A jacket in the wrong size in Persian
The till of a shop in the mall, Saturday after lunch in Persian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «سلام، میخواهم این کاپشن را مرجوع کنم.» — Hello, I want to return this jacket; «فاکتور دارید؟ بدون آن نمی‌شود.» — Is there a receipt? Without it, no way.
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: the till of a shop in the mall, Saturday after lunch. First the whole conversation, then each line on its own, with a translation.
- سلام، میخواهم این کاپشن را مرجوع کنم.salâm, mi-khâham in kâpshân râ mârdzhu kânam.Hello, I want to return this jacket.
- فاکتور دارید؟ بدون آن نمی‌شود.fâktâr dârid? bedune ân nemi-she.Is there a receipt? Without it, no way.
- فاکتور را نگه داشتم. سایزش اندازه نیست.fâktâr râ negâh dâshtam. sâizesh ândâze nist.I kept the receipt. The size did not fit.
- می‌توانید آن را با سایز بزرگ‌تر عوض کنید.mitânid ân râ ba sâize bâzârgtar âvâz kânid.You may exchange it for a bigger size.
- رنگ دیگر هم دارید؟rânge digar ham dârid؟Is there another color too?
- این رنگ موجود است، آن یکی نه.in râng mâdzhud ast, ân yeki ne.This color is in stock, that one is not.
- این پارچه بادوام است؟ آن قبلی خوب نبود.in pârche bâdâvâm ast? ân gâbli khub nabud.Is this fabric durable? The old one was not good.
- مرغوب است، از پشم. مرجوعی را حالا ثبت می‌کنم.margub ast, az pashm. mârdzhui râ hâlâ sabât mi-kânam.High quality, of wool. I am processing the return now.
Lines one by one
| Persian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| سلام، میخواهم این کاپشن را مرجوع کنم. | salâm, mi-khâham in kâpshân râ mârdzhu kânam. | Hello, I want to return this jacket. |
| فاکتور دارید؟ بدون آن نمی‌شود. | fâktâr dârid? bedune ân nemi-she. | Is there a receipt? Without it, no way. |
| فاکتور را نگه داشتم. سایزش اندازه نیست. | fâktâr râ negâh dâshtam. sâizesh ândâze nist. | I kept the receipt. The size did not fit. |
| می‌توانید آن را با سایز بزرگ‌تر عوض کنید. | mitânid ân râ ba sâize bâzârgtar âvâz kânid. | You may exchange it for a bigger size. |
| رنگ دیگر هم دارید؟ | rânge digar ham dârid؟ | Is there another color too? |
| این رنگ موجود است، آن یکی نه. | in râng mâdzhud ast, ân yeki ne. | This color is in stock, that one is not. |
| این پارچه بادوام است؟ آن قبلی خوب نبود. | in pârche bâdâvâm ast? ân gâbli khub nabud. | Is this fabric durable? The old one was not good. |
| مرغوب است، از پشم. مرجوعی را حالا ثبت می‌کنم. | margub ast, az pashm. mârdzhui râ hâlâ sabât mi-kânam. | High quality, of wool. I am processing the return now. |
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?
“سلام، میخواهم این کاپشن را مرجوع کنم.” (salâm, mi-khâham in kâpshân râ mârdzhu kânam.) — Hello, I want to return this jacket. 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.