How to reach the station in Persian
A visitor stops a passer-by at a crossroads in the center in Persian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «ببخشید، میتونم بپرسم؟» — Excuse me, may I ask?; «بفرمایید، گوش می‌دم.» — Please, go ahead.
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: a visitor stops a passer-by at a crossroads in the center. First the whole conversation, then each line on its own, with a translation.
- ببخشید، میتونم بپرسم؟bebakhshid, mi-tunam bepârsam؟Excuse me, may I ask?
- بفرمایید، گوش می‌دم.befarmâid, gâsh mi-dâm.Please, go ahead.
- ایستگاه قطار از اینجا دور است؟iystgâe ghâtar az indzhâ dur ast؟Is the station far from here?
- نه، مستقیم تا آخر خیابان، بعد راست.ne, mâstaghim tâ âkhare khiyabân, bâd râst.No, straight to the end of the street, then right.
- پیاده می‌شه رفت؟piyâde mi-she reft؟Can one walk there?
- بله، ده دقیقه پیاده، کنار چراغ راهنمایی.bale, dah dige piyâde, kânare cherâge rahnemâyi.Yes, ten minutes on foot, at the traffic light.
- ممنون. روی نقشه نشونم بدید.memnun. ru-ye nagshe neshânâm bedekhid.Thanks. Show me on the map.
- اینجا هستیم، ایستگاه آن‌طرف خیابانه.indzhâ hastim, iystgâ ân-tarfe khiyabâne.We are here, the station is across the street.
Lines one by one
| Persian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| ببخشید، میتونم بپرسم؟ | bebakhshid, mi-tunam bepârsam؟ | Excuse me, may I ask? |
| بفرمایید، گوش می‌دم. | befarmâid, gâsh mi-dâm. | Please, go ahead. |
| ایستگاه قطار از اینجا دور است؟ | iystgâe ghâtar az indzhâ dur ast؟ | Is the station far from here? |
| نه، مستقیم تا آخر خیابان، بعد راست. | ne, mâstaghim tâ âkhare khiyabân, bâd râst. | No, straight to the end of the street, then right. |
| پیاده می‌شه رفت؟ | piyâde mi-she reft؟ | Can one walk there? |
| بله، ده دقیقه پیاده، کنار چراغ راهنمایی. | bale, dah dige piyâde, kânare cherâge rahnemâyi. | Yes, ten minutes on foot, at the traffic light. |
| ممنون. روی نقشه نشونم بدید. | memnun. ru-ye nagshe neshânâm bedekhid. | Thanks. Show me on the map. |
| اینجا هستیم، ایستگاه آن‌طرف خیابانه. | indzhâ hastim, iystgâ ân-tarfe khiyabâne. | We are here, the station is across the street. |
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?
“ببخشید، میتونم بپرسم؟” (bebakhshid, mi-tunam bepârsam؟) — Excuse me, may I ask? 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.