Advice about moving in Persian
Two friends at a café; one has been offered work in another city in Persian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «کار در شهر دیگر به من پیشنهاد دادند.» — I have been offered work in another city; «جای تو بودم، دقیق فکر می‌کردم.» — In your place I would think it over well.
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: two friends at a café; one has been offered work in another city. First the whole conversation, then each line on its own, with a translation.
- کار در شهر دیگر به من پیشنهاد دادند.kâr dar shahre digar be man pishnehâd dâdand.I have been offered work in another city.
- جای تو بودم، دقیق فکر می‌کردم.dzhâ-ye tâ budam, dâgig fikr mi-kardam.In your place I would think it over well.
- حق‌اش بیشتر است، ولی خانه نو گران است.hâghash beshtar ast, vali khane nâv gerân ast.They pay more there, but the housewarming is expensive.
- اگر بمانی، استرس کمتری داری.agar bemâni, asterese kamtari dari.If you stay, you will have less stress.
- به احتمال زیاد قبول می‌کنم، دست‌کم امتحان می‌کنم.be ehtâmâle ziyod ghâbul mi-kânam, dest-kam emtehân mi-kânam.Most likely I will agree — at least I will try.
- حتی اگر نشد، برمی‌گردی.hatta agar nashâd, barmi-gardi.Even if it does not work out, you will return.
- راستش کمی می‌ترسم.râstesh kame mi-tarsam.To be honest, I am a little afraid.
- تا جمعه تصمیم بگیر. در هر صورت کمکت می‌کنم.ta dzhâme tasmim begir. dar har surat kâmâket mi-kânam.Decide by Friday. In any case I will help you.
Lines one by one
| Persian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| کار در شهر دیگر به من پیشنهاد دادند. | kâr dar shahre digar be man pishnehâd dâdand. | I have been offered work in another city. |
| جای تو بودم، دقیق فکر می‌کردم. | dzhâ-ye tâ budam, dâgig fikr mi-kardam. | In your place I would think it over well. |
| حق‌اش بیشتر است، ولی خانه نو گران است. | hâghash beshtar ast, vali khane nâv gerân ast. | They pay more there, but the housewarming is expensive. |
| اگر بمانی، استرس کمتری داری. | agar bemâni, asterese kamtari dari. | If you stay, you will have less stress. |
| به احتمال زیاد قبول می‌کنم، دست‌کم امتحان می‌کنم. | be ehtâmâle ziyod ghâbul mi-kânam, dest-kam emtehân mi-kânam. | Most likely I will agree — at least I will try. |
| حتی اگر نشد، برمی‌گردی. | hatta agar nashâd, barmi-gardi. | Even if it does not work out, you will return. |
| راستش کمی می‌ترسم. | râstesh kame mi-tarsam. | To be honest, I am a little afraid. |
| تا جمعه تصمیم بگیر. در هر صورت کمکت می‌کنم. | ta dzhâme tasmim begir. dar har surat kâmâket mi-kânam. | Decide by Friday. In any case I will help you. |
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?
“کار در شهر دیگر به من پیشنهاد دادند.” (kâr dar shahre digar be man pishnehâd dâdand.) — I have been offered work in another city. 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.