What it means
اجازه بدید (ejâze bedid) is a polite phrase used to ask for permission before speaking, entering a room, or doing something that might inconvenience others. The word اجازه comes from Arabic (إجازة), meaning permission or licence, while بدید is the formal plural imperative of the Persian verb dâdan, to give. The full phrase means “please give permission” and is the taarof equivalent of “if you will allow me” or “with your permission.” A close synonym is با اجازه (bâ ejâze), which is slightly shorter and more common in passing situations such as squeezing past someone.
How to use it
- اجازه بدید، یه سوال داشتم. (ejâze bedid, ye soâl dâshtam.) “With your permission, I had a question.”
- اجازه بدید وارد بشم؟ (ejâze bedid vâred besham?) “May I come in, with your permission?”
- اجازه بدید صحبت کنم. (ejâze bedid sohbat konam.) “Please allow me to speak.”
- اجازه بدید برم دنبال کارم. (ejâze bedid beram donbâl-e kâram.) “With your permission, let me be on my way.”
Cultural note
Taarof is the Iranian system of elaborate courtesy that governs social interactions, and ejâze bedid is one of its most basic building blocks. Using it signals respect and acknowledges the other person’s authority or seniority, even when that seniority is only symbolic. Skipping it in formal or semi-formal contexts, such as a meeting with an elder or an official setting, can come across as abrupt. In everyday casual speech among close friends the phrase is usually dropped, which itself signals intimacy and ease.