A spoken Persian dialogue at a car repair shop, with useful phrases, a role-play idea and a quiz to practice Lesson 17.
Speaking practice: at the repair shop
Study notes for this lesson. After watching the speaking video, practice with this original dialogue. Ali's car is making a noise, so he takes it to Mr. Karimi's repair shop. The dialogue is in spoken Tehran Persian, the way people really talk; written forms are given in the phrase table.
Dialogue
| Speaker | Persian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ali | سلام آقای کریمی، خسته نباشید. | /salâm âghâ-ye karimi, khaste nabâshid./ | Hello, Mr. Karimi. (a greeting for someone at work) |
| Mr. Karimi | سلام، بفرمایید. چه کمکی از دستم برمیاد؟ | /salâm, befarmâyid. che komaki az dastam barmiyâd?/ | Hello, come in. How can I help? |
| Ali | ماشینم خراب شده. ترمزش صدا می‌ده. | /mâshinam kharâb shode. tormozesh sedâ mide./ | My car has a problem. The brakes make a noise. |
| Mr. Karimi | کلید رو بدین، یه نگاه بکنم. | /kelid ro bedin, ye negâh bokonam./ | Give me the key; let me have a look. |
| Ali | بفرمایید. لطفاً روغنش رو هم عوض کنید. | /befarmâyid. lotfan roghanesh ro ham avaz konid./ | Here you are. Please change the oil too. |
| Mr. Karimi | باشه. ترمزش مشکل داره، باید درستش کنم. | /bâshe. tormozesh moshkel dâre, bâyad dorostesh konam./ | OK. The brakes have a problem; I need to fix them. |
| Ali | هزینه‌ش چقدر می‌شه؟ | /hazinash cheghadr mishe?/ | How much will it cost? |
| Mr. Karimi | حدود دو میلیون تومن. | /hodud-e do milyun tomân./ | About two million tomans. |
| Ali | کی آماده می‌شه؟ | /key âmâde mishe?/ | When will it be ready? |
| Mr. Karimi | فردا ساعت ده بیاین. | /fardâ sâ'at-e dah biyâin./ | Come tomorrow at ten. |
| Ali | دستتون درد نکنه. | /dastetun dard nakone./ | Thank you very much. |
| Mr. Karimi | خواهش می‌کنم. خدانگهدار. | /khâhesh mikonam. khodâ negahdâr./ | You're welcome. Goodbye. |
Useful phrases
| Persian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| خسته نباشید | /khaste nabâshid/ | said to someone who is working; literally "may you not be tired" |
| چه کمکی از دستم برمیاد؟ | /che komaki az dastam barmiyâd?/ | How can I help? (formal: che komaki az dastam bar miâyad?) |
| ماشینم خراب شده. | /mâshinam kharâb shode./ | My car has broken down. (formal: mâshinam kharâb shode ast.) |
| یه نگاه بکنم. | /ye negâh bokonam./ | Let me take a look. |
| هزینه‌ش چقدر می‌شه؟ | /hazinash cheghadr mishe?/ | How much will it cost? (formal: hazine-ash cheghadr mishavad?) |
| کی آماده می‌شه؟ | /key âmâde mishe?/ | When will it be ready? |
| دستتون درد نکنه. | /dastetun dard nakone./ | Thank you; literally "may your hand not hurt" |
Notes
- Notice the imperatives from the grammar page: بدین (bedin, "give"), عوض کنید (avaz konid, "change"), بیاین (biyâin, "come"). Ali and Mr. Karimi use plural forms because they speak politely to each other.
- کی here is key, "when." The same spelling read as ki means "who."
- Spoken Persian shortens many endings: می‌ده (mide) for می‌دهد (midahad), می‌شه (mishe) for می‌شود (mishavad), رو (ro) for را (râ).
Role-play
Work with a partner. One of you is the car owner and the other is the mechanic. This time the car will not start because the battery (باتری, bâtri) is dead. The owner greets the mechanic, explains the problem, asks the mechanic to look at the battery, and asks how much it will cost and when it will be ready. The mechanic answers with at least two imperatives, for example "give me the key" and "come back this afternoon."
Practice
-
What does Ali say first when he arrives at the shop?
Show answer
khaste nabâshid (a greeting for someone at work). خسته نباشید.
-
What is wrong with Ali's car?
Show answer
The brakes make a noise. ترمزش صدا می‌ده.
-
What else does Ali ask the mechanic to do?
Show answer
Change the oil. روغنش رو هم عوض کنید.
-
How do you ask "When will it be ready?" in spoken Persian?
Show answer
key âmâde mishe? کی آماده می‌شه؟
-
When should Ali come back?
Show answer
Tomorrow at ten. فردا ساعت ده.
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