Learn 19 Persian words for travel, from train, bus and ticket to arrive and return, with example sentences and a short quiz.
Persian words for travel and transport
Study notes for this lesson. These words let you talk about a trip: how you traveled, where you went, when you left and when you came back. Neda, who took a trip to Isfahan with her sister, and her friend Kaveh appear in the examples and again in the reading and speaking parts of this lesson.
Vocabulary: travel
| Persian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| سفر | /safar/ | trip, journey |
| سفر کردن | /safar kardan/ | to travel |
| مسافر | /mosâfer/ | traveler, passenger |
| بلیت | /belit/ | ticket |
| قطار | /ghatâr/ | train |
| اتوبوس | /otobus/ | bus |
| هواپیما | /havâpeymâ/ | airplane |
| فرودگاه | /forudgâh/ | airport |
| ایستگاه | /istgâh/ | station, stop |
| ماشین | /mâshin/ | car |
| شهر | /shahr/ | city |
| کشور | /keshvar/ | country |
| تعطیلات | /ta'tilât/ | holidays, vacation |
| نقشه | /naghshe/ | map |
| عکس گرفتن | /aks gereftan/ | to take a photo |
| حرکت کردن | /harekat kardan/ | to depart, set off |
| رسیدن | /residan/ | to arrive |
| برگشتن | /bargashtan/ | to return, come back |
| دیدن | /didan/ | to see, visit (a place) |
Example sentences
| Persian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ندا به اصفهان سفر کرد. | /nedâ be esfahân safar kard./ | Neda traveled to Isfahan. |
| او با قطار رفت. | /u bâ ghatâr raft./ | She went by train. |
| بلیت قطار را از ایستگاه خرید. | /belit-e ghatâr râ az istgâh kharid./ | She bought the train ticket at the station. |
| قطار ساعت هشت حرکت کرد. | /ghatâr sâ'at-e hasht harekat kard./ | The train left at eight. |
| آن‌ها ظهر به اصفهان رسیدند. | /ânhâ zohr be esfahân residand./ | They arrived in Isfahan at noon. |
| ندا عکس‌های زیادی گرفت. | /nedâ aks-hâ-ye ziyâdi gereft./ | Neda took a lot of photos. |
| کاوه در تعطیلات به هیچ جا سفر نکرد. | /kâve dar ta'tilât be hich jâ safar nakard./ | Kaveh didn't travel anywhere during the holidays. |
| مسافرها در فرودگاه منتظر هواپیما هستند. | /mosâfer-hâ dar forudgâh montazer-e havâpeymâ hastand./ | The passengers are waiting for the plane at the airport. |
How to say "by train" and "to a city"
Use با (bâ, "with") for the means of transport: با قطار (bâ ghatâr), "by train"; با اتوبوس (bâ otobus), "by bus"; با ماشین (bâ mâshin), "by car"; با هواپیما (bâ havâpeymâ), "by plane". To ask how someone traveled, say با چی رفتی؟ (bâ chi rafti?), "what did you go with?". Use به (be, "to") for the destination in writing: به اصفهان رفتیم (be esfahân raftim). In speech, به is usually dropped and the place comes after the verb: رفتیم اصفهان (raftim esfahân).
Notes on the words
- سفر (safar) is the trip; مسافر (mosâfer) is the person on it. A common wish to someone leaving is سفر بخیر (safar bekheyr), "have a good trip".
- ایستگاه (istgâh) is used for train stations, bus stops and metro stations: ایستگاه قطار (istgâh-e ghatâr), ایستگاه اتوبوس (istgâh-e otobus).
- فرودگاه (forudgâh) is literally "landing place", from فرود (forud), "landing".
- You will see the spelling بلیط as well as بلیت for "ticket". Both are pronounced belit; بلیت is the spelling recommended by the Academy of Persian Language and Literature.
- تعطیلات (ta'tilât) is plural in form and means a holiday period. A single day off is تعطیل (ta'til).
Other parts of Lesson 11
Practice
-
How do you say "by bus" in Persian?
Show answer
bâ otobus با اتوبوس
-
What is the difference between safar and mosâfer? سفر / مسافر
Show answer
safar is the trip; mosâfer is the traveler.
-
Translate: "The train left at eight."
Show answer
ghatâr sâ'at-e hasht harekat kard. قطار ساعت هشت حرکت کرد.
-
What do you say to someone who is leaving on a trip?
Show answer
safar bekheyr: have a good trip. سفر بخیر
-
Which word means both "station" and "bus stop"?
Show answer
istgâh ایستگاه
Previous lesson: Lesson 10: Reading. Next lesson: Lesson 12: New Words.
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