بقیه

What it means

بقیه (baghiye) means “the rest,” “the others,” or “the remainder.” It comes from Arabic بَقِيَّة (baqiyya), a noun built on the root ب-ق-ي (b-q-y) meaning to remain or be left over. In Persian, the word is invariable and functions as both a noun and a pronoun-like determiner. It can refer to the remaining people in a group (بقیه رفتن, the others left), the remaining portion of a thing (بقیه پول, the rest of the money), or whatever has not yet been dealt with (بقیه‌اش رو بعداً می‌گم, I will tell you the rest later). The related word باقیمانده (bâghimânde) is a more formal synonym meaning remainder or residual, used in mathematics and formal writing, while بقیه is the everyday colloquial choice.

How to use it

• بقیه کجان؟ (baghiye kojân?) “Where are the others?”
• بقیه پول رو بده (baghiye pul ro bede) “Give me the rest of the money.”
• بقیه‌اش رو فردا درست می‌کنم (baghiye-ash ro fardâ dorost mikonam) “I will fix the rest of it tomorrow.”
• بقیه حرف‌هام رو نشنید (baghiye harf-hâm ro nashnid) “He did not hear the rest of what I said.”

Cultural note

بقیه appears constantly in Iranian hospitality and food culture. When a host serves food and guests hesitate to take more, the host will insist: «بقیه‌اش رو بخورید» (eat the rest). In the division of shared bills, tasks, or resources among friends and family, negotiating «بقیه‌اش» is a familiar ritual. The word also carries an implicit social obligation: leaving بقیه unaddressed, whether a meal, a debt, or a task, is mildly uncomfortable in a culture that values completion and reciprocity.

References

• Dehkhoda
• Vajehyab