Learn 20 Persian words for eating out, from menu and waiter to rice, kebab and the bill, with example sentences and a quiz.
Persian words for eating at a restaurant
Study notes for this lesson. These are the words you need to read a menu, order a meal and ask for the bill in Persian. Amir and Shirin, who have dinner together in the reading and speaking parts of this lesson, appear in the example sentences.
Vocabulary: at the restaurant
| Persian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| رستوران | /resturân/ | restaurant |
| منو | /meno/ | menu |
| گارسون | /gârson/ | waiter |
| غذا | /ghazâ/ | food, meal |
| صبحانه | /sobhâne/ | breakfast |
| ناهار | /nâhâr/ | lunch |
| شام | /shâm/ | dinner |
| نوشیدنی | /nushidani/ | drink, beverage |
| آب | /âb/ | water |
| چای | /chây/ | tea |
| نان | /nân/ | bread |
| برنج | /berenj/ | rice |
| کباب | /kabâb/ | kebab |
| مرغ | /morgh/ | chicken |
| سالاد | /sâlâd/ | salad |
| قاشق | /ghâshogh/ | spoon |
| چنگال | /changâl/ | fork |
| صورت‌حساب | /surat-hesâb/ | bill, check |
| سفارش دادن | /sefâresh dâdan/ | to order |
| خوشمزه | /khoshmaze/ | tasty, delicious |
Example sentences
| Persian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| امیر و شیرین به رستوران می‌روند. | /amir va shirin be resturân miravand./ | Amir and Shirin go to a restaurant. |
| گارسون منو را می‌آورد. | /gârson meno râ miâvarad./ | The waiter brings the menu. |
| امیر کباب با برنج سفارش می‌دهد. | /amir kabâb bâ berenj sefâresh midahad./ | Amir orders kebab with rice. |
| شیرین مرغ و سالاد می‌خواهد. | /shirin morgh va sâlâd mikhâhad./ | Shirin wants chicken and salad. |
| لطفاً یک بطری آب هم بیاورید. | /lotfan yek botri âb ham biâvarid./ | Please bring a bottle of water too. |
| غذا خیلی خوشمزه است. | /ghazâ kheyli khoshmaze ast./ | The food is very tasty. |
| بعد از شام چای می‌خوریم. | /ba'd az shâm chây mikhorim./ | After dinner we drink tea. |
| صورت‌حساب را لطفاً بیاورید. | /surat-hesâb râ lotfan biâvarid./ | Please bring the bill. |
Notes on the words
- چلوکباب (chelo kabâb), plain rice with kebab, is one of the best-known restaurant dishes in Iran. چلو (chelo) is cooked white rice served on its own; برنج (berenj) is the general word for rice.
- Persians usually "eat" drinks: چای می‌خورم (chây mikhoram), "I drink tea". نوشیدن (nushidan), "to drink", is more formal and is common in writing.
- گارسون (gârson) comes from French. Customers often call a waiter politely with آقا (âghâ), "sir", or ببخشید (bebakhshid), "excuse me".
- صورت‌حساب (surat-hesâb) is the bill. In speech you will also hear حساب (hesâb): حساب لطفاً (hesâb lotfan), "the bill, please".
- صبحانه, ناهار and شام are the three daily meals. ناهار is often the main meal of the day in Iranian homes.
Polite words you will need
Three small words make any order sound polite. لطفاً (lotfan) means "please" and can come at the start or end: یک چای لطفاً (yek chây lotfan), "a tea, please". ببخشید (bebakhshid), "excuse me", gets the waiter's attention. مرسی (mersi) and ممنون (mamnun) both mean "thank you" and are used all the time in restaurants and shops. When the waiter puts a plate in front of you, you will often hear بفرمایید (befarmâyid), "here you are" or "please go ahead".
Tip: group these words in your notebook as meals, food, drinks and things on the table. Then say a short sentence for each group, such as برای ناهار برنج و مرغ می‌خورم (barâye nâhâr berenj-o morgh mikhoram), "For lunch I eat rice and chicken".
Other parts of Lesson 9
Practice
-
How do you say "the bill" in Persian?
Show answer
surat-hesâb (spoken: hesâb) صورت‌حساب
-
Translate: "The food is very tasty."
Show answer
ghazâ kheyli khoshmaze ast. غذا خیلی خوشمزه است.
-
Which verb do Persians usually use for drinking tea in everyday speech?
Show answer
khordan: chây mikhoram. چای می‌خورم.
-
Name the three meals of the day in Persian.
Show answer
sobhâne, nâhâr, shâm صبحانه، ناهار، شام
-
What is chelo kabâb? چلوکباب
Show answer
Kebab served with plain white rice.
Previous lesson: Lesson 8: Reading. Next lesson: Lesson 10: New Words.
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