قطار
“قطار” (ghâtar) — train in Persian. Noun, level A1, topic — transport. From ghatr, dropping — rain that keeps dropping became the iron string of carriages. The gh is deep. In a live sentence: “قطار بزرگ است” — The train is long. Written with the characters ق, ط, ا, ر. One of 15 words in the set “transport” in the Persian course.
In short
| Written in Persian | قطار |
| Read in Latin letters | ghâtar |
| Translation | train |
| Part of speech | noun |
| Level | A1 |
Why it looks that way
From ghatr, dropping — rain that keeps dropping became the iron string of carriages. The gh is deep
A word with a story stays in memory longer than one learned as a “spelling — translation” pair: memory holds on to meaning, not to a string.
In a live sentence
A single word almost never appears alone in conversation. A sentence shows where it fits and what stands next to it.
- قطار بزرگ استghâtar bâzârg astThe train is long
Nearby words: transport
Bus, metro, taxi, stop, station. These are words you need to recognize in writing — off a departure board and off a sign.
- اتوبوسâtâbusbusThe international word, stress on the first o. The city bus takes tokens, not cash
- ایستگاهiystgâstationThe stop of every transport: istgah-e otobus, bus stop; istgah-e ghatatr, railway station. The word you ask with kojast
- تاکسیtâksitaxiSaid exactly as at home, and as cheap-shared rides: a snappy taxi of strangers is the street way to travel
- متروmetrâmetroThe subway, two clean syllables. The women-only carriages are the first thing a guide mentions
- توقفtavagâfstop (bus)The halt — tavaghof, the bus stop word. The bus stops here, says the example
- مسافرmâsaferpassengerThe traveler — mosaafir, also simply "guest". Every passenger has a ticket, says the example
- جای نشستنdzhâe neshâstanseatLiterally "place of sitting": jaaye neshastan. This one is mine, says the example
- میلهmilehandrailThe bar — mile. My hand is on it, says the example — the standing ride
- بازرسbâzresticket inspectorThe inspector — baazres. Saw my ticket, says the example
- کرایهkerâyefareKeraaye is the hire-price — the fare. The bus one is low, says the example
Test yourself
Five questions from the same set — “transport”. Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than knowing a familiar word on sight, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “train” in Persian?
From ghatr, dropping — rain that keeps dropping became the iron string of carriages. The gh is deep
- How do you say “seat” in Persian?
Literally "place of sitting": jaaye neshastan. This one is mine, says the example
- How do you say “taxi” in Persian?
Said exactly as at home, and as cheap-shared rides: a snappy taxi of strangers is the street way to travel
- How do you say “fare” in Persian?
Keraaye is the hire-price — the fare. The bus one is low, says the example
- How do you say “passenger” in Persian?
The traveler — mosaafir, also simply "guest". Every passenger has a ticket, says the example
How not to forget this word
Reading a word and remembering it are different jobs. A day later, little survives of a single reading — and that is not bad memory, that is how memory works.
- This has been tested on foreign words too. The difference shows up most when you test yourself a few days later rather than straight away.checked many timesKim & Webb, 2022, Language Learning 72(2) · 48 experiments, 3,411 participants, 98 comparisons.
- Recalling beats re-reading. Covering the translation and trying to remember it does more than reading it ten more times.checked many timesAdesope, Trevisan & Sundararajan, 2017, Review of Educational Research 87(3) · 188 experiments, 272 comparisons. g = 0.61; against plain re-reading 0.51, against passive review 0.93.
- An answer you worked out yourself sticks better than one handed to you.checked many timesBertsch et al., 2007, Memory & Cognition 35(2) · 86 studies, 445 comparisons, d = 0.40.
Frequently asked
How do you say “train” in Persian?
«قطار», read “ghâtar”. In a live sentence: “قطار بزرگ است” — The train is long. Noun, level A1, from the set “transport”; written with the characters ق, ط, ا, ر.
How is “قطار” written in Latin letters?
ghâtar. This is a practical spelling — you need it to read aloud and be understood, not to meet an academic standard.
Why does this word look the way it does?
From ghatr, dropping — rain that keeps dropping became the iron string of carriages. The gh is deep. A word with a story stays in memory longer than a “spelling — translation” pair: memory holds on to meaning, not to a string.