Polite words in Persian
8 words in Persian on the topic “polite words”: ممنون — thank you, لطفا — please, خواهش میکنم — you are welcome, شما — you (polite).
8 words on the topic
- ممنونmemnunthank youLiterally "obliged" — the same word of courtesy some fairy tales borrow. The polite choice; the borrowed "mersi" is the street one
- لطفاlâtfanpleaseLiterally "out of kindness". It closes a request — cha, lotfan, tea please — and softens an offer the same way
- خواهش میکنمkhâhesh mi-kânamyou are welcomeLiterally "I beg, I request". Answering thanks with "I beg" sounds grand in English and perfectly routine here
- شماshâmâyou (polite)The respectful you, and it serves one respected person too — the same move as French vous. Its verb goes plural
- ببخشیدbebakhshidexcuse meLiterally "may you be pardoned". It stops a stranger on the street, apologizes for a nudge and asks the time — one word for all three
- خسته نباشیدkhaste nebâshidthanks for your workLiterally "may you not be tired" — said to anyone who has been working: a shopkeeper, a bus driver, a whole office
- صبر کنیدsâbr kânidplease waitSabr is patience; konid does it politely — plural you. Sabr konid, lotfan: wait, please
- قابلی ندارهgâbeli nadâreno problemLiterally "it has no worth [as a favor]" — qabol means acceptance. The street answer to thanks, warmer than the formal one
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How it sounds in a sentence
A word list is a blank. Conversation is made of sentences, and these are the ones the words fit into most often.
- ممنون, خیلی خوبmemnun, kheyli khubThanks, very well
- چای, لطفاchay, lâtfanTea, please
- ممنون! — خواهش میکنم!memnun! — khâhesh mi-kânam!Thank you! — You are welcome!
- شما اهل کجایید؟shâmâ âhle kâdzhâyid؟Where are you (pl.) from?
- ببخشید, ایستگاه کجاست؟bebakhshid, iystgâ kâdzhâst؟Excuse me, where is the station?
- خسته نباشید! — سلام!khaste nebâshid! — salâm!Thanks for your work! — Hi!
What is worth knowing about these words
ممنون (memnun) — thank you. Literally "obliged" — the same word of courtesy some fairy tales borrow. The polite choice; the borrowed "mersi" is the street one.
لطفا (lâtfan) — please. Literally "out of kindness". It closes a request — cha, lotfan, tea please — and softens an offer the same way.
خواهش میکنم (khâhesh mi-kânam) — you are welcome. Literally "I beg, I request". Answering thanks with "I beg" sounds grand in English and perfectly routine here.
شما (shâmâ) — you (polite). The respectful you, and it serves one respected person too — the same move as French vous. Its verb goes plural.
Test yourself
Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than recognizing a familiar word — and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “thank you” in Persian?
Literally "obliged" — the same word of courtesy some fairy tales borrow. The polite choice; the borrowed "mersi" is the street one
- How do you say “no problem” in Persian?
Literally "it has no worth [as a favor]" — qabol means acceptance. The street answer to thanks, warmer than the formal one
- How do you say “please wait” in Persian?
Sabr is patience; konid does it politely — plural you. Sabr konid, lotfan: wait, please
- How do you say “thanks for your work” in Persian?
Literally "may you not be tired" — said to anyone who has been working: a shopkeeper, a bus driver, a whole office
- How do you say “excuse me” in Persian?
Literally "may you be pardoned". It stops a stranger on the street, apologizes for a nudge and asks the time — one word for all three
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
“Thank you”, “please” and “sorry” carry you while the rest of the words are still missing: with them even a gesture reads as a request rather than a demand.
A list is read in a minute and forgotten in a day. What works: hide the translation, try to recall, get it wrong — and come back to the same words tomorrow.
- 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.
- Study spread over days wins not only in experiments but in ordinary classrooms, with real students.checked many timesMawson & Kang, 2025, Behavioral Sciences 15(6):771 · 22 studies, d = 0.54 (confidence interval 0.31–0.77). The authors warn that individual studies disagree widely.
Frequently asked
How do you say “thank you” in Persian?
«ممنون», read “memnun”. Literally "obliged" — the same word of courtesy some fairy tales borrow. The polite choice; the borrowed "mersi" is the street one. It is one of 8 words in the set “polite words” — the rest are in the table above.
How many polite words do you need to start?
The whole set on this page is 8 words, but there is no need to start with all of it: the words you will need in the next few days are enough. Take them a few at a time — five to seven new ones per session.