Study notes for Lesson 14: a short beginner Persian reading about a family dinner with guests, using food words and dâshtan, plus a comprehension quiz.
Reading: dinner with guests
This short text goes with the Lesson 14 reading video. It is an original beginner text, told by Mina, about the dinner her family gave the night before. It uses the food words of this lesson and the simple past of داشتن. Read each line, then cover the English and try again.
The text
| Persian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| دیشب مهمان داشتیم. | /dishab mehmân dâshtim./ | Last night we had guests. |
| دوستم بابک و خانواده‌اش برای شام آمدند. | /dustam bâbak va khânevâde-ash barâye shâm âmadand./ | My friend Babak and his family came for dinner. |
| مادرم برنج و مرغ درست کرد. | /mâdaram berenj-o morgh dorost kard./ | My mother made rice and chicken. |
| من یک سالاد بزرگ درست کردم. | /man yek sâlâd-e bozorg dorost kardam./ | I made a big salad. |
| ما سبزی، ماست و نان تازه هم داشتیم. | /mâ sabzi, mâst va nân-e tâze ham dâshtim./ | We also had fresh herbs, yogurt and fresh bread. |
| بابک ماهی دوست دارد، اما ما ماهی نداشتیم. | /bâbak mâhi dust dârad, ammâ mâ mâhi nadâshtim./ | Babak likes fish, but we didn't have any fish. |
| همه غذا را خیلی دوست داشتند. | /hame ghazâ râ kheyli dust dâshtand./ | Everyone really liked the food. |
| بعد از شام میوه و چای خوردیم. | /ba'd az shâm mive va chây khordim./ | After dinner we had fruit and tea. |
| خواهر کوچک بابک چای نخورد. | /khâhar-e kuchek-e bâbak chây nakhord./ | Babak's little sister didn't drink tea. |
| او یک لیوان شیر خورد. | /u yek livân shir khord./ | She drank a glass of milk. |
| مهمان‌ها ساعت یازده رفتند. | /mehmânhâ sâ'at-e yâzdah raftand./ | The guests left at eleven. |
Grammar in the text
The text mixes three past verbs you know: داشتیم and نداشتیم (we had, we didn't have), خوردیم and نخورد (we ate, she didn't eat) and درست کرد (she made). Look at sentence 7: دوست داشتند is the past of دوست داشتن, "to like", so it also uses the past stem داشت. Sentence 6 uses the present, دوست دارد, because Babak still likes fish.
Also notice that milk and tea are "eaten" in Persian: شیر خورد, چای خوردیم. And درست کردن (dorost kardan), literally "to make right", is the everyday verb for making or cooking a dish.
After reading
- Read the text aloud, then retell it as Babak: دیشب خانه‌ی مینا مهمان بودیم (dishab khâne-ye minâ mehmân budim), "last night we were guests at Mina's house".
- Write three sentences about your last dinner with داشتیم and خوردیم.
- Find every negative verb in the text and say what it means.
Key words
- مهمان (mehmân): guest; مهمان‌ها (mehmânhâ): guests
- درست کردن (dorost kardan): to make, to cook
- تازه (tâze): fresh
- همه (hame): everyone, all
- بعد از (ba'd az): after
- لیوان (livân): glass (for drinking)
- کوچک (kuchek): small, little
More from Lesson 14
- Lesson 14: New Words (foods)
- Lesson 14: Grammar (simple past of "to have")
- Lesson 14: Speaking (talking about food)
Practice
-
Who came for dinner?
Show answer
Babak and his family. بابک و خانواده‌اش
-
What did Mina make?
Show answer
A big salad. یک سالاد بزرگ
-
What did they not have, even though Babak likes it?
Show answer
Fish. ماهی
-
What did Babak's little sister drink?
Show answer
A glass of milk. یک لیوان شیر
-
What time did the guests leave?
Show answer
At eleven. ساعت یازده
This page is part of the free course Learn to Speak Persian Fast. Next lesson: Lesson 15 New Words, in two versions: checking out of a hotel or paying at a shop.
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