What it means
چای خوردن (châi khordan) means to drink tea. The noun چای (châi) came into Persian through Turkish, which borrowed it from Chinese chá, the word for tea that travelled along trade routes westward. The light verb خوردن (khordan) is native Persian and in compound verbs covers both eating and drinking. Note that Persian uses khordan for drinking tea, coffee, and soup, while آشامیدن (âshâmidan) is the more formal verb for drinking liquids.
How to use it
- بیا چای بخور. (biâ châi bokhor.) “Come have tea.”
- صبح بدون چای نمیتونم. (sobh bedun-e châi nemitunam.) “I can’t function in the morning without tea.”
- دوست داری چای بخوریم؟ (dust dâri châi bokhorim?) “Would you like to have tea?”
- چای خوردم و رفتم. (châi khordam o raftam.) “I had my tea and left.”
Cultural note
Tea is the social lubricant of Iranian daily life. Offering چای to a guest is one of the first acts of hospitality, and refusing it is mildly unusual. Tea in Iran is typically brewed strong in a small glass, served with sugar cubes held between the teeth rather than dissolved in the cup. The tea-drinking ritual slows conversations down in a deliberate, valued way.