A wedding invitation in Persian
Two colleagues at lunch, an envelope with an invitation in Persian. 7 phrases that the conversation is made of: «این دعوتنامه عروسی است!» — This is a wedding invitation!; «عروسی کی است؟» — When is the wedding?
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: two colleagues at lunch, an envelope with an invitation. First the whole conversation, then each line on its own, with a translation.
- این دعوتنامه عروسی است!in devatnâme ârusi ast!This is a wedding invitation!
- عروسی کی است؟ârusi ki ast؟When is the wedding?
- پس‌فردا. عروس از شمال است.pes-fardâ. ârus az shâmâl ast.The day after tomorrow. The bride is from the north.
- هدیه چی بخریم؟hadiye chi bekharim؟What present should I buy?
- پول در پاکت — رسم قدیمی است.pul dar pâket — râsme gadimi ast.Money in an envelope — the old custom.
- درست است, همه این کار را می‌کنند.dârâst ast, hame in kâr râ mi-kânand.True, everyone does so.
- بعد از عروسی برایت عکس می‌فرستم.ba'd az ârusi bâreet aks mi-fârestam.After the wedding I will send you photos.
Lines one by one
| Persian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| این دعوتنامه عروسی است! | in devatnâme ârusi ast! | This is a wedding invitation! |
| عروسی کی است؟ | ârusi ki ast؟ | When is the wedding? |
| پس‌فردا. عروس از شمال است. | pes-fardâ. ârus az shâmâl ast. | The day after tomorrow. The bride is from the north. |
| هدیه چی بخریم؟ | hadiye chi bekharim؟ | What present should I buy? |
| پول در پاکت — رسم قدیمی است. | pul dar pâket — râsme gadimi ast. | Money in an envelope — the old custom. |
| درست است, همه این کار را می‌کنند. | dârâst ast, hame in kâr râ mi-kânand. | True, everyone does so. |
| بعد از عروسی برایت عکس می‌فرستم. | ba'd az ârusi bâreet aks mi-fârestam. | After the wedding I will send you photos. |
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 دعوتنامه عروسی است!” (in devatnâme ârusi ast!) — This is a wedding invitation! 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.