What it means
دفتر (daftar) carries three overlapping meanings that context separates cleanly: a notebook or exercise book, an office or place of work, and a bureau or administrative unit. The word traces to the Greek διφθέρα (diphthéra), meaning prepared hide or parchment used for writing, which passed through Aramaic and Middle Persian before settling in Persian. It has been in daily use for centuries. When a child goes to the stationery shop for school supplies, دفتر is the notebook they buy. When an adult says they are heading to the دفتر, they almost certainly mean the office. When a government announcement mentions the دفتر ریاست جمهوری (daftar-e riyâsat-e jomhuri), it means the Office of the Presidency.
How to use it
- دفترم رو جا گذاشتم. (daftaram ro jâ gozâshtam.) “I left my notebook behind.”
- دفتر فردا بستهست. (daftar fardâ baste-st.) “The office is closed tomorrow.”
- یه دفتر جدید خریدم. (ye daftar-e jadid kharidam.) “I bought a new notebook.”
- دفتر وکیل کجاست؟ (daftar-e vakil kojâst?) “Where is the lawyer’s office?”
Cultural note
In Iranian schools, the دفتر کلاس (daftar-e kelâs) is the official class register kept by the teacher: it records attendance, grades, and disciplinary notes. The دفتر is taken seriously as a document, and having your name marked absent or noted in it carries real weight. Beyond school, دفتر appears in dozens of compound phrases across daily life: دفتر تلفن (daftar-e telefon, phone book), دفتر یادداشت (daftar-e yâd-dâsht, notepad), and دفتر اسناد رسمی (daftar-e asnâd-e rasmi, notary office). The single word doing triple duty as notebook, office, and bureau is typical of how Persian compresses semantic range into one high-frequency term.