Where does the trash go in Persian
A new resident asks a neighbor in the yard which bin is for what in Persian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «این زبالهها را کجا بگذارم؟» — Where should I put this waste?; «مواد قابل بازیافت را جدا کن.» — Sort out the recyclables separately.
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: a new resident asks a neighbor in the yard which bin is for what. First the whole conversation, then each line on its own, with a translation.
- این زبالهها را کجا بگذارم؟in zâbelehâ râ kâdzha begâzâram؟Where should I put this waste?
- مواد قابل بازیافت را جدا کن.mâvâde ghâbele bâziyoft râ dzhâdâ kân.Sort out the recyclables separately.
- یعنی شیشه و کاغذ جای جدا؟ya'ni shiyshe â kâgâz dzhâe dzhâdâ؟That is, glass and paper — separately?
- بله, و بقیه در سطل بزرگ حیاط.bele, â bage dar satle bâzârg hayyot.Yes, and the rest — into the big bin in the yard.
- زباله آشپزخانه را هم اینجا بیندازم؟zâbelee âshpâzkhâne râ ham indzhâ bendâzam؟Should the kitchen waste go here too?
- نه, آن را جدا بریز.ne, ân râ dzhâdâ beriz.No, pour that out separately.
- چرا این همه قانون برای زباله؟cherâ in hame gânun barâe zâbele؟Why are there so many rules around trash?
- چون جای زمین زباله کم است.chân dzhâe zamine zâbele kam ast.Because there is little room at the landfill.
Lines one by one
| Persian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| این زبالهها را کجا بگذارم؟ | in zâbelehâ râ kâdzha begâzâram؟ | Where should I put this waste? |
| مواد قابل بازیافت را جدا کن. | mâvâde ghâbele bâziyoft râ dzhâdâ kân. | Sort out the recyclables separately. |
| یعنی شیشه و کاغذ جای جدا؟ | ya'ni shiyshe â kâgâz dzhâe dzhâdâ؟ | That is, glass and paper — separately? |
| بله, و بقیه در سطل بزرگ حیاط. | bele, â bage dar satle bâzârg hayyot. | Yes, and the rest — into the big bin in the yard. |
| زباله آشپزخانه را هم اینجا بیندازم؟ | zâbelee âshpâzkhâne râ ham indzhâ bendâzam؟ | Should the kitchen waste go here too? |
| نه, آن را جدا بریز. | ne, ân râ dzhâdâ beriz. | No, pour that out separately. |
| چرا این همه قانون برای زباله؟ | cherâ in hame gânun barâe zâbele؟ | Why are there so many rules around trash? |
| چون جای زمین زباله کم است. | chân dzhâe zamine zâbele kam ast. | Because there is little room at the landfill. |
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?
“این زبالهها را کجا بگذارم؟” (in zâbelehâ râ kâdzha begâzâram؟) — Where should I put this waste? 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.