Zero to a thousand, the counters, the clock, and the way they really sound. Learn each with a hook in English, say it back, then test yourself.
The Persian digits · tap to hear
صفر تا ده Zero to ten
۰0
صفر
sefr · zero
Our word “cipher” was borrowed straight from sefr.
۱1
یک
yek · one
One, said with a little kick: yek.
۲2
دو
do · two
Rhymes with “dough”, and it is the do in duo and double.
۳3
سه
se · three
Short and soft, like “seh”.
۴4
چهار
chahâr · four
A chahâr-râh is a crossroads, four ways meeting.
۵5
پنج
panj · five
Punjab means “five waters”: panj plus âb.
۶6
شش
shesh · six
Whisper it, shesh.
۷7
هفت
haft · seven
A week is a hafte, seven days.
۸8
هشت
hasht · eight
Rhymes with “hushed”.
۹9
نه
noh · nine
Careful: نه also means “no”.
۱۰10
ده
dah · ten
A deh is a village. Picture ten little houses.
یازده تا نوزده Eleven to nineteen
The teens are built from the unit plus ده (dah, ten), softened together. Say the ending like a light dah.
۱۱11
یازده
yâzdah · eleven
۱۲12
دوازده
davâzdah · twelve
Hear the do (two) hiding inside.
۱۳13
سیزده
sizdah · thirteen
On Sizdah Bedar, the 13th day of the new year, everyone heads outdoors.
۱۴14
چهارده
chahârdah · fourteen
۱۵15
پانزده
pânzdah · fifteen
۱۶16
شانزده
shânzdah · sixteen
۱۷17
هفده
hefdah · seventeen
۱۸18
هجده
hejdah · eighteen
۱۹19
نوزده
nuzdah · nineteen
دهتاییها By tens, and beyond
۲۰20
بیست
bist · twenty
Sounds a little like “beast”.
۳۰30
سی
si · thirty
Like the letter C. And si-morgh is “thirty birds”.
۴۰40
چهل
chehel · forty
Chehel Sotoun, the “Forty Columns” pavilion in Isfahan.
۵۰50
پنجاه
panjâh · fifty
panj (five) with a long ending.
۶۰60
شصت
shast · sixty
۷۰70
هفتاد
haftâd · seventy
haft (seven) plus âd.
۸۰80
هشتاد
hashtâd · eighty
۹۰90
نود
navad · ninety
۱۰۰100
صد
sad · a hundred
A century of them: sad.
۱۰۰۰1000
هزار
hezâr · a thousand
Hezâr-o-yek shab: the Thousand and One Nights.
Build any number with one little word
Persian joins the parts of a number with و (pronounced o), meaning “and”. Biggest part first, then o, then the next.
۲۱
بیستویک
21 · twenty and one
۴۸
چهلوهشت
48 · forty and eight
۱۵۰
صدوپنجاه
150 · a hundred and fifty
اول، دوم، سوم Ordinals · first, second, third
You need these for dates, floors and rankings. The first three bend a little; from four on it is simply the number plus ـُم (-om).
اول۱
یا یکم
avval · first
دوم۲
dovvom · second
سوم۳
sevvom · third
چهارم۴
chahârom · fourth
پنجم۵
panjom · fifth
ششم۶
sheshom · sixth
هفتم۷
haftom · seventh
هشتم۸
hashtom · eighth
نهم۹
nohom · ninth
دهم۱۰
dahom · tenth
The little word between a number and a thing
English says “two apples”. Persian slips a counting word in the middle: دو تا سیب, literally “two of apple”. The thing that follows stays singular. تا covers almost everything; a few nouns get their own.
تاtâ
The everyday catch-all, for almost any thing.
دو تا سیب
do tâ sib · two apples
نفرnafar
For people only.
سه نفر
se nafar · three people
دانهdâne
For a single small object, like “a piece”.
یک دانه تخممرغ
yek dâne tokhme morgh · one egg
In speech: دونه (dune)
جلدjeld
For books and volumes.
دو جلد کتاب
do jeld ketâb · two books
عددadad
The formal “unit” you see on price tags and forms.
پنج عدد
panj adad · five units
Telling the time
Ask with ساعت چند است؟ (sâ‘at chand ast). Answer with the hour, then و (past) or به (to), using ربع for a quarter and نیم for half.
ساعت سه
sâ‘at-e se · three o'clock
Money, the way it is really counted
تومان
tomân
What everyone actually says in shops and taxis.
ریال
riyâl
The official currency. One toman is ten rial, so prices look huge.
The trap every learner hits: a price tag prints ریال but people quote you تومان. When in doubt, drop a zero and ask.
The way people actually say them
Textbook Persian and street Persian split here too. Flip the switch, then tap a card to hear it.
Persian With El◆Tabriz → Milano