Phrases that save you in Persian
17 words in Persian on the topic “phrases that save you”: نفهمیدم — I did not understand, دوباره — say it again, آهسته‌تر — slower, انگلیسی حرف می‌زنید؟ — do you speak English?
17 words on the topic
- نفهمیدمnafahmidamI did not understandOne word carrying subject, tense and negation: na- went inside as -e-. The verb fahmidan, to understand, is the same root as the name Firdausi built verses on
- دوبارهdâbâresay it againAn adverb doing a whole command: dobare, lotfan — again, please. Do is "two" and bar is "a time, an occasion", so the word is literally "a second time"
- آهسته‌ترâhestetarslowerThe comparative is -tar glued on, no extra word: aheste slow, aheste-tar slower. The same handle works on any adjective
- انگلیسی حرف می‌زنید؟anglesi harf mi-zânid؟do you speak English?Literally "English speech do-you-strike?" The verb kardan, to do, builds half the spoken language: harf zadan is to talk
- کمک!kâmak!help!The shout and the noun of help in one syllable. Komak!, komak! — said twice, as in the example
- گم شده‌امgâm shâdeamI am lostGom is lostness, shodeam — I have become. The state is phrased as "become", not "am": exactly the pattern of sir shodam
- کار نمی‌کندkâr nemi-kânadit does not workLiterally "it does not do work" — the verdict on lifts and lamps alike. The negative builds inside the verb
- صبر کنیدsâbr kânidplease waitSabr is patience; konid does it politely — plural you. Sabr konid, lotfan: wait, please
- نمی‌تونم باز کنمnemi-tunam bâz kânamI cannot open itCannot + open + do: negatives and compounds stack in one line. Darb nemitunam baz konam — the stuck door
- اورژانسârzhansambulanceThe emergency service — orjoons, a word born from French urgence. Orjoons miayad: the ambulance is coming
- دکتر می‌خواهمdâktâr mi-khâhamI need a doctorThe want-phrase that asks for help: haalam bad ast, doktor mikhaham — I feel bad, I need a doctor
- مواظب باشmâvareb bâshbe carefulMovazeb is attentive — be attentive! Aab-e omigh ast, says the example: the water is deep
- خطرناکkhatarnakdangerousFrom khatar, danger: danger-carrying. Inja khatarnak ast: it is dangerous here
- پلیس را صدا بزنیدpâlis râ sedâ bânidcall the policeCall-out the police — polis ra seda bezanid. Said after gom shodeam — I am lost — in the example
- پاسپورتم گم شدهpaspârtâm gâm shâdeI lost my passportThe passport with -am has become lost — gom shode. The traveler’s worst sentence, learned early here
- حالم بد استhâlam bad astI feel badMy state is bad — haalam bad ast. The phrase to a waiter, a teacher, a doctor alike
- دست نزنیدdast nâniddo not touchLiterally "do not strike the hand": dast nazanid. It is dangerous, says the example — so hands off
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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.
- ببخشید, نفهمیدمbebakhshid, nafahmidamSorry, I did not understand
- دوباره, لطفاdâbâre, lâtfanAgain, please
- آهسته‌تر, لطفاâhestetar, lâtfanSlower, please
- انگلیسی حرف می‌زنید؟ — کمی.anglesi harf mi-zânid؟ — kami.Do you speak English? — A little.
- کمک! کمک!kâmak! kâmak!Help! Help!
- ببخشید, گم شده‌امbebakhshid, gâm shâdeamExcuse me, I am lost
What is worth knowing about these words
نفهمیدم (nafahmidam) — I did not understand. One word carrying subject, tense and negation: na- went inside as -e-. The verb fahmidan, to understand, is the same root as the name Firdausi built verses on.
دوباره (dâbâre) — say it again. An adverb doing a whole command: dobare, lotfan — again, please. Do is "two" and bar is "a time, an occasion", so the word is literally "a second time".
آهسته‌تر (âhestetar) — slower. The comparative is -tar glued on, no extra word: aheste slow, aheste-tar slower. The same handle works on any adjective.
انگلیسی حرف می‌زنید؟ (anglesi harf mi-zânid؟) — do you speak English? Literally "English speech do-you-strike?" The verb kardan, to do, builds half the spoken language: harf zadan is to talk.
Test yourself
Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than recognizing a familiar word — and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “I did not understand” in Persian?
One word carrying subject, tense and negation: na- went inside as -e-. The verb fahmidan, to understand, is the same root as the name Firdausi built verses on
- 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 “I lost my passport” in Persian?
The passport with -am has become lost — gom shode. The traveler’s worst sentence, learned early here
- How do you say “help!” in Persian?
The shout and the noun of help in one syllable. Komak!, komak! — said twice, as in the example
- How do you say “be careful” in Persian?
Movazeb is attentive — be attentive! Aab-e omigh ast, says the example: the water is deep
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
“I don't understand”, “say that again”, “slower, please”, “help”. They are learned first for a reason: they bring back a conversation that has already gone wrong.
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 “I did not understand” in Persian?
«نفهمیدم», read “nafahmidam”. One word carrying subject, tense and negation: na- went inside as -e-. The verb fahmidan, to understand, is the same root as the name Firdausi built verses on. It is one of 17 words in the set “phrases that save you” — the rest are in the table above.
How many emergency phrases do you need to start?
The whole set on this page is 17 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.