâri nakardam), “I didn’t do anything.” Related: ببخشید زحمت دادم (bebakhshid zahmat dâdam), “sorry for the trouble I caused.” More ways to thank people are in our guide to thank you in Persian.

6. شرمنده (sharmande): ashamed, sorry and grateful at once

شرمنده (sharmande) Listen literally means “ashamed.” In conversation it covers a surprising range: “sorry” (for being late, for not having change), and “you shouldn’t have” when someone is generous to you, as in شرمنده‌م کردید (sharmandam kardid), “you’ve embarrassed me (with your kindness).” English speakers would never answer a gift with “I’m ashamed,” but in Persian it is warm and polite.

7. نمک‌گیر (namakgir): bound by bread and salt

To become نمک‌گیر (namakgir), “caught by salt,” means that after eating at someone’s table you owe them loyalty. People joke at dinner, نمک‌گیرمون کردید (namakgirmun kardid), “you’ve made us salt-bound.” The opposite is نمک‌نشناس (namak-nashenâs), “one who doesn’t recognize salt”: an ungrateful person who forgets those who fed them.

8. چشم (cheshm): “eye,” meaning “yes, I will”

When a parent, teacher or boss asks you to do something, the respectful answer is چشم (cheshm) Listen, “eye,” short for “on my eye,” meaning “gladly, consider it done.” It is softer and more respectful than باشه (bâshe), “okay.” The person who asked often answers بی‌بلا (bi-balâ), “may your eyes be free from harm.”

9. قدمتون روی چشم (ghadametun ru-ye cheshm): “your step is on my eye”

The eye returns in this warm welcome: قدمتون روی چشم (ghadametun ru-ye cheshm), “your step is on my eye,” that is, “you are so welcome that you may walk on my eyes.” It is spoken (written: قدمتان روی چشم, ghadametân ru-ye cheshm) and said to a guest arriving or someone announcing a visit.

At the table and at work: phrases for everyday moments

These phrases belong to a particular moment. Iranians say them almost automatically, and each comes with an expected reply.

10. خسته نباشید (khaste nabâshid): “may you not be tired”

خسته نباشید (khaste nabâshid) Listen is said to anyone who has been working: a cashier, a mechanic, a teacher at the end of class, a colleague leaving the office, a friend who just moved house. It is part greeting, part thanks, part recognition of effort. To a friend you say خسته نباشی (khaste nabâshi). The usual replies are سلامت باشید (salâmat bâshid), “may you be healthy,” or, in friendly spoken Persian, درمونده نباشی (darmunde nabâshi), “may you not be helpless.”

11. دستت درد نکنه (dastet dard nakone): “may your hand not hurt”

This is how Iranians thank someone for something they made or did with their own effort: a meal, a gift, a favor, a ride. دستت درد نکنه (dastet dard nakone) Listen is the friendly form; the polite form is دستتون درد نکنه (dastetun dard nakone). The written form is دستتان درد نکند. The reply mirrors it: سرت درد نکنه (saret dard nakone), “may your head not hurt.”

12. نوش جان (nush-e jân): “may it nourish your soul”

نوش جان (nush-e jân) Listen is said to someone eating or drinking, a bit like “bon appétit,” but it is also the standard reply when someone thanks you for food. Your guest says “دستت درد نکنه“; you answer “نوش جان.” In casual speech you also hear نوش جونت (nush-e junet), “enjoy it, dear.”

13. جای شما خالی (jâ-ye shomâ khâli): “your place was empty”

Come back from a trip, a great meal or a party, and you tell the friend who was not there: جای شما خالی (jâ-ye shomâ khâli) Listen, “your place was empty,” meaning “we missed you, I wish you’d been there.” Spoken: جاتون خالی (jâtun khâli), or to a friend جات خالی (jât khâli). It is a small courtesy that keeps the absent person included, and English has no ready phrase for it.

14. عافیت باشه (âfiyat bâshe): said after a bath

When someone comes out of the bath or shower, Iranians say عافیت باشه (âfiyat bâshe), “may it bring you good health.” It is a tiny everyday blessing for a moment English has no words for at all.

15. سر شما سلامت (sar-e shomâ salâmat): condolences

When someone has lost a relative, you say سر شما سلامت (sar-e shomâ salâmat), “may your head be safe,” that is, “may you stay well and live long.” It is the standard condolence phrase, and the bereaved person often answers سر شما هم سلامت (sar-e shomâ ham salâmat). Our guide to Persian condolences covers the rest of what people say at a funeral or memorial.

16. خدا بد نده (khodâ bad nade): on hearing bad news

Hear that someone is ill, has had an accident or is in the hospital, and you say خدا بد نده (khodâ bad nade), “may God not give (you) bad.” The reply is بد نبینی (bad nabini), “may you not see bad.”

17. چشمت روز بد نبینه (cheshmet ruz-e bad nabine): a shield for the listener

When people tell you about a misfortune, they often add چشمت روز بد نبینه (cheshmet ruz-e bad nabine), “may your eyes never see a bad day”: “this happened to me, and I hope nothing like it ever happens to you.” It turns a sad story into a kind wish for the listener.

18. صبر اومد (sabr umad): “patience came”

There is a popular belief in Iran that a single sneeze just as someone is about to leave or start something is a sign to wait a moment. Someone in the room will say صبر اومد (sabr umad), “patience came” (written صبر آمد, sabr âmad), and the person may pause before setting off. It is the opposite of “bless you”: not about health, but about timing.

19. حلالم کن (halâlam kon): settling accounts with the heart

حلالم کن (halâlam kon), “make me halâl to you,” asks the other person to forgive any wrong or unpaid debt between you. People say it before a long journey, when moving away, or when they feel they have let someone down. The answer is حلالت باشه (halâlet bâshe), “it is forgiven, it’s yours.”

Affection: words that say more than “I love you”

Persian affection is often expressed through dramatic self-sacrifice and body parts. None of it is meant literally, and all of it is common.

20. قربونت برم (ghorbunet beram): “may I be sacrificed for you”

قربونت برم (ghorbunet beram) Listen is the spoken form of قربانت بروم (ghorbânat beravam). A grandmother says it to a grandchild, a mother to her son on the phone, friends to each other. Depending on the moment it means “I adore you,” “thank you, dear,” or “please, sweetheart.” Iranians also shorten it to قربونت (ghorbunet) as a warm “thanks” at the end of a call.

21. فدات شم (fadât sham): “may I be your ransom”

فدات شم (fadât sham), from written فدایت شوم (fadâyat shavam), works almost exactly like ghorbunet beram: affectionate, a little dramatic, used in families and between close friends. You also hear the short فدات (fadât) as a casual “thanks, dear.”

22. جیگر (jigar): “liver,” meaning “cutie”

In Persian, the liver, not only the heart, is a place of deep feeling. In spoken slang جیگر (jigar) Listen means “cutie” or “darling,” and people call a cute baby جیگر too. Because it can also describe an attractive adult, use it with people you know well. Learn more casual words in our guide to Persian slang.

23. جگرگوشه (jegar-gushe): “corner of the liver”

In more literary and emotional language, جگرگوشه (jegar-gushe), “a corner of (my) liver,” means one’s beloved child. The standard spelling is جگر (jegar); جیگر (jigar) is the spoken spelling.

24. ناز کشیدن (nâz keshidan): carrying someone’s coyness

ناز (nâz) is the playful, sweet reluctance of someone who wants to be begged a little. ناز کردن (nâz kardan) is acting coy; ناز کشیدن (nâz keshidan) is what the other person does: patiently coaxing, flattering and putting up with it. Persian love poetry is full of the beloved’s nâz. For more romantic vocabulary, see how to say I love you in Persian.

25. دمت گرم (damet garm): “may your breath be warm”

Slang, mostly among friends: دمت گرم (damet garm) Listen means “nice one,” “thanks, mate,” “respect.” Say it when a friend saves you a seat or pays for your coffee. It is too casual for a teacher or an older stranger.

The heart and the inner state

Persian puts many feelings in the دل (del), and it builds new words from it the way English builds words from “mind.”

26. دل (del): heart, gut and mood together

دل (del) Listen means both “heart” (in the emotional sense) and “belly.” دلم درد می‌کنه (delam dard mikone) is “I have a stomachache,” while دلم می‌خواد (delam mikhâd), “my heart wants,” means “I feel like (doing something)”: دلم بستنی می‌خواد (delam bastani mikhâd), “I’m in the mood for ice cream.” از ته دل (az tah-e del), “from the bottom of the heart,” means sincerely. Search for more del words in our Persian dictionary.

27. دلتنگ (deltang): a tight heart

دلتنگ (deltang) Listen, “tight-hearted,” is the feeling of missing a person, a place or a time, with a physical ache in it. The everyday sentence is دلم برات تنگ شده (delam barât tang shode), “my heart has become tight for you,” the Persian “I miss you.” The noun is دلتنگی (deltangi). The full set of phrases is in our guide to I miss you in Persian.

28. دلم گرفته (delam gerefte): “my heart is seized”

دلم گرفته (delam gerefte) describes a low, heavy, gloomy mood, often without a clear reason: a gray afternoon, a quiet Sunday, a song. “I’m sad” is too strong, “I’m a bit down” too light. A cloudy sky can be described the same way: هوا گرفته (havâ gerefte), “the weather is gloomy.”

29. دلشوره (delshure): the churning heart

دلشوره (delshure) Listen is the restless, nervous feeling that something is wrong or about to go wrong: a mother whose child is late home, a student the night before results. دلشوره دارم (delshure dâram), “I have delshure.” English needs “anxiety,” “dread” or “a bad feeling,” and none of them is quite it.

30. همدل (hamdel): same-hearted

همدل (hamdel), from هم (ham, “same”) and دل, is a person who feels what you feel: closer than “sympathetic,” warmer than “empathetic.” The noun همدلی (hamdeli) means sharing a heart, understanding each other without words. It differs from هم‌زبان (hamzabân), someone who speaks your language.

31. حال (hâl): a state, a mood, and fun

حال (hâl) is your current condition. It is in the basic greeting حالت چطوره؟ (hâlet chetore?), “how are you?”. In mystical poetry it means a passing spiritual state. In spoken Persian, حال کردم (hâl kardam) means “I really enjoyed it,” and حال ندارم (hâl nadâram) means “I don’t have the energy (for it).” One word, from Sufi verse to teenage slang.

32. خوش به حالت (khosh be hâlet): “good for your state”

خوش به حالت (khosh be hâlet) is “lucky you,” with a light touch of envy and no bitterness: a friend says she is going to the seaside, and you answer khosh be hâlet. It is one of the most useful conversation phrases a learner can pick up.

Values and life: big ideas in small words

33. غیرت (gheyrat): protective honor

غیرت (gheyrat) is a strong sense of pride and duty to protect one’s family, friends or country. It can be admirable, as when someone stands up for a friend, or possessive, as when it turns into jealousy over a partner. Calling someone بی‌غیرت (bi-gheyrat), “without gheyrat,” is a serious insult. It is a word to understand rather than to use lightly.

34. غربت (ghorbat): life far from home

غربت (ghorbat) Listen is the condition of living away from your homeland or home town, with its loneliness and sense of not quite belonging. It is not just “abroad” or “exile”; a student from Shiraz living in Tehran can feel it too. Persian songs and poems are full of it, and many Iranians abroad use the word for their own lives.

35. بی‌خیال (bikhiâl): let it go

بی‌خیال (bikhiâl) Listen means “without a care.” بی‌خیال شو (bikhiâl sho) is “forget it, don’t worry about it,” and a آدم بی‌خیال (âdam-e bikhiâl) is a carefree, easygoing (sometimes careless) person. Said on its own with a shrug, بی‌خیال works like “whatever, never mind.”

36. قسمت (ghesmat): what was meant to be

قسمت (ghesmat) literally means “share” or “portion,” but in conversation it means one’s lot in life. قسمت نبود (ghesmat nabud), “it wasn’t (my) share,” is said when a job, trip or relationship does not work out. It is gentler than “fate” and less dramatic than “destiny.”

Family and social life

37. شب‌نشینی (shab-neshini): an evening of visiting

شب‌نشینی (shab-neshini), “night-sitting,” is an evening spent at someone’s house: tea, fruit, nuts, conversation, maybe cards, often late into the night. It is not a party with music, not a dinner party; it is simply time spent together. The long night of Shab-e Yalda is the most famous shab-neshini of the year.

38. دورهمی (dorehami): a get-together

دورهمی (dorehami) Listen, from دور هم (dor-e ham), “around each other,” is a relaxed gathering of family or friends, often regular. “Get-together” is close, but dorehami carries the picture of everyone sitting in a circle, and the word has become very popular in recent years.

39. پاگشا (pâgoshâ): opening the way for newlyweds

After a wedding, relatives invite the new couple to their homes one by one. Each of these first invitations is a پاگشا (pâgoshâ), “foot-opening”: it opens the way for the couple to visit that family’s home from then on. English has no word for the custom because it has no such custom.

40. چشم‌روشنی (cheshm-roshani): an “eye-brightening” gift

چشم‌روشنی (cheshm-roshani) is a gift you bring when visiting someone for a happy reason: a new baby, a new house, or someone’s return from a long trip. The phrase چشمتون روشن (cheshmetun roshan), “may your eyes be bright,” is the congratulation that goes with it, as when a family’s son comes home from abroad. Compare سوغاتی (soghâti), the gift a traveler brings back for others.

The replies: half of the word is the answer

Many of these expressions are calls that expect a specific response. Learning the pairs is the fastest way to sound natural.

How to use these words as a learner

Start with the safe, everyday ones. خسته نباشید, دستتون درد نکنه, نوش جان, بفرمایید, جاتون خالی and خوش به حالت are polite, useful many times a day, and always welcome from a foreigner. Iranians are often delighted when a learner uses them.

Match the form to the person. Endings in -i, -et and -t (khaste nabâshi, dastet, jât) are for friends and family; -id and -etun (khaste nabâshid, dastetun, jâtun) are for elders, strangers and anyone you address as شما (shomâ).

Handle the slang and the big words with care. دمت گرم and جیگر are casual. غیرت touches on sensitive ideas about honor and gender. Understand them first; use them once you have heard how your friends use them.

Learn the idioms next. Once you are comfortable with single words, move on to longer expressions in Farsi idioms with no English equivalent and test yourself with the Persian idioms quiz. If you want hundreds of expressions with their closest English matches, 300 Farsi Idioms with Their English Equivalents is the natural next step.

Common questions

What is the most untranslatable Persian word?

Most Iranians would name تعارف (ta’ârof), the system of ritual courtesy where people offer, refuse and insist according to an unspoken script. Close behind are خسته نباشید (khaste nabâshid), said to anyone who has worked, and دلتنگ (deltang), a longing that sits in the chest. Each needs a full sentence to explain in English.

What does ghorbunet beram mean?

قربونت برم (ghorbunet beram) literally means “may I be sacrificed for you.” It is a warm, everyday expression of love used in families and between close friends, and it can mean “I adore you,” “thank you, dear” or “please, sweetheart,” depending on the moment. Its written form is قربانت بروم (ghorbânat beravam).

How do you reply to khaste nabashid?

The most common reply is سلامت باشید (salâmat bâshid), “may you be healthy,” or سلامت باشی (salâmat bâshi) to a friend. In friendly spoken Persian you also hear درمونده نباشی (darmunde nabâshi). If the other person has also been working, you can simply say شما هم خسته نباشید (shomâ ham khaste nabâshid), “you too.”

Why do so many Persian words use del (heart)?

Persian treats دل (del) as the place where feelings, wishes and moods live, so it combines it with other words to name emotions: دلتنگ (deltang, longing), دلشوره (delshure, anxious dread), همدل (hamdel, same-hearted), and phrases like دلم گرفته (delam gerefte, I feel low) and دلم می‌خواد (delam mikhâd, I feel like it). English often uses “mind” or “feel” for the same jobs.

What does jigar mean in Persian slang?

Literally “liver,” جیگر (jigar) is spoken slang for “cutie” or “darling,” said to babies, children and loved ones, and sometimes about an attractive person. The standard spelling of the word for liver is جگر (jegar), which also appears in جگرگوشه (jegar-gushe), one’s beloved child.

Can non-Iranians use these expressions?

Yes, and Iranians usually love hearing them from learners. Start with the everyday courtesies such as خسته نباشید, دستتون درد نکنه and نوش جان, use the polite -id/-etun forms with people you do not know well, and save slang like دمت گرم for friends.

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