Practice talking about a trip in spoken Persian with a past-tense dialogue, useful travel phrases, a role-play idea and a quiz.
Talking about a trip in Persian
Study notes for this lesson. Kaveh meets his friend Neda, who has just come back from a trip to Isfahan with her sister. He asks her how it went. The dialogue is in spoken Tehran Persian and uses the simple past from the Grammar page in almost every line.
Dialogue: Kaveh and Neda
| Speaker | Persian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kaveh | سلام ندا! سفر چطور بود؟ | /salâm nedâ! safar chetor bud?/ | Hi Neda. How was the trip? |
| Neda | سلام کاوه. خیلی خوب بود. با خواهرم رفتیم اصفهان. | /salâm kâve. kheyli khub bud. bâ khâharam raftim esfahân./ | Hi Kaveh. It was great. I went to Isfahan with my sister. |
| Kaveh | با چی رفتین؟ | /bâ chi raftin?/ | How did you get there? |
| Neda | با قطار رفتیم. صبح حرکت کردیم و ظهر رسیدیم. | /bâ ghatâr raftim. sobh harekat kardim va zohr residim./ | We went by train. We left in the morning and arrived at noon. |
| Kaveh | کجاها رو دیدین؟ | /kojâhâ ro didin?/ | What places did you see? |
| Neda | میدون نقش جهان و سی‌وسه‌پل رو دیدیم. | /meydun-e naghsh-e jahân-o si-o-se pol ro didim./ | We saw Naqsh-e Jahan Square and the Si-o-se Pol bridge. |
| Kaveh | عکس هم گرفتی؟ | /aks ham gerefti?/ | Did you take photos too? |
| Neda | آره، کلی عکس گرفتم. ببین. | /âre, koli aks gereftam. bebin./ | Yes, I took loads of photos. Look. |
| Kaveh | چه قشنگه! چند روز موندین؟ | /che ghashange! chand ruz mundin?/ | How beautiful. How many days did you stay? |
| Neda | سه روز موندیم. با اتوبوس برگشتیم. | /se ruz mundim. bâ otobus bargashtim./ | We stayed three days. We came back by bus. |
| Kaveh | خوش به حالت. من امسال هیچ جا نرفتم. | /khosh be hâlet. man emsâl hich jâ naraftam./ | Lucky you. I haven't been anywhere this year. |
| Neda | پس دفعه‌ی بعد با ما بیا. | /pas daf'e-ye ba'd bâ mâ biyâ./ | Then come with us next time. |
Notes on the dialogue
- رفتیم اصفهان (raftim esfahân): in speech the destination often follows the verb and به (be) is dropped. In writing: به اصفهان رفتیم.
- میدون (meydun) is the spoken form of میدان (meydân), "square". The same â to u change gives موندین (mundin) from ماندید (mândid).
- کلی (koli) means "a lot of" in casual speech: کلی عکس, "loads of photos".
- خوش به حالت (khosh be hâlet), literally "good for your state", means "lucky you" and is said without envy.
- بیا (biyâ), "come", is the imperative of آمدن, built like the subjunctive from Lesson 10 without a personal ending.
Useful phrases
| Persian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| سفر چطور بود؟ | /safar chetor bud?/ | How was the trip? |
| خیلی خوب بود. | /kheyli khub bud./ | It was great. |
| با چی رفتی؟ | /bâ chi rafti?/ | How did you travel? |
| با قطار / اتوبوس رفتم. | /bâ ghatâr / otobus raftam./ | I went by train / bus. |
| کجاها رو دیدی؟ | /kojâhâ ro didi?/ | What places did you see? |
| چند روز موندی؟ | /chand ruz mundi?/ | How many days did you stay? |
| کی برگشتی؟ | /key bargashti?/ | When did you get back? |
| سفر بخیر. | /safar bekheyr./ | Have a good trip. |
Role-play
- Think of a real trip you took, or invent one to an Iranian city.
- Your partner asks سفر چطور بود؟, با چی رفتی؟ and کجاها رو دیدی؟.
- Answer in the simple past: how you traveled, when you left and arrived, what you saw and how long you stayed.
- Your partner reacts with چه قشنگه or خوش به حالت.
- Swap roles and ask about your partner's trip.
Other parts of Lesson 11
Practice
-
Who did Neda travel with?
Show answer
Her sister. با خواهرم
-
How did they travel to Isfahan, and how did they come back?
Show answer
They went by train and came back by bus. با قطار رفتیم، با اتوبوس برگشتیم.
-
How many days did they stay?
Show answer
Three days. سه روز
-
What does khosh be hâlet mean? خوش به حالت
Show answer
Lucky you.
-
Ask a friend "How was the trip?" in Persian.
Show answer
safar chetor bud? سفر چطور بود؟
Previous lesson: Lesson 10: Reading. Next lesson: Lesson 12: New Words.
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