Inja Kojast? — Asking for Directions in Farsi

Your Phone Is Dead, You're Near Valiasr Square, and You Need the Metro

Picture this: you're standing somewhere near Valiasr Square in Tehran, your phone just died, and you have absolutely no idea where the nearest metro station is. Asking directions in Farsi is about to become your most important survival skill. No Google Maps. No Snapp. Just you, your broken Persian, and the eight million people around you who. trust me on this. are dying to help.

This is Episode 7 of One Scene a Week, and today we're getting you un-lost. By the end of this post, you'll know how to ask where something is, understand basic direction words, and. critically. how to tell when someone is confidently sending you the wrong way.

If you're just starting out with Persian, my beginner's guide covers the essentials you'll want before tackling street-level conversations.

The Setup: Lost Near Meidun-e Valiasr

Valiasr Square (میدان ولیعصر. meidun-e Valiasr) is one of those chaotic Tehran intersections where five streets meet and nothing makes sense even with a map. You came out of a taxi, walked two blocks in the wrong direction, and now you're somewhere between a sandwich shop and a bank. You need the metro. Time to ask.

Here's what's going to happen: your first attempt won't go well. Your second one will. That's Tehran for you.

The Full Dialogue

Attempt 1. The Unhelpful Guy

You: سلام، ببخشید، مترو کجاست؟
Salaam, bebakhshid, metro kojaast?
Hi, excuse me, where's the metro?

Stranger 1: مترو؟ اِمم... فکر کنم اون طرفه.
Metro? Emm... fekr konam oon tarafe.
Metro? Umm... I think it's that way.

You: کدوم طرف؟
Kodum taraf?
Which way?

Stranger 1: (points vaguely) اون طرف... یا شایدم اون طرف. والله نمی‌دونم دقیق.
Oon taraf... ya shayad-am oon taraf. Vallah nemidunam daghigh.
That way... or maybe that way. Honestly I don't know exactly.

You: مرسی.
Mersi.
Thanks.

Classic. He had no idea but still tried. In Tehran, saying "I don't know" right away feels rude to some people, so they'll give you a vague wave first. You smile, move on, try again.

Attempt 2. The Helpful Woman

You: سلام، ببخشید خانم، نزدیک‌ترین ایستگاه مترو کجاست؟
Salaam, bebakhshid khanom, nazdik-tarin istgaah-e metro kojaast?
Hi, excuse me ma'am, where's the nearest metro station?

Stranger 2: مترو؟ آره، نزدیکه. مستقیم برو تا برسی به چهارراه.
Metro? Aare, nazdike. Mostaghim boro taa beresi be chahaaraah.
Metro? Yeah, it's close. Go straight until you reach the intersection.

You: چهارراه، باشه.
Chahaaraah, baashe.
Intersection, okay.

Stranger 2: بعد بپیچ سمت راست. یه کم جلوتر، سمت چپت یه پله‌ست که میره پایین. اون ایستگاه مترو ولیعصره.
Ba'd bepich samt-e raast. Ye kam jolotar, samt-e chapet ye pellest ke mire paeen. Oon istgaah-e metro-ye Valiasre.
Then turn right. A little further ahead, on your left there are stairs going down. That's Valiasr metro station.

You: مستقیم، بعد بپیچم سمت راست؟
Mostaghim, ba'd bepicham samt-e raast?
Straight, then I turn right?

Stranger 2: آره دقیقاً. دوره نیست، پنج دقیقه پیاده‌ست.
Aare daghighan. Doore nist, panj daghighe piaadast.
Yeah exactly. It's not far, five minutes on foot.

You: خیلی ممنون!
Kheyli mamnun!
Thank you so much!

Stranger 2: خواهش می‌کنم. موفق باشی!
Khaahesh mikonam. Movaffagh baashi!
You're welcome. Good luck!

Vocabulary Breakdown

Key Patterns for Asking Directions

The magic formula is dead simple:

[thing you want] + کجاست (kojaast)?

That's it. Stick whatever you're looking for in front of kojaast and you've got a working question:

• مترو کجاست؟. Metro kojaast?. Where's the metro?
• داروخانه کجاست؟. Daarukhaane kojaast?. Where's the pharmacy?
• دستشویی کجاست؟. Dastshui kojaast?. Where's the bathroom?
• هتل کجاست؟. Hotel kojaast?. Where's the hotel?

For "nearest," add nazdik-tarin (نزدیک‌ترین) before the noun: nazdik-tarin daarukhaane kojaast? You'll sound like you actually know what you're doing.

Want to confirm what you heard? Repeat the directions back as a question. People do this constantly in Persian. it's not annoying, it's expected. Mostaghim, ba'd bepicham samt-e raast? (Straight, then I turn right?) The person will either confirm or correct you. Win-win.

For more on getting around Tehran. taxis, buses, the metro system. check out my transport phrases guide.

Spoken vs. Formal: Street Talk vs. Textbook

When someone gives you directions on the street, they're using spoken Tehrani Persian. Here's how it differs from what your textbook might teach:

Notice the pattern? Spoken drops the -id ending on commands. Beravid (formal "go") becomes boro. Bepichid becomes bepich. The formal versions sound polite but stiff on the street. like saying "would you be so kind as to direct me" when you just need to know where the metro is.

Use boro/bepich when talking to people your age or younger. Use beravid/bepichid with elderly people or in very formal situations. On a Tehran street, spoken wins 95% of the time.

Cultural Note: Iranians and Directions. A Love Story

Here's something you need to know about asking for directions in Iran: people will help you. Aggressively. Even if they have no idea where the place is.

I'm not exaggerating. There's a well-known Iranian tendency to give directions with supreme confidence even when the person has never heard of your destination. They'll point, they'll gesture, they'll draw maps in the air. and you'll walk ten minutes in the wrong direction before asking someone else who sends you back the way you came.

But here's the flip side, and it's genuinely beautiful: there's a phenomenon I call the "befarmaeed man miresoonamet" (بفرمایید من می‌رسونمتون) moment. You ask where something is, and instead of explaining, the person just says "come, I'll take you there." They will literally walk you to your destination. A stranger. In the middle of their day. This happens all the time.

I've seen a shopkeeper close his shop for five minutes to walk a tourist to a mosque three blocks away. I've had taxi drivers refuse payment because they felt bad that I was lost. This isn't rare. it's the default setting.

So when you're standing there with your dead phone near Valiasr Square, don't panic. Ask two or three people. Cross-reference their answers. And if someone offers to walk you there, say kheyli lotf daarid (خیلی لطف دارید. you're very kind) and let them. It's not a scam. They just want to help.

Practice Scenarios

Try these situations out loud before you need them for real:

1. Finding a pharmacy
ببخشید، نزدیک‌ترین داروخانه کجاست؟
Bebakhshid, nazdik-tarin daarukhaane kojaast?

2. Asking if something is far
دوره؟
Doore?
(Is it far?. the simplest, most useful one-word question)

3. Confirming directions
یعنی مستقیم برم، بعد بپیچم سمت چپ؟
Ya'ni mostaghim beram, ba'd bepicham samt-e chap?
(So I go straight, then turn left?)

4. Thanking someone who walked you there
خیلی لطف کردید، دستتون درد نکنه.
Kheyli lotf kardid, dastetun dard nakone.
(That was very kind of you, thank you. literally "may your hand not hurt.")

5 Common Mistakes Foreigners Make

Quick list of things to avoid:

Mistake 1: Trusting the first person only. Always ask at least two people. Not because Iranians lie. they genuinely think they know. Cross-reference.

Mistake 2: Using formal commands on the street. Saying lotfan beravid to a 25-year-old giving you directions sounds weird. Use boro when repeating back to confirm.

Mistake 3: Not learning "right" and "left." Raast (right) and chap (left). Tattoo these on your brain. If you miss which way someone pointed, you're back to square one.

Mistake 4: Forgetting "doore?" (is it far?). This one question saves you from 30-minute walks when you thought it was "just around the corner."

Mistake 5: Not saying bebakhshid first. Always start with bebakhshid (excuse me). Jumping straight to metro kojaast without it sounds abrupt. Two seconds of politeness gets you much better answers.

FAQs

Your Homework

Before Episode 8, practice this: close your eyes, imagine you're at a Tehran intersection, and say the full direction-asking sequence out loud. Salaam, bebakhshid, nazdik-tarin istgaah-e metro kojaast? Then practice the confirmation: Mostaghim, ba'd bepicham samt-e raast? Do it five times until it doesn't feel like reading anymore.

Want to drill this scene's vocab with flashcards? Try ZabanYar. it's free and works offline.

If you want structured practice with a real speaker who can correct your pronunciation in real time, book a session with me on Preply and we'll run through direction scenarios until you could find the metro blindfolded.

One Scene a Week. Season 1

← Episode 6: Ghormeh Sabzi Daarid? | Series Index | Episode 8: Tavalodet Mobarak! →

Get it wrong and the worst that happens is a warm laugh and a story they’ll tell for years. Get it right — refuse the tea twice, accept on the third — and you’ll watch a face open up. You didn’t just speak Persian. You played the game.