Study notes for Lesson 14: twenty everyday Persian food and meal words, from bread and rice to tea, with pronunciation, example sentences and a quiz.
Food and meals in Persian
These study notes go with the Lesson 14 video of Learn to Speak Persian Fast. The theme is food: the basic things you find on an Iranian table and the names of the three meals. In this lesson you will follow Mina, who has guests for dinner, and her friend Babak.
Word list
| Persian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| نان | /nân/ | bread |
| برنج | /berenj/ | rice |
| گوشت | /gusht/ | meat |
| مرغ | /morgh/ | chicken |
| ماهی | /mâhi/ | fish |
| کباب | /kabâb/ | kebab |
| سبزی | /sabzi/ | fresh herbs; vegetables |
| سالاد | /sâlâd/ | salad |
| سوپ | /sup/ | soup |
| ماست | /mâst/ | yogurt |
| پنیر | /panir/ | cheese |
| تخم‌مرغ | /tokhm-e morgh/ | egg |
| میوه | /mive/ | fruit |
| سیب | /sib/ | apple |
| چای | /chây/ | tea |
| آب | /âb/ | water |
| شیر | /shir/ | milk |
| صبحانه | /sobhâne/ | breakfast |
| ناهار | /nâhâr/ | lunch |
| شام | /shâm/ | dinner |
Notes on usage
- سبزی (sabzi) usually means fresh herbs such as mint, basil and parsley. A plate of them, سبزی خوردن (sabzi khordan), is often served with meals.
- تخم‌مرغ is literally "hen's egg" (تخم means egg or seed). In speech it is often shortened to tokhm-morgh.
- شیر (shir) means milk, but also lion and water tap. Context makes it clear.
- Persian usually "eats" drinks too: چای خوردن (chây khordan), to drink tea. نوشیدن (nushidan) also means "to drink" but sounds more formal.
- چلوکباب (chelo kabâb), rice with kebab, is one of the best known Iranian dishes. چلو is plain cooked rice.
Example sentences
| Persian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| صبحانه نان و پنیر خوردم. | /sobhâne nân-o panir khordam./ | I had bread and cheese for breakfast. |
| دیشب شام مرغ و برنج داشتیم. | /dishab shâm morgh-o berenj dâshtim./ | Last night we had chicken and rice for dinner. |
| چای می‌خوری؟ | /chây mikhori?/ | Would you like some tea? |
| من ماهی دوست ندارم. | /man mâhi dust nadâram./ | I don't like fish. |
| این سوپ خیلی خوشمزه است. | /in sup kheyli khoshmaze ast./ | This soup is very tasty. |
| یک کیلو سیب خریدم. | /yek kilo sib kharidam./ | I bought a kilo of apples. |
| با غذا ماست و سبزی هم داریم. | /bâ ghazâ mâst-o sabzi ham dârim./ | We also have yogurt and herbs with the meal. |
At the table
These short phrases are used at almost every Iranian meal. They are fixed expressions, so learn them as whole units.
| Persian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| بفرمایید. | /befarmâyid./ | Please, help yourself. / Here you are. |
| نوش جان. | /nush-e jân./ | Enjoy your meal. (also said after someone thanks you for food) |
| دستتان درد نکند. | /dastetân dard nakonad./ | Thank you (for the food or the effort). |
| خیلی خوشمزه است. | /kheyli khoshmaze ast./ | It's very tasty. |
| سیر شدم. | /sir shodam./ | I'm full. |
Notice و ("and") between two foods: it is pronounced -o and joins the words in speech, as in nân-o panir. The word غذا (ghazâ) means food in general, or a cooked dish.
More from Lesson 14
- Lesson 14: Grammar (simple past of "to have")
- Lesson 14: Speaking (talking about food)
- Lesson 14: Reading (dinner with guests)
Practice
-
What does this word mean? برنج
Show answer
rice
-
How do you say "breakfast" in Persian?
Show answer
sobhâne صبحانه
-
Name the three meals in Persian.
Show answer
sobhâne, nâhâr, shâm صبحانه، ناهار، شام
-
Translate: نان و پنیر
Show answer
bread and cheese
-
Which verb do Iranians usually use for drinking tea?
Show answer
khordan, as in chây khordan چای خوردن
This page is part of the free course Learn to Speak Persian Fast. Previous lesson: Lesson 13: Reading. Next: Lesson 14: Grammar.
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