Speak / Lesson 36
A Dialogue between Leyla and Her Aunt Farnoosh
Lesson 36 features a conversation between Leyla and her Aunt Farnoosh. Aunt Farnoosh describes her trip to Cancun.
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Download lesson MP3GREETINGS:
hello
سَلام
how are you?
چِطوری؟
Note: In Persian, as in many other languages, there is a formal and an informal way of speaking. We will be covering this in more detail in later lessons. For now, however, chetor-ee is the informal way of asking someone how they are, so it should only be used with people that you are familiar with. hālé shomā chetor-é is the formal expression for ‘how are you.’
Spelling note: In written Persian, words are not capitalized. For this reason, we do not capitalize Persian words written in phonetic English in the guides.
ANSWERS:
I’m well
خوبَم
Pronunciation tip: kh is one of two unique sounds in the Persian language that is not used in the English language. It should be repeated daily until mastered, as it is essential to successfully speak Persian. Listen to the podcast for more information on how to make the sound.
| Persian | English |
|---|---|
| salām | hello |
| chetor-ee | how are you? |
| khoobam | I’m well |
| merci | thank you |
| khayli | very |
| khayli khoobam | I’m very well |
| khoob neestam | I’m not well |
| man | me/I |
| bad neestam | I’m not bad |
| ālee | great |
| chetor-een? | how are you? (formal) |
| hālé shomā chetor-é? | how are you? (formal) |
| hālet chetor-é? | how are you? (informal) |
| khoob-ee? | are you well? (informal) |
| mamnoonam | thank you |
| chetor peesh meeré? | how’s it going? |
| ché khabar? | what’s the news? (what’s up?) |
| testeeeee |
Matt: Hello everyone!
Leyla: Welcome back to Learn Persian with Chai and Conversation. My name is Leyla
Matt: And I'm Matt
Leyla: This week is the last lesson in our Dallas conversations series. In this lesson, we listen as I speak to yet another family member, my khaleh Farnoosh in Dallas.
Matt: As you know, you can listen to all of our previous lessons and access bonus materials on our website at www.chaiandconversation.com, with chai spelled CHAI.
Leyla: If you're having a difficult time following along with the conversations, you will be able to read along with them, and listen to them line by line in the bonus materials.
Matt: In addition, if you haven't done so already, join the conversation on facebook at www.facebook.com/learnpersian. There you can get updates on what we're doing, and get to know fellow Persian language learners.
Leyla: But enough of that for now, Matt are you ready to begin learning?
Matt: Ready!
Leyla: Great, then let's begin to Learn Persian with Chai and Conversation.
Leyla: So we have gone through several family members at this point, and today we will continue with one last one, and that is my aunt, Khaleh Farnoosh. So khaleh means she is on which side of my family Matt?
Matt: It means she's on your mom's side. She's your mom's sister.
Leyla: Exactly. If she was on my father's side, what would I call her?
Matt: Ameh
Leyla: Exactly. So Khaleh Farnoosh is my youngest Aunt, and when I visited Dallas last, she happened to be off partying in Cancun. Well not exactly- she was there on a family vacation with her husband and daughter. I didn't get to see her, but she called while I was there to say hello. Let's listen to the conversation we had.
Alo?
Salam Leyla jan!
Salam khaleh farnoosh! Az koja zang meezaneen?
Az Cancun. To Chetori?
Khoobam, khayli mamnoon- shoma chetoreen? Daryoosh, Sara khoob hastan?
Hameh khooban! Salam ham meeresoonan!
Salamat bashan! Dar Cancun kosh migzareh?
Areh azizam, jaat khayli khaaliyeh!
Jaayeh shoma ham eenja khayli khaaliyeh. Albateh boodan dar Cancun beeshtar kayf dareh.
Areh khob. Meedoonee keh delemoon barat khayli tang shodeh, vali vaghean mosaferat lazem dashteem.
Baleh, meedoonam. Vakhti bargashteed, man ham meeyam dallas va hamdigar ro meebeeneem.
Areh! Ya ma meeyaym Austin.
Aha, een ham fekreh khoobeeyeh!
Khob, beh omeedeh deedar, behtareh man barayeh shena bargardam!
Khosh begzareh, shena dar ogheeyanoos khayli kayf dareh.
Khayli! Khob khoda hafez azizam. Beh hameh salam beresoon
Hatman! Merci keh zang zadeen!
Leyla: All right, so that was the full conversation with my aunt. As we've done in all the previous lessons, we're going to relisten to this lesson piece by piece, and then in bigger chunks until we understand the full thing. The first couple of lines are a piece of cake. I'm going ask you Matt, what do Iranians say when they answer the phone?
Matt: Alo
Leyla: Exactly- and we got this word from the same word in French. Alo. Let's listen to two lines of the conversation after the initial hello.
Salam khaleh farnoosh! Az koja zang meezaneen?
Az Cancun. To Chetori?
Leyla: Ok, so first I ask the question, az koja zang meezaneen. In order to understand this question, we need to know that the infinitive of to make a call is zang zadan
Matt: Zang zadan
Leyla: Now, as we've said before, Persian has a lot of compound verbs, which are two words put together and conjugated. The word zang means ring. Zang
Matt: Zang
Leyla: Now the second word in this compound verb is zadan which is actually to hit. Zadan
Matt: Zadan
Leyla: So this doesn't quite translate into English, but basically, to make a call in Persian is actually to hit a call. Zang zadan
Matt: Zang zadan
Leyla: So zang meezaneen is the second person informal conjugation of to call. Zang meezaneen
Matt: Zang meezaneen
Leyla: So then what does the full sentence mean. Az koja zang meezaneen
Matt: From where do you call?
Leyla: Exactly, so where are you calling from. Az koja zang meezaneen?
Matt: Az koja zang meezaneen?
Leyla: And she answers
Matt: Az Cancun.
Leyla: So she's calling from Cancun. Next two sentences.
Khoobam, khayli mamnoon- shoma chetoreen? Daryoosh, Sara khoob hastan?
Hameh khooban! Salam ham meeresoonan!
Leyla: So, in Persian culture, you never get to the heart of the conversation from the very beginning- you have to exchange a few pleasantries before getting into any conversation. You always have to start off asking how the other person is doing, and then inquiring after the health of others around them. So in this case, I asked about her husband and daughter. After asking shoma chetoreen, I immediately asked Daryoosh, Sara khoob hastan? And she replied:
Hameh khooban! Salam ham meeresoonan!
Leyla: So first she said 'hameh khooban'. Hameh means everyone. So everyone is doing well. Hameh khooban
Matt: Hameh khooban.
Leyla: And also she said salam ham meeresoonan. Salam meeresoonan is a very common phrase in Persian conversation. It means 'they say hello'. It's a polite thing to say when someone has asked about another person. So how are they? They're well, they send their regards to you as well. Salam meeresoonan
Matt: Salam meeresoonan.
Leyla: I replied 'salamat bashan'. This is a common reply to salam meeresoonan, and it means 'may they be healthy.' So in other words, my aunt said 'they send their regards to you', and I replied 'may they be healthy' as a way of sending my own regards back to them. So 'salamat bashan'
Matt: Salamat bashan
Leyla: So let's go over this exchange of pleasantries again, because you will hear it often in conversation. So I'll say salam meeresoonan and you say salamat bashan
Leyla: Salam meeresoonan
Matt: Salamat bashan
Leyla: Exactly- that's exactly how it goes. Let's listen to my aunt and I say it one more time.
Hameh khooban! Salam ham meeresoonan!
Salamat bashan!
Leyla: So next I ask 'dar cancun khosh migzareh?' We've covered this type of sentence before- can you remember what it means?
Matt: Are you having fun in Cancun?
Exactly, so dar cancun khosh meegzareh?
Matt: Dar cancun ham khosh meegzareh?
Leyla: To which she replied:
Areh azizam, jaat khayli khaaliyeh!
Leyla: Jaat khaaliyeh is an expression we learned earlier. Do you remember what it means?
Matt: It means you are missed
Leyla: Exactly, or more literally, it means 'your place is emtpy'. Jaat khaaliyeh
Matt: Jaat khaaliyeh
Leyla: Ok, the next two sentences are a bit long so we'll listen to them one by one. First
Jaayeh shoma ham eenja khayli khaaliyeh. Albateh boodan dar Cancun beeshtar kayf dareh.
Leyla: First sentence, jaayeh shoma ham eenja khayli khaaliyeh. What does this means Matt?
Matt: It means you're missed here very much too
Leyla: Exactly, perfect Jaayeh shoma ham eenja khayli khaaliyeh
Matt: Jaayeh shoma ham eenja khayli khaaliyeh
Leyla: Next sentence, albateh boodan dar cancun beeshtar kayf dareh. This sentence we will have to break down. We covered the word 'albateh' before- it means of course. Albateh
Matt: Albateh
Leyla: And the word 'kayf' means pleasure. Kayf
Matt: Kayf
Leyla: So I say 'albateh boodan dar cancun' So 'of course, being in Cancun. Albateh boodan dar cancun
Matt: Albateh boodan dar cancun
Leyla: 'beeshtar kayf dareh.' Beeshtar means 'more'. So beeshtar kayf dareh means has more pleasure. Beeshtar kayf dareh
Matt: Beeshtar kayf dareh.
Leyla: So put together, albateh boodan dar cancun beeshtar kayf dareh. So to translate, this means 'of course, being in Cancun is more fun'. You're literally saying 'being in Cancun has more pleasure' of course, but it translates differently in English. So again, albateh boodan dar cancun
Matt: Albateh boodan dar canucn
Leyla: Beeshtar kayf dareh
Matt: Beeshtar kayf dareh
Leyla: Albateh boodan dar cancun beeshtar kayf dareh.
Matt: Albateh boodan dar cancun beesthar kayf dareh.
So next sentence, my aunt's reply:
Areh khob. Meedoonee keh delemoon barat khayli tang shodeh, vali vaghean mosaferat lazem dashteem.
Leyla: Again, let's break down this sentence. We've covered the phrase 'delam barat tang shode'. It means I miss you. So delemoon barat khayli tang shodeh. We've really missed you. Delemoon barat khayli tang shodeh
Matt: Delemoon barat khayli tang shodeh
Leyla: So meedooneh keh delemoon barat khayli tang shodeh. This means 'you know that we really miss you'. Meedoonee keh delemoon barat khayli tang shodeh
Matt: Meedoonee keh delemoon barat khayli tang shodeh
Leyla: And 'vali vaghean mosaferat lazem dashteem'. This sentence probably has a lot of unfamiliar words. Vaghan means really
Matt: Vaghan
Leyla: Or truthfully. Vaghean
Matt: Vaghean
Leyla: Mosaferat is the word for vacation. Mosaferat
Matt: Mosaferat
Leyla: Finally, the infinitive for to need is lazem dashtan
Matt: Lazem dashtan
Leyla: This literally means 'to have a need' So lazem dashteem is we needed. Lazem dashteem
Matt: Lazem dashteem
Leyla: So put together, vali vagehan mosaferat lazem dashteem. So 'but we really needed a vacation.' Vali vaghean mosaferat lazem dashteem
Matt:Vali vaghan mosaferat lazem dashteem.
Leyla: Let's listen to the full sentence one more time:
Areh khob. Meedoonee keh delemoon barat khayli tang shodeh, vali vaghean mosaferat lazem dashteem.
So you know that we really miss you, but we truly needed a vacation.
Leyla: Ok, so at this point, halfway through the conversation, let's go ahead and listen to the entire conversation one more time.
Alo?
Salam Leyla jan!
Salam khaleh farnoosh! Az koja zang meezaneen?
Az Cancun. To Chetori?
Khoobam, khayli mamnoon- shoma chetoreen? Daryoosh, Sara khoob hastan?
Hameh khooban! Salam ham meeresoonan!
Salamat bashan! Dar Cancun kosh migzareh?
Areh azizam, jaat khayli khaaliyeh!
Jaayeh shoma ham eenja khayli khaaliyeh. Albateh boodan dar Cancun beeshtar kayf dareh.
Areh khob. Meedoonee keh delemoon barat khayli tang shodeh, vali vaghean mosaferat lazem dashteem.
Leyla: Ok, so far so good?
Matt:Yes!
Leyla: Ok, great. Let's listen to the next two sentences.
Baleh, meedoonam. Vakhti bargashteed, man ham meeyam dallas va hamdigar ro meebeeneem.
Areh! Ya ma meeyaym Austin.
Leyla: So I say 'baleh meedoonam'. What does this mean Matt?
Matt:It means yes, I know
Leyla: Baleh meedoonam
Matt:Baleh meedoonam.
Leyla: Next sentence is a bit longer. I say
Vakhti bargashteed, man ham meeyam dallas va hamdigar ro meebeeneem.
Leyla: Vakhti bargashteen, that means 'when you return' Vakhti bargahteen
Matt:Vakhti bargashteen
Leyla: Man ham meeyam Dallas- you should know what this means Matt
Matt:I will also come to Dallas
Leyla: Exactly man ham meeyam dallas
Matt:Man ham meeyam dallas
Leyla: Va hamdigar ro meebeeneem. So the word hamdigar means each other. Hamdigar
Matt:Hamdigar
Leyla: In conversation this often sounds like 'hamdigeh
Matt:Hamdigeh
Leyla: But in this case we run it together with the direct object marker ro. Hamdigaro
Matt:Hamdigaro
Leyla: So va hamdigaro meebeeneem. And we'll see each other. Hamdigaro meebeeneem
Matt:Hamdigaro meebeeneem.
Leyla: So let's listen to the full sentence again:
Baleh, meedoonam. Vakhti bargashteed, man ham meeyam dallas va hamdigar ro meebeeneem.
Ok, next, my aunt replies:
Areh! Ya ma meeyaym Austin.
Leyla: Easy enough- ya is the word for or. Ya
Matt:Ya
Leyla: This is a basic word, and I don't think we've heard it before! So seeya ya sefeed? White or black? Bala ya payeen? Up or down? It's a very useful word. So ya ma meeyaym Austin- or we'll come to austin. Ya ma meeyaym Austin
Matt:Ya ma meeyaym Austin.
Leyla: Ok, next two sentences:
Aha, een ham fekreh khoobeeyeh!
Khob, beh omeedeh deedar, behtareh man barayeh shena bargardam!
Leyla: So first, I answer: een ham fekreh khoobeyeh. The word fekr means thought, or in this context, idea. So I'm saying 'that's also a good idea. Een ham fekreh khoobeyeh
Matt:Een ham fekreh khoobeyeh.
Next, my aunt answers:
Khob, beh omeedeh deedar, behtareh man barayeh shena bargardam!
Leyla: Of course we know what beh omeedeh deedar means- Matt?
Matt:It means I hope to see you again
Leyla: Exactly Beh omeedeh deedar
Matt:Beh omeedeh deedar.
Leyla: Then she says 'behtareh man barayeh shena bargardam.' Behtareh means it is better. Behtareh
Matt:Behtareh
Leyla: Do you remember what shena means? We covered it many moons ago when learning verbs
Matt:It means to swim
Leyla: Exactly, perfect. So behtareh man barayeh shena bargardam means basically I better get back to swimming. Behtareh man barayeh shena bargardam
Matt:Behtareh man barayeh shena bargardam.
Which is exactly what you do in Cancun- you go swimming! So next two sentences:
Khosh begzareh, shena dar ogheeyanoos khayli kayf dareh.
Khayli! Khob khoda hafez azizam. Beh hameh salam beresoon
Leyla: So first, khosh begzareh is also a common phrase meaning 'have fun'. Khosh begzareh
Matt:Khosh begzareh
Leyla: There's a word we don't know in the next sentence, and that is ogheeyanoos. It sounds sort of familiar to its English equivalent, and that is 'ocean'
Ogheeyanoos
Matt:Ogheeyanoos
Leyla: So shena dar ogheeyanoos
Matt:Shena dar ogheeyanoos
Leyla: Meaning swimming in the ocean. Khayli kayf dareh
Matt:Khayli kayf dareh
Leyla: We've learned the word kayf before- it means pleasure or fun. So basically this sentence means 'swimming in the ocean is very pleasurable.' Shena dar ogheeyanoos khayli kayf dareh
Matt:Shena dar ogheeyanoos khayli kayf dareh
Ok great. So my aunt replied:
Khayli! Khob khoda hafez azizam. Beh hameh salam beresoon
Leyla: So again, we have the phrase beh hameh salam beresoon
Matt:Beh hameh salam beresoon.
Leyla: We learned this at the beginning of the pogram, what does it mean Matt?
Matt:It means say hello to everyone
Leyla: Exactly, so it's not just used at the beginning of a phone conversation, it's used at the end too. So beh hameh salam beresoon
Matt:Beh hameh salam beresoon.
Leyla: There's only one sentence left in this dialogue, and that's my reply, which is 'hatman! Merci keh zang zadeen'. Again, what does hatman mean?
Matt:Definitely
Leyla: Right. Hatman
Matt:Hatman
Leyla: And merci keh zang zadeen. Thank you for calling. Merci keh zang zadeen
Matt:Merci keh zang zadeen.
And that concludes the conversation. Let's listen to the entire thing one more time.
Alo?
Salam Leyla jan!
Salam khaleh farnoosh! Az koja zang meezaneen?
Az Cancun. To Chetori?
Khoobam, khayli mamnoon- shoma chetoreen? Daryoosh, Sara khoob hastan?
Hameh khooban! Salam ham meeresoonan!
Salamat bashan! Dar Cancun kosh migzareh?
Areh azizam, jaat khayli khaaliyeh!
Jaayeh shoma ham eenja khayli khaaliyeh. Albateh boodan dar Cancun beeshtar kayf dareh.
Areh khob. Meedoonee keh delemoon barat khayli tang shodeh, vali vaghean mosaferat lazem dashteem.
Baleh, meedoonam. Vakhti bargashteed, man ham meeyam dallas va hamdigar ro meebeeneem.
Areh! Ya ma meeyaym Austin.
Aha, een ham fekreh khoobeeyeh!
Khob, beh omeedeh deedar, behtareh man barayeh shena bargardam!
Khosh begzareh, shena dar ogheeyanoos khayli kayf dareh.
Khayli! Khob khoda hafez azizam. Beh hameh salam beresoon
Hatman! Merci keh zang zadeen!
Leyla: And with that, we come to the end of lesson 36.