What it means
آهسته (âheste) comes from Middle Persian âhastak and means slow, quiet, or gentle. It is one of the most common Persian words for this concept and works both as an adjective, a slow car is ماشین آهسته, and as an adverb, speak quietly is آهسته حرف بزن. The contrast word is تند (tond), meaning fast or sharp, or بلند (boland) when the context is volume. آهسته carries a gentle quality that words like کُند (kond), which also means slow but implies sluggishness or dullness, do not. Learners often hear it in its imperative sense: آهسته! as a soft instruction to slow down or keep the noise down.
How to use it
- آهسته حرف بزن، بچه خوابه. (âheste harf bezan, bache khâbe.) “Speak quietly, the child is asleep.”
- ماشینش آهسته حرکت میکنه. (mâshinash âheste harakat mikone.) “His car moves slowly.”
- آهسته راه برو تا نیفتی. (âheste râh boro tâ niyofti.) “Walk slowly so you don’t fall.”
- صدای موسیقی رو آهستهتر کن. (sedây musighi ro âheste-tar kon.) “Turn the music down a bit.”
Cultural note
آهسته appears in one of the most quoted Persian proverbs: آهسته برو، آهسته بیا که گربه شاخت نزنه, meaning go slowly, come slowly, so the cat does not headbutt you, a humorous way of saying slow and steady avoids trouble. The word also appears in classical poetry to evoke tenderness, the soft tread of a lover, the quiet breath of dawn. In contemporary Iranian music, آهسته is a common title for slow, lyrical ballads.