Two bad options in Persian
The kitchen, evening, a talk about changing jobs in Persian. 6 phrases that the conversation is made of: «دو تا گزینه داریم و هر دو بدن.» — We have two options, and both are bad; «بده نیستن، فقط فرق دارن. دلیل نگرانیت چیه؟» — They are not bad, just different. What is the cause of the worry?
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: the kitchen, evening, a talk about changing jobs. First the whole conversation, then each line on its own, with a translation.
- دو تا گزینه داریم و هر دو بدن.dâ tâ gâzine dârim va har dâ bâdân.We have two options, and both are bad.
- بده نیستن، فقط فرق دارن. دلیل نگرانیت چیه؟bâde nistân, fagat fârg dârân. dâlile ngârânit chie؟They are not bad, just different. What is the cause of the worry?
- اگه قبول کنم، هر روز باید به اون شهر برم.age gâbul kânam, har ruz bâyad be un shahr beram.If I agree, I must ride to that city every day.
- یه طرف دورِه، طرف دیگه حقوقش بیشتره.ye taraf dure, tarafe dige hâgugesh bishtare.On the one hand it is far, on the other the salary is bigger.
- مطمئن نیستم فرقش زیاد باشه.mâtmaen nistam fârgesh ziyâd bâshe.I am not sure the difference is big.
- این تجربه هر روز پیش نمیاد. فردا بگو.in tadzhrâbe har ruz pesh nemiâd. fardâ begu.Such a chance does not happen every day. Say tomorrow.
Lines one by one
| Persian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| دو تا گزینه داریم و هر دو بدن. | dâ tâ gâzine dârim va har dâ bâdân. | We have two options, and both are bad. |
| بده نیستن، فقط فرق دارن. دلیل نگرانیت چیه؟ | bâde nistân, fagat fârg dârân. dâlile ngârânit chie؟ | They are not bad, just different. What is the cause of the worry? |
| اگه قبول کنم، هر روز باید به اون شهر برم. | age gâbul kânam, har ruz bâyad be un shahr beram. | If I agree, I must ride to that city every day. |
| یه طرف دورِه، طرف دیگه حقوقش بیشتره. | ye taraf dure, tarafe dige hâgugesh bishtare. | On the one hand it is far, on the other the salary is bigger. |
| مطمئن نیستم فرقش زیاد باشه. | mâtmaen nistam fârgesh ziyâd bâshe. | I am not sure the difference is big. |
| این تجربه هر روز پیش نمیاد. فردا بگو. | in tadzhrâbe har ruz pesh nemiâd. fardâ begu. | Such a chance does not happen every day. Say tomorrow. |
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?
“دو تا گزینه داریم و هر دو بدن.” (dâ tâ gâzine dârim va har dâ bâdân.) — We have two options, and both are bad. 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.