الان

What it means

الان (alân) means “now.” Arabic loanword from الآن (al-ân) “the now.” It is the most common Persian word for “right now, this moment, currently.”

How to use it

• الان کجایی؟ (alân kojâ-yi?) “Where are you now?”
• الان میام (alân miyâm) “I’m coming right now”
• الان وقت ندارم (alân vaqt nadâram) “I don’t have time right now”

Common pairings

• همین الان (hamin alân) “right now, this very moment”
• تا الان (tâ alân) “until now”
• از الان (az alân) “from now on”

Pure Persian alternative

The Pure Persian alternative اکنون (aknun) “now” exists and is common in formal writing and journalism. الان dominates in casual speech across all age groups.

References

• Dehkhoda
• Vajehyab