Rearranging the furniture in Persian
Two people move furniture in a room and argue what goes where in Persian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «کمد را به دیوار دیگر میبریم، آنجا کنار پنجره.» — We will put the wardrobe at the other wall, there by the window; «اول جعبه‌ها را زمین بگذار و کمی جا بده.» — First put the boxes on the floor and move over.
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: two people move furniture in a room and argue what goes where. First the whole conversation, then each line on its own, with a translation.
- کمد را به دیوار دیگر میبریم، آنجا کنار پنجره.kâmâd râ be divâre digar mi-bârim, ân-dzhâ kenâre panzhere.We will put the wardrobe at the other wall, there by the window.
- اول جعبه‌ها را زمین بگذار و کمی جا بده.avval dzhâbbehâ râ zamin begâzâr â kami dzhâ beda.First put the boxes on the floor and move over.
- حالا صندلی را کمی به چپ هل بده، چسبیده به دیوار.hâlâ sândali râ kami be chep hâl beda, chasbide be divâr.Now shift the chair a little to the left, right up against the wall.
- حواست باشد نیندازی‌اش، قفسه‌هایش شکننده‌اند.hâvâst bâshad ninendâzesh, gâfseghâyesh shekanandeând.Mind you do not drop it; its shelves are fragile.
- تابلو را بالای مبل آویزان کنیم؟tâblâ râ bâlâye mâbal âverizân kânim؟Shall we hang the picture above the sofa?
- بهتر از بغل، که اتاق جادارتر به نظر می‌رسد.behtar az bâghel, ke âtâg dzhâdârtar be nazar mi-resad.Better at the side; then the room seems more spacious.
- بقیه ابزارها را در کشوها جدا جدا بچینیم.bagie abzârhâ râ dar keshuhâ dzhâdâ dzhâdâ bechinim.The rest of the tools we will lay out in the drawers, each separately.
- بعد استراحت کنیم، آخرین توانمان رفت.ba'd estrâhat kânim, âkharin tavânâman reft.Then we will rest; the last of the strength is gone.
Lines one by one
| Persian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| کمد را به دیوار دیگر میبریم، آنجا کنار پنجره. | kâmâd râ be divâre digar mi-bârim, ân-dzhâ kenâre panzhere. | We will put the wardrobe at the other wall, there by the window. |
| اول جعبه‌ها را زمین بگذار و کمی جا بده. | avval dzhâbbehâ râ zamin begâzâr â kami dzhâ beda. | First put the boxes on the floor and move over. |
| حالا صندلی را کمی به چپ هل بده، چسبیده به دیوار. | hâlâ sândali râ kami be chep hâl beda, chasbide be divâr. | Now shift the chair a little to the left, right up against the wall. |
| حواست باشد نیندازی‌اش، قفسه‌هایش شکننده‌اند. | hâvâst bâshad ninendâzesh, gâfseghâyesh shekanandeând. | Mind you do not drop it; its shelves are fragile. |
| تابلو را بالای مبل آویزان کنیم؟ | tâblâ râ bâlâye mâbal âverizân kânim؟ | Shall we hang the picture above the sofa? |
| بهتر از بغل، که اتاق جادارتر به نظر می‌رسد. | behtar az bâghel, ke âtâg dzhâdârtar be nazar mi-resad. | Better at the side; then the room seems more spacious. |
| بقیه ابزارها را در کشوها جدا جدا بچینیم. | bagie abzârhâ râ dar keshuhâ dzhâdâ dzhâdâ bechinim. | The rest of the tools we will lay out in the drawers, each separately. |
| بعد استراحت کنیم، آخرین توانمان رفت. | ba'd estrâhat kânim, âkharin tavânâman reft. | Then we will rest; the last of the strength is gone. |
How to prepare for a conversation like this
Memorizing the lines is not enough: the other person will say their own thing, not what is written. What helps more is catching the key words by ear and keeping three rescue phrases ready: “I don't understand”, “repeat, please”, “slower”.
And one more thing phrasebooks do not mention: awkwardness gets in the way more than not knowing the words.
- Fear of making mistakes gets in the way of learning a language, and noticeably so. The link turns up study after study, and together those studies cover almost twenty thousand people.checked many timesTeimouri, Goetze & Plonsky, 2019, Studies in Second Language Acquisition 41(2) · 19,933 participants from 23 countries; correlation with results r = −0.36.
- That fear can be dealt with — the methods have been tested and they work.checked many timesXiong et al., 2024, Journal of Language and Social Psychology · 37 studies, anxiety reduced by −0.61. Of the seven conditions examined, only age turned out to matter.
Frequently asked
How do you start a conversation in Persian in this situation?
“کمد را به دیوار دیگر میبریم، آنجا کنار پنجره.” (kâmâd râ be divâre digar mi-bârim, ân-dzhâ kenâre panzhere.) — We will put the wardrobe at the other wall, there by the window. The first line in such a conversation is almost always the same, and that is the one worth learning: the other person will carry it from there.
What if you did not understand the reply?
Say “I don't understand” and “repeat, please” — both are in the rescue set. Admitting your language is still shaky almost always makes the other person more patient.
Should you memorize the dialogue?
No. It is more useful to catch the key words by ear: the other person will say their own thing, and a memorized line will not always fit their reply.