The most common Persian greeting is سلام (salâm), used at any time of day, and goodbye is خداحافظ (khodâhâfez). These 25 questions cover hello and goodbye, “How are you?”, thank you and its replies, ta’ârof phrases, formal and informal speech, and what Iranians say for a sneeze, good news and Nowruz.
Persian greetings rest on a simple core: سلام (salâm) for hello at any time of day, خداحافظ (khodâhâfez) for goodbye, and حال شما چطور است؟ (hâl-e shomâ chetor ast?, How are you?), usually answered with خوبم، ممنون (khubam, mamnun, I’m fine, thanks). Use شما (shomâ) with anyone you should be polite to, and تو (to) only with friends, family and children.
Iranian politeness, called ta’ârof, adds set phrases for everyday moments: بفرمایید (befarmâyid) to invite or offer, خسته نباشید (khaste nabâshid) to someone who has been working, and قابل ندارد (ghâbel nadârad) when giving something. In speech many forms shorten: ندارد becomes نداره (nadâre), and چطور است becomes چطوره (chetore).
When in doubt, use شما (shomâ) and the polite forms. In Iran, being a little too polite is never a mistake.
Hello, goodbye and how are you
1. What is the most common way to say “hello” in Persian?
2. What does خداحافظ (khodâhâfez) literally mean?
3. What does به امید دیدار (be omid-e didâr) mean?
4. What does حال شما چطور است؟ (hâl-e shomâ chetor ast?) mean?
5. Someone asks you حال شما چطور است؟ Which reply is natural?
6. You meet your neighbor at 8 a.m. Which greeting fits?
7. When do Iranians normally say شب بخیر (shab bekheyr)?
8. You have just been introduced to someone. What do you say?
Thank you, please and ta’ârof
9. Which of these does NOT mean “thank you”?
10. Someone says ممنون (mamnun) to you. What is the usual reply?
11. A host opens the door, smiles and says بفرمایید (befarmâyid). What does it mean here?
12. When do you say خسته نباشید (khaste nabâshid)?
13. Someone says خسته نباشید to you. What is a natural reply?
14. You ask a shopkeeper the price and he says قابل نداره (ghâbel nadâre). What is going on?
15. When is نوش جان (nush-e jân) said?
Formal and informal, spoken and written
16. Which of these is the informal way to ask a close friend “How are you?”
17. Which statement about شما (shomâ) and تو (to) is true?
18. What does the casual question خوبی؟ (khubi?) mean?
19. The written phrase قابل ندارد (ghâbel nadârad) becomes ____ in everyday speech.
20. Which statement about مرسی (mersi) and متشکرم (motashakkeram) is true?
What to say when
21. Someone near you sneezes. What do Iranians say?
22. A friend tells you she got a new job. What do you say?
23. How do you say “Happy Nowruz” (Happy Persian New Year)?
24. You want to get a stranger’s attention to ask for directions. What do you say first?
25. After a meal at an Iranian home, how do you thank the host for the food?
Answer key with explanations
- C. سلام: سلام (salâm) is hello, and it works at any time of day, with anyone. خداحافظ (khodâhâfez) is goodbye, and ممنون (mamnun) is thank you.
- A. May God protect you: خداحافظ is خدا (khodâ, God) + حافظ (hâfez, protector): “God be your protector”. It is the standard goodbye. “Peace be upon you” is the meaning of the Arabic greeting سلام علیکم (salâm aleykom).
- B. Hope to see you again: به امید دیدار means “in the hope of seeing (you again)”, a warm “see you” used when parting, often after خداحافظ. “Nice to meet you” is خوشبختم (khoshbakhtam).
- A. How are you?: Word for word it is “your condition how is?”: حال (hâl, condition) + شما (shomâ, you) + چطور (chetor, how) + است (ast, is). “What is your name?” is اسم شما چیست؟ (esm-e shomâ chist?).
- A. خوبم، ممنون: خوبم، ممنون (khubam, mamnun) means “I’m fine, thanks”. You can add شما چطورید؟ (shomâ chetorid?, and how are you?). خواهش می‌کنم is the reply to thank you, not to “How are you?”.
- B. صبح بخیر: صبح بخیر (sobh bekheyr) means “good morning”: صبح (sobh, morning) + بخیر (bekheyr, with good). شب بخیر (shab bekheyr) is “good night”.
- C. When leaving in the evening or going to bed: شب بخیر means “good night” and is said when parting late in the day or before sleep, like English “good night”. To greet someone in the evening, سلام (salâm) is the safe choice.
- C. خوشبختم: خوشبختم (khoshbakhtam) literally means “I am fortunate” and is the Persian “Nice to meet you”. A common, warmer version is از آشنایی با شما خوشبختم (az âshnâyi bâ shomâ khoshbakhtam, I’m glad to have met you).
- A. خواهش می‌کنم: ممنون (mamnun), مرسی (mersi) and متشکرم (motashakkeram) all mean thank you. خواهش می‌کنم (khâhesh mi-konam) is the reply, “you’re welcome”, and it can also mean “please” when you ask for something.
- B. خواهش می‌کنم: خواهش می‌کنم (khâhesh mi-konam) is the standard “you’re welcome”. In casual speech it is often shortened to خواهش (khâhesh).
- B. Please come in: بفرمایید is an all-purpose polite invitation: “please come in”, “please sit down”, “help yourself” or “here you are” when handing something over. The situation tells you which.
- B. To someone who has been working, such as a shopkeeper or a colleague: خسته نباشید literally means “may you not be tired”. It acknowledges someone’s effort: Iranians say it to shopkeepers, teachers, drivers or colleagues, often as a greeting at the end of the day.
- B. سلامت باشید: سلامت باشید (salâmat bâshid, may you be healthy) is the classic reply; ممنون (mamnun, thanks) also works. عافیت باشد is for sneezes and نوش جان for food.
- C. It is polite ta’ârof meaning “it’s not worthy of you”; you thank him and insist on paying: قابل ندارد (spoken قابل نداره) means “it isn’t worthy (of you)”. It is a ritual offer, not a real one: you thank him, ask again, and pay. Read more in our guide to ta’ârof.
- B. To someone who is eating, or who thanks you for food: نوش جان means roughly “may it nourish your soul”, like “enjoy” or “bon appétit”. A host says it while guests eat or when they thank him or her for the meal.
- C. چطوری؟: چطوری؟ (chetori?) uses the تو (to) ending ـی and is what friends say to each other. The other three use شما (shomâ) or the ending ـتان / ـید, so they are polite forms.
- D. شما is used for “you” plural and also for one person you address politely.: شما is both plural “you” and the polite singular, as with French “vous”. Use it with teachers, elders, shopkeepers and strangers. تو (to) is for friends, family and children; with a stranger it sounds rude.
- A. Are you well? / How are you?: خوبی؟ is خوب (khub, good/well) + ـی (-i, you are), a very common informal way to ask how someone is. The polite version is خوب هستید؟ (khub hastid?) or, in speech, خوبید؟ (khubid?). “Is it good?” is خوبه؟ (khube?).
- C. قابل نداره: In spoken Persian, the verb ending ـد (-ad) usually becomes ـه (-e): ندارد → نداره (nadâre), است → ـه, as in چطوره؟ (chetore?). See spoken vs written Persian for more patterns.
- A. مرسی is very common in everyday speech, while متشکرم sounds more formal.: مرسی, borrowed from French “merci”, is the everyday thank you in Iran. متشکرم (motashakkeram) is more formal and common in writing; ممنون (mamnun) sits comfortably in both.
- C. عافیت باشد: عافیت باشد (âfiyat bâshad, spoken عافیت باشه, âfiyat bâshe) means “may it be (for your) health”, the Persian “bless you”. The person usually answers ممنون (mamnun).
- A. مبارک باشد: مبارک باشد (mobârak bâshad, spoken مبارک باشه, mobârak bâshe) means “congratulations” and fits any good news. تسلیت می‌گویم (tasliyat mi-guyam) is “my condolences”, for a death.
- C. نوروز مبارک: نوروز مبارک (nowruz mobârak) is said for Nowruz, the Iranian New Year at the March equinox; عید شما مبارک (eyd-e shomâ mobârak) is also common. تولدت مبارک (tavallodet mobârak) is “happy birthday”. More in our Persian calendar and Nowruz guide.
- D. ببخشید: ببخشید (bebakhshid) means “excuse me” or “sorry” and is the polite way to start a request: ببخشید، ایستگاه مترو کجاست؟ (bebakhshid, istgâh-e metro kojâst?, excuse me, where is the metro station?).
- C. دستتان درد نکند: دستتان درد نکند (dastetân dard nakonad, spoken دستت درد نکنه, dastet dard nakone) literally means “may your hand not hurt”: thanks for the effort. The host typically answers نوش جان (nush-e jân).
How to sound natural with Persian greetings
Learn each phrase together with its reply, because Persian politeness works in pairs: خسته نباشید and سلامت باشید, ممنون and خواهش می‌کنم, دستتان درد نکند and نوش جان. Say them aloud in their spoken form (خوبی؟، مرسی، مبارک باشه), since that is what you will hear in Iran.
If you are also learning Afghan Persian, note that some everyday greetings differ in Dari, while the core words سلام and خداحافظ are shared.