Read a short beginner Persian text about checking into a hotel in Shiraz, with translation, key words, grammar notes and a quiz.
Reading: Daniel's hotel in Shiraz
Study notes for this lesson. Daniel, a tourist, arrives at his hotel in Shiraz. The text is in standard written Persian and uses the hotel vocabulary and the subjunctive after می‌خواهد and می‌تواند. Read it once for the general idea, then a second time sentence by sentence.
Reading text
| Persian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| دنیل یک توریست است و برای اولین بار به شیراز می‌آید. | /daniel yek turist ast va barâye avvalin bâr be shirâz miâyad./ | Daniel is a tourist and is coming to Shiraz for the first time. |
| او می‌خواهد سه شب در یک هتل کوچک بماند. | /u mikhâhad se shab dar yek hotel-e kuchak bemânad./ | He wants to stay three nights in a small hotel. |
| هتل نزدیک مرکز شهر است. | /hotel nazdik-e markaz-e shahr ast./ | The hotel is near the city center. |
| در پذیرش، دنیل به فارسی سلام می‌کند. | /dar paziresh, daniel be fârsi salâm mikonad./ | At the reception, Daniel says hello in Persian. |
| مسئول پذیرش گذرنامه‌ی او را می‌خواهد. | /mas'ul-e paziresh gozarnâme-ye u râ mikhâhad./ | The receptionist asks for his passport. |
| اتاق دنیل یک‌نفره است و در طبقه‌ی سوم است. | /otâgh-e daniel yek-nafare ast va dar tabaghe-ye sevvom ast./ | Daniel's room is a single and is on the third floor. |
| صبحانه در قیمت اتاق است. | /sobhâne dar gheymat-e otâgh ast./ | Breakfast is included in the room price. |
| دنیل با آسانسور به طبقه‌ی سوم می‌رود. | /daniel bâ âsânsor be tabaghe-ye sevvom miravad./ | Daniel takes the elevator to the third floor. |
| اتاق تمیز است و یک تخت بزرگ و یک حمام کوچک دارد. | /otâgh tamiz ast va yek takht-e bozorg va yek hammâm-e kuchak dârad./ | The room is clean and has a big bed and a small bathroom. |
| اینترنت هتل خوب است، پس دنیل می‌تواند به خانواده‌اش ایمیل بزند. | /internet-e hotel khub ast, pas daniel mitavânad be khânevâde-ash imeyl bezanad./ | The hotel internet is good, so Daniel can email his family. |
| فردا صبح او می‌خواهد شهر را ببیند. | /fardâ sobh u mikhâhad shahr râ bebinad./ | Tomorrow morning he wants to see the city. |
Key words
- توریست (turist): tourist; also گردشگر (gardeshgar)
- برای اولین بار (barâye avvalin bâr): for the first time
- مرکز شهر (markaz-e shahr): city center
- مسئول پذیرش (mas'ul-e paziresh): receptionist
- یک‌نفره (yek-nafare): single (room)
- تمیز (tamiz): clean
- ایمیل زدن (imeyl zadan): to send an email
- فردا صبح (fardâ sobh): tomorrow morning
Grammar in the text
- Three sentences use the subjunctive from the Grammar page: بماند (bemânad) after می‌خواهد, ایمیل بزند (imeyl bezanad) after می‌تواند, and ببیند (bebinad) after می‌خواهد.
- بزند comes from زدن (zadan), present stem زن (zan). Many compound verbs use زدن, such as ایمیل زدن and زنگ زدن (zang zadan), "to phone".
- Ordinal numbers come after the noun with the ezâfe: طبقه‌ی سوم (tabaghe-ye sevvom), "the third floor".
- خانواده‌اش (khânevâde-ash), "his family", uses the possessive suffix after silent ه from Lesson 7.
Writing task: imagine your own arrival at a hotel. Write five sentences: where the hotel is, what kind of room you have, which floor it is on, what the room has, and one thing you want to do tomorrow, using می‌خواهم plus the subjunctive.
Other parts of Lesson 10
Practice
-
Is this Daniel's first visit to Shiraz?
Show answer
Yes, he is coming for the first time. برای اولین بار
-
How long does Daniel want to stay?
Show answer
Three nights. سه شب
-
What does the receptionist ask for?
Show answer
His passport. گذرنامه
-
What is in Daniel's room?
Show answer
A big bed and a small bathroom. یک تخت بزرگ و یک حمام کوچک
-
What does Daniel want to do tomorrow morning?
Show answer
See the city. شهر را ببیند.
Previous lesson: Lesson 9: Reading. Next lesson: Lesson 11: New Words.
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