We learn Persian idioms and proverbs to communicate with Persian-speaking people. Naturally, the first language we speak is our mother tongue. When we grow up, we discover that other languages are worth learning.
The purposes for learning a second language differ for everyone; some reasons are:
- finding a job in another country;
- making friends or a date;
- traveling;
- studying;
- exploring amazing languages.
Irrespective of your reason, the critical fact is that all languages have some parts in common, grammar and vocabulary. Actually, grammar is the fundamental base of a language, like a skeleton for a building.
On the other hand, Vocabulary can be seen as the building blocks. Idioms and phrases are in this category, so each language learner should learn idioms, proverbs, and phrases.
The Importance of Learning Persian Idioms and Proverbs
To have an effective language learning plan, finding the best resources for that language is essential thus, talk about Persian(Farsi). Like other languages, Persian has its idioms and expressions.
Generally speaking, to speak and understand any language, we need to learn the most common idioms and phrases that are useful and practical in daily conversation. When you hear them, you wonder what they mean.
Since idioms and expressions are words possessing different meanings; as a result, you must learn their meaning as a whole. Therefore, you may not ingest the meaning literally.
For the same reason, learning Persian idioms, phrases, or proverbs is essential. Here are the most common Persian idioms and proverbs that help you enrich your Persian vocabulary knowledge and speak fluently like a native Persian speaker.
202 Persian Idioms & Proverbs (V 1)
Ten Persian Idioms and Proverbs
In this article, we have selected 10 Persian phrases and proverbs as bite-sized chunks. If you need more, see the GetBookOnline store to have 404 Persian common Idioms and Proverbs in a set of 2 volumes, 202 idioms, and proverbs in each volume.
Two cooks and …
The proverb in the picture above says there is no place for two cooks in a kitchen. If they both started to make Ash (one of the most delicious Iranian foods), it would turn out to be too salty or tasteless.
Indeed, this proverb can also be generalized to similar situations, such as two chiefs in an office or a company. It is not a good idea for two people to be in charge of working as a manager or leader.
Each manager or leader has specific opinions. The argument between them does not allow them to develop the company. The ideal solution is that only one person can reach the goals.
Translation of the Persian proverb into English: Too many cooks spoil the soup/ broth.
آشپز که دو تا باشد، آش یا شور می شود یا بی نمک
The desired result will not be achieved if too many people are engaged in a task. The keyword cook is used in the proverb in both Persian and English. But Persian people says the soup/broth will be cooked with too much or no salt. While in English, the soup/broth will be spoiled.
The literal translation from Persian is: Too cooks there are, Ash is salty or saltless.
The moral of this proverb: We must discuss and agree before starting a task in a pair or group work. It is better to do the task yourself if there is no agreement. The result of the task will be terrible unless everyone agrees in advance.
Curiosity and …
The proverb in the picture above describes a situation when somebody tries to know about things that are not his concern. If your friend is inquisitive about your affairs, it may annoy you.
You’ll probably think about giving him/her a warning. In this case, if you say this Persian idiom-proverb to your friend, he or she may get very offended.
If you tell this idiom while smiling, you want to warn them, but at the same time, you don’t want them to take it personally. Hence mind your tone and face mimic.
Furthermore, this Persian proverb considers that nosy people ask too many questions and attempt to investigate unnecessary matters even in hell. It says that the nosy person was taken to hell; he or she said the firewood of hell is wet then they can’t make a fire here.
The literal translation from Persian is: The nosy person in hell says the firewood is wet.
Translation of the Persian proverb into English: Curiosity killed the cat.
فضول را بردند جهنم، گفت هیزمش تَر است
The keywords for this idiom in English are curiosity and cat, but in Persian, the keywords are the nosy person and the firewood in hell.
The moral of this proverb: Stop asking unnecessary questions and being inquisitive about other people’s affairs, or you lay up trouble for yourself and others.
The fox and …
This unique Persian proverb is used when a convicted criminal tries to defend himself/ herself against the accusations and pretends to be blamed for a false accusation. Accordingly, he or she tries to bring you some evidence.
You will say this proverb if their witness is arrested as a suspected accomplice. It means that your witness is unreliable and a suspected person in the crime. We do not believe you, let alone your witness.
The keywords in this proverb are fox and its tail.
The literal translation from Persian is: They asked the fox, “who is your witness?” and the fox answered, “My tail.”
به روباه می گویند شاهدت کیست؟ می گوید دُمِ من
The moral of this proverb: The witness of a liar or criminal is unreliable.
Watermelon and …
This Persian idiom is used when somebody tries to butter up a person. When your friend says nice things to you in Persian, you can say the idiom shown in the picture above. People usually do this because they want you to do something for their advantage.
Because you find out that your friend is buttering you up to ask you something, you say don’t try to butter me up. In fact, some people encourage somebody to do something because they want to pursue their goals by flattering and charming.
The keywords in this Persian idiom are watermelon and armpit. This Persian idiom is equivalent to “to butter somebody up” in English. The key word in the English equivalent is butter.
The literal translation from Persian is: To put a watermelon under the arm (the armpit) of somebody.
هندوانه زیر بغل کسی گذاشتن
The moral of this proverb: Don’t praise someone just for persuading them to do something for you.
One arrow and …
When you solve two problems simultaneously, you can use this idiom and take advantage of the current situation and achieve two things by doing a single action. It can be considered an opportunity that one should not lose it.
You can also use this Persian idiom to recommend to your friend that he/ she needs to grab the opportunity. Maybe it won’t happen again, you can explain that in this way and say this Persian idiom.
Translation of the Persian expression into English: To kill two birds with one stone.
In Persian, the keywords arrow and target are used, while in English, birds, and stone express the meaning behind the idiom.
The literal translation from Persian is: To shoot multiple targets with only one arrow.
با یک تیر دو نشان زدن
The moral of this idiom: Grab the opportunities that life gives you.
One crow and …
When a destructive event like an accident happens, some people around witness it. Then they try to describe the accident to others. They may exaggerate the news.
Let’s take a simple accident in which no one was hurt, and it was only a car accident with minor damage, like a fender-bender accident. When people gossip, they create a completely different story.
The original story is not a worrying one. Usually, when the information is passed from one person to another, it often includes an untrue story. At last, while the real news is about a fender-bender accident, people pass it as a fatal accident.
The key word in this idiom is the crow.
The literal translation from Persian is: To say forty crows instead of one crow.
یک کلاغ چهل کلاغ کردن
The moral of this idiom: Don’t believe the gossip until you figure out the original story.
The hand and … One of the Common Persian Idioms and Proverbs
You can use “دستم نمک ندارد” when you do favors for someone, he doesn’t appreciate your help, ignores you, or even misbehaves. It means that you feel regretful about all your efforts for that person.
Of course, in Persian, people may also say this idiom as a joke. If you say this while smiling, you don’t want to annoy that person, but you are trying to mention they should be more thankful for all your help.
The literal translation from Persian is: My hand has no salt.
دستم نمک ندارد
The English equivalent of this proverb is: His/her cake is dough.
The moral of this story: It seems natural that you may get ignored when you help somebody. Just don’t do anything you might regret.
The large intestine and …
When you are starving, you can use this Persian idiom. At a friendly party, when everyone is dancing, and no one cares about dinner, you can say, “روده کوچک روده بزرگ را خورد.”
Or when you ask your mom, “Is dinner ready?” your mom says, “No.” you’ll say. “روده کوچک روده بزرگ را خورد. When dinner is ready?”.
Then whenever you are hungry, and you want to explain how hungry you are, this Persian idiom expresses your exact feeling. In this Persian idiom, the intestine is the keyword.
In English, you may say I could eat a horse in this situation, but a native Persian speaker says my large intestine is eating my small intestine.
The literal translation from Persian is: The large intestine ate the small intestine.
روده کوچک روده بزرگ را خورد
The moral of this story: Don’t stay hungry too long because the body finds a way to provide the required energy, but it hurts your organs.
Persian Idioms and Proverbs for A Sudden Reputation
This idiom-proverb is a hemistich from one of the Ghazals of Hafez, the greatest Persian poet ever. This is a widespread idiom among Iranians. When an unrespectful person achieves a new social position, he disrespects others and misuses his situation.
He turns out to be a troublemaker. In this case, people say he does not deserve the current position and use this verse: یارب مباد که گدا معتبر شود
The key word in this Persian idiom is God and beggar (whose behavior is troublemaker).
The literal translation from Persian is O’ lord! Never do those with unworthy behavior gain a good reputation.
یارب مباد که گدا معتبر شود
The moral of this story: To gain a position does not mean we have the right to do everything we want. We need to care about other people. We should not misuse our position and hurt other people’s feelings. If we do so, it means that we do not deserve that position or fortune.
If you are interested in Hafez Ghazals, you will find Hafez Ghazals with an English translation and phonetic transcription on the GetBookOnline store. Click here to learn more.
Bread and …
When a person starts a task or runs a new business, succeeds, and gains a lot of money, Persian people say نانش در روغن است
Eating bread is integral to Iranian meals, from breakfast to dinner. Therefore, in this idiom, when your bread is in the oil, it means that you are rich now and can buy everything you want.
The keyword for this Persian idiom is bread and oil. Oil refers to a fortune.
The literal translation from Persian is: His or her bread is in the oil.
نانش در روغن است
Translation of the Persian expression into English: rolling in money
The moral of this story: If you want to have your bread in the oil, you need to earn a lot of money by inheritance, your job, or running a new business with a great future. Then make your fortune to have your bread deep inside the oil.
The Necessity of Learning Persian Idioms and Proverbs
To sum up, learning Persian idioms and proverbs is necessary because:
- Idioms and proverbs are integral parts of any language, and people use them in daily conversations. To learn Farsi, to speak Persian fluently, and to understand native Persian speakers, you need to know the idioms and proverbs of this beautiful language;
- By learning the idioms and proverbs of the Persian language, you’ll learn a lot about the history, culture, and great poets of Iran, such as Hafez. Many idioms and proverbs in Persian are taken from Persian masterpieces like the Divan of Hafez;
- Native Persian speakers use idioms and proverbs in their daily conversations to enrich their speech and make it more colorful and alive;
- Learning about Persian idioms and proverbs helps you expand your Persian vocabulary knowledge, and seeing them in real context helps you understand how to use them in conversations with a clear explanation for all Persian idioms and proverbs in the highly recommended book, 404 Persian common Idioms and Proverbs in a set of 2 volumes, 202 idioms and proverbs in each volume, you will learn the right time and place to express them;
- When you visit Iran, you’ll be able to express yourself like a native Persian speaker, enjoy your trip, and communicate with the friendly people of Iran.
404 Persian common Idioms and Proverbs in a set of 2 volumes (202 idioms and proverbs in each volume) is written in Persian. Therefore, you can expand your Persian reading skill too.
The Bottom Line
This article introduced the ten most common Persian idioms and proverbs to help you understand native speakers. The usage of each idiom highly relies on context. We explained clearly how and when to use them in your Persian conversations.
To have more practical Persian idioms and Proverbs in your daily conversations, there’s a valuable set of 2- volume books containing 202 Persian idioms and proverbs in each volume. Through reading these two volumes, you will build up your Persian vocabulary and master Persian daily conversations. These books are in Persian.
Persian Learning Resources
Learn Farsi With GetBookOnline.com
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