What it means
اسکرینشات (eskrinshât) is a direct phonetic borrowing of the English word “screenshot.” It entered Persian through the rapid spread of smartphones and messaging apps, and there is no native Persian alternative that Iranians actually use in conversation. The Academy of Persian Language has proposed terms like “نماگرفت” (namâgraft), but these remain confined to formal writing. In speech, اسکرینشات is universal across all age groups. A related verb form, اسکرینشات گرفتن (eskrinshât gereftan, “to take a screenshot”), is equally common.
How to use it
- یه اسکرینشات از چت بگیر برام بفرست. (Ye eskrinshât az chat begir barâm befers.) “Take a screenshot of the chat and send it to me.”
- اسکرینشاتشو گرفتم، نشونش میدم. (Eskrinshâtesho gereftam, neshunesh midam.) “I took a screenshot of it, I’ll show you.”
- مواظب باش اسکرینشات نگیرن. (Movâzeb bâsh eskrinshât nagiran.) “Be careful they don’t take a screenshot.”
- این اسکرینشات رو بیخود فرستادی. (In eskrinshât ro bikhood ferestâdi.) “You sent this screenshot for no reason.”
Cultural note
The screenshot has a particular social weight in Iranian digital culture. On Telegram and Instagram, unsolicited screenshots of private conversations are a known source of conflict, and warning someone “مواظب اسکرینشات باش” (watch out for screenshots) is a genuine precaution in sensitive chats. Because Telegram does not notify users of screenshots by default, the word carries an undertone of exposure and breach of trust in many contexts.