Persian proverbs (ضرب‌المثل, zarb-ol-masal) are short fixed sayings Iranians use every day, such as دیوار موش دارد، موش هم گوش دارد, “walls have ears.” These 25 questions test meanings, closest English equivalents and missing words, and every explanation gives a word-for-word translation and the real meaning.
A proverb is a complete sentence that never changes: خواستن توانستن است (khâstan tavânestan ast, wanting is being able). An idiom is a phrase built around a verb, so it changes with the person and tense: دل به دریا زدن (del be daryâ zadan, to take the plunge) becomes دل به دریا زدم (del be daryâ zadam, I took the plunge). Browse the full Persian idioms and proverbs list for hundreds more.
Most sayings are quoted here in their written form, but in conversation Iranians use the colloquial forms: می‌گوید (miguyad, says) becomes می‌گه (mige), and است (ast, is) often shrinks to ـه (-e), so خواستن توانستن است sounds like khâstan tavânestane. Learn both forms; the spoken vs written Persian guide explains the main changes.
Picture the literal image first, such as a watermelon under someone’s arm or a hair in yogurt; the real meaning usually grows out of it.
Proverbs and their English equivalents
1. What is the closest English equivalent of دیوار موش دارد، موش هم گوش دارد?
2. Which English proverb matches خواستن توانستن است?
3. What is the closest English equivalent of نابرده رنج گنج میسر نمی‌شود?
4. Which English expression matches گربه دستش به گوشت نمی‌رسد، می‌گوید بو می‌دهد?
5. Which English proverb is closest to زبان خوش مار را از سوراخ بیرون می‌آورد?
6. What is the closest English equivalent of سیلی نقد به از حلوای نسیه?
7. Which English saying matches ماهی را هر وقت از آب بگیری تازه است?
Complete the proverb
8. Complete the proverb: قطره قطره جمع گردد، وانگهی ____ شود.
9. Complete the proverb: هر که بامش بیش، ____ بیشتر.
10. Complete the proverb: جوجه را آخر ____ می‌شمارند.
11. Complete the saying: آب که از ____ گذشت، چه یک وجب چه صد وجب.
12. Complete the saying: کار از ____ عیب نمی‌کند.
13. Complete the proverb: یک ____ صدا ندارد.
What does the idiom mean?
14. What does هندوانه زیر بغل کسی گذاشتن mean?
15. What does کلاه سر کسی گذاشتن mean?
16. What does دل به دریا زدن mean?
17. If someone says سنگ روی یخ شدم, how do they feel?
18. What does it mean to say someone مو را از ماست می‌کشد?
19. What does دستش نمک ندارد mean?
20. Which English idiom matches از این گوش می‌گیرد، از آن گوش در می‌کند?
Which saying fits?
21. A neighbor saw you do something and you want them to keep quiet about it. What do you say?
22. Someone gives cooking advice to a famous chef. Which expression describes this?
23. You keep trying to reason with someone, but nothing you do will ever change the result. Which expression describes your effort?
24. A friend tries to help you clean and accidentally breaks your laptop. Which expression fits?
25. You did not even go to the party, but you are blamed for the mess. Which saying fits?
Answer key with explanations
- C. Walls have ears.: Word for word: “The wall has mice, and the mouse has ears too” (divâr mush dârad, mush ham gush dârad). It means be careful what you say, because someone may be listening; the mice here are eavesdroppers, not playful.
- A. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.: Word for word: “Wanting is being able” (khâstan tavânestan ast). It means that if you truly want something, you will find a way to do it.
- B. No pain, no gain.: Word for word: “Without having suffered toil, treasure is not attained” (nâborde ranj ganj moyassar nemishavad). It means success only comes through hard work.
- D. Sour grapes: Word for word: “The cat can’t reach the meat, so it says it smells bad” (gorbe dastash be gusht nemiresad, miguyad bu midahad). Like the fox in Aesop’s fable, it describes someone who belittles what they cannot get.
- C. You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.: Word for word: “A sweet tongue brings the snake out of its hole” (zabân-e khosh mâr râ az surâkh birun miâvarad). Kind, gentle words get results that force and harshness cannot.
- D. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.: Word for word: “A slap in cash is better than halva on credit” (sili-ye naghd beh az halvâ-ye nesiye). Something certain now, even if unpleasant, beats a sweet promise for later.
- A. Better late than never.: Word for word: “Whenever you take the fish out of the water, it is fresh” (mâhi râ har vaght az âb begiri tâze ast). It is never too late to start something good, whereas “strike while the iron is hot” is about acting before a chance passes.
- B. دریا: قطره قطره جمع گردد، وانگهی دریا شود (ghatre ghatre jam’ gardad, vângahi daryâ shavad): “Drop by drop it gathers, and then it becomes a sea.” Small savings or efforts add up to something big, like “Every little bit helps.”
- D. برفش: هر که بامش بیش، برفش بیشتر (har ke bâmash bish, barfash bishtar): “Whoever has the bigger roof has more snow.” The more wealth or status you have, the more problems and responsibilities come with it, since every roof must be cleared of snow.
- A. پاییز: جوجه را آخر پاییز می‌شمارند (juje râ âkhar-e pâyiz mishomârand): “They count the chicks at the end of autumn.” Chicks hatch in spring, but only by autumn do you know how many survived, so judge by the final result, much like “Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.”
- C. سر: آب که از سر گذشت، چه یک وجب چه صد وجب (âb ke az sar gozasht, che yek vajab che sad vajab): “Once the water is over your head, what does it matter whether it is one span or a hundred?” When a situation is already lost, a little more trouble makes no difference, like “might as well be hanged for a sheep as a lamb.”
- C. محکم‌کاری: کار از محکم‌کاری عیب نمی‌کند (kâr az mohkamkâri eyb nemikonad): “A job is never harmed by doing it firmly.” Taking extra precautions never hurts, the Persian version of “Better safe than sorry.”
- C. دست: یک دست صدا ندارد (yek dast sedâ nadârad): “One hand makes no sound,” because you need two hands to clap. Nothing gets done without cooperation, like “It takes two to tango.”
- D. to flatter someone excessively: Word for word: “to put a watermelon under someone’s arm” (hendevâne zir-e baghal-e kasi gozâshtan). It means to butter someone up with exaggerated praise, often so they will do something for you; the heavy watermelon is the praise, not a real burden.
- A. to cheat or swindle someone: Word for word: “to put a hat on someone’s head” (kolâh sar-e kasi gozâshtan). It means to con someone, as in کلاه سرم گذاشت (kolâh saram gozâsht, he ripped me off).
- C. to take a bold risk: Word for word: “to throw your heart into the sea” (del be daryâ zadan). It means to take the plunge and do something risky despite your fear; دل (del, heart) here is courage, not love.
- B. embarrassed, because a plan fell through in front of others: Word for word: “I became a stone on ice” (sang ru-ye yakh shodam), from سنگ روی یخ شدن (sang ru-ye yakh shodan). It means being left embarrassed and exposed, for example when you promise friends something and it falls through.
- C. They are very sharp and notice the smallest detail.: Word for word: “pulls a hair out of the yogurt” (mu râ az mâst mikeshad), from مو را از ماست کشیدن. It describes someone so shrewd and meticulous that nothing escapes them, just as spotting a single hair in white yogurt takes a sharp eye.
- C. However kind he is, no one appreciates it.: Word for word: “His hand has no salt” (dastash namak nadârad). It means his kindness is never appreciated, and people may even repay it badly; for more sayings like it, see Farsi idioms with no English equivalent.
- A. In one ear and out the other: Word for word: “He takes it in this ear and lets it out that ear” (az in gush migirad, az ân gush dar mikonad). It describes someone who hears advice but ignores it immediately.
- C. شتر دیدی ندیدی: شتر دیدی ندیدی (shotor didi nadidi): “Did you see a camel? You didn’t see one.” It means pretend you saw nothing and keep it to yourself; even something as big as a camel should go unmentioned.
- B. زیره به کرمان بردن: زیره به کرمان بردن (zire be Kermân bordan): “taking cumin to Kerman,” a city famous for its cumin. It means offering something where there is already plenty, like “carrying coals to Newcastle.”
- C. آب در هاون کوبیدن: آب در هاون کوبیدن (âb dar hâvan kubidan): “pounding water in a mortar.” Water cannot be crushed, so the phrase means pointless, wasted effort.
- B. دوستی خاله خرسه: دوستی خاله خرسه (dusti-ye khâle kherse): “Auntie Bear’s friendship,” from the tale of a bear who drops a rock on his sleeping friend’s face to kill a fly. It means well-meant help that does harm; کلاه سر کسی گذاشتن is wrong because it means cheating on purpose.
- A. آش نخورده و دهان سوخته: آش نخورده و دهان سوخته (âsh nakhorde va dahân sukhte): “The soup not eaten, and the mouth burned.” It means being blamed or paying the price for something you never enjoyed or took part in.
How to learn Persian proverbs
Learn each proverb as a set: the Persian, a word-for-word translation, the real meaning and one situation where you would use it. For example, you might say قطره قطره جمع گردد، وانگهی دریا شود (drop by drop, a sea) to a friend who has started saving a little money every month.
Listen for proverbs in Iranian films, TV series and family conversations, where they are often shortened: a speaker may say only شتر دیدی ندیدی or آب که از سر گذشت and expect you to know the rest.