Agha, Tajrish Miri? — Farsi Taxi Phrases You Need in Tehran

One Scene a Week. Episode 2 | Level: Beginner

You're standing on the edge of Vali Asr Street, arm half-raised, watching a parade of Peugeots, Prides, and Saipas crawl through traffic. You need to get to Tajrish. No Snapp signal, phone battery dying. Time to do it the old-school Tehran way. flag down a savari (ساواری) and negotiate. If you don't know the right farsi taxi phrases, you'll either end up in the wrong neighborhood or pay triple. So here's everything you need.

This is Episode 2 of One Scene a Week. Each episode drops you into one real scene and gives you the exact Farsi you need to handle it. Last week we covered introducing yourself. This week: getting a ride in Tehran.

The Scene

You're on a busy street in central Tehran, somewhere around Enghelab Square. You need to get to Tajrish, up in the north of the city. Cars are rolling past slowly. some are taxis (yellow or green), some are regular cars doing savari (ساواری), which means shared rides. You step toward the curb and shout your destination at a passing car. The driver either nods (he's going your way) or waves you off (he's not).

This is how millions of Tehranis get around every single day. No app, no meter, no fixed price. Just a shout, a nod, and you're in.

The Full Dialogue

Vocabulary Breakdown

Cultural Notes: Tehran's Taxi System

Tehran's street taxi system is unlike anything in Europe or North America. There are three main ways to ride:

Savari (ساواری). shared taxi: This is the classic Tehran move. A car rolls down a major street, and people shout their destination from the curb. If the driver is headed that direction, he picks you up. There might already be two or three other passengers in the car. You squeeze in, ride your stretch, pay your share, and hop out. No app, no booking, no receipt. It's fast, cheap, and chaotic. and it works.

Darbast (دربست). private ride: If you want the whole car to yourself, you say darbast (دربست), which literally means "closed." Closed to other passengers. It costs more. usually 3-5x the savari price. but you go door to door. Think of it as a private taxi without a meter.

Snapp (اسنپ). the Iranian Uber: Snapp is Iran's ride-hailing app and it's massive. Works just like Uber. you set pickup and destination, see the price upfront, and pay through the app. Most young Tehranis use Snapp daily. It's cheaper than darbast, safer than savari for newcomers, and you don't need to negotiate. But. and this matters. sometimes you're in a dead zone, your internet is slow (welcome to Iran), or there are no drivers nearby. That's when street savari skills save you.

One important detail about money: Iranians use toman (تومن) in daily speech, but the official currency is the rial (ریال). One toman equals ten rials. When a driver says "bist toman" (twenty toman), he means 200,000 rials. It gets confusing. Just remember: whatever number someone says, add a zero for rials, or just use toman like everyone else does. I cover more transport vocab in my transport phrases guide.

Spoken vs. Formal: Miri vs. Mirid

The dialogue above is pure spoken Tehrani Farsi. If you learned from a textbook, some of it might look unfamiliar. Here's the formal version of each key phrase, so you can see the difference.

Notice how spoken Farsi compresses everything. میری (miri) instead of می‌روید (miravid). پونزده (poonzdah) instead of پانزده (paanzdah). the vowel shifts in casual speech. This is exactly the kind of gap that trips up learners who only studied formal Persian. For a deep dive on this, read my piece on spoken Farsi vs. written Persian. it'll save you months of confusion.

Know what to call things: the transport vocabulary list covers 35 vehicle and place words.

Survival Tips for Taxis in Tehran

Always agree on price before getting in. There's no meter. Once you're in the car and moving, you've lost your negotiating position. Ask cheqadr mishe (چقدر میشه) while you're still standing on the curb.

Have small bills. Drivers rarely have change. If your ride is 20,000 toman, don't hand over a 500,000 toman note and expect smiles. Keep small denominations ready.

Know your landmarks. Tehran addresses are landmark-based. People say "nazdik-e meydoon-e Vanak" (near Vanak Square), not street numbers. Learn the major squares: Enghelab, Azadi, Vali Asr, Tajrish, Vanak. These are your navigation anchors.

The front seat is a negotiation. In a savari, the front passenger seat is shared too. sometimes two people sit in front. If the driver says beshin jolo (بشین جلو, "sit in front"), don't be alarmed. It's normal.

For more phrases you'll need when traveling in Iran, check out the full Farsi for travel guide.

Practice Challenge

Stand up right now (seriously), stick your arm out like you're hailing a car, and say out loud: "Aghaa! Tajrish miri? Cheqadr mishe?" Then practice saying "Haminjaa piaade misham" three times until it rolls off your tongue. The physical gesture helps lock in the memory. your brain connects the movement to the words.

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

Want to practice this scene live with someone who'll correct your pronunciation and throw curveballs at you? Book a session with me on Preply. we'll roleplay this whole taxi scenario until you could do it in your sleep.

FAQs

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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.