What it means
از بر کردن (az bar kardan) means “to memorize” or “to commit to memory.” The phrase is built from three native Persian elements: از (az, a preposition meaning “from”), بر (bar, meaning “upon” or “by”), and کردن (kardan, “to do/make”). Together they form a compound verb meaning to hold something entirely in one’s memory without needing a written reference. Dehkhoda traces از بر to the Pahlavi compound اَزْ اَپَر (az apar), confirming its pre-Islamic Persian roots. A close synonym used in more formal or written registers is حفظ کردن (hefz kardan), where حفظ derives from the Arabic root ح-ف-ظ; از بر کردن is the more colloquial and natively Persian option. Another, slightly more literary synonym is به خاطر سپردن (be khater sepordan). The contrast worth noting is that از بر کردن and حفظ کردن both focus on rote retention, while یاد گرفتن (yad gereftan) means to learn or understand, not necessarily by repetition.
How to use it
- باید همه فرمولها رو از بر کنم. (bayad hame formul-ha ro az bar konam.) “I have to memorize all the formulas.”
- شعر رو از بر کردی؟ (she’r ro az bar kardi?) “Did you memorize the poem?”
- واژههای جدید رو هر شب از بر میکنم. (vazhe-haye jadid ro har shab az bar mikonam.) “I memorize new words every night.”
- امتحان فردا داریم، باید متن رو از بر کنیم. (emtehan farda darim, bayad matn ro az bar konim.) “We have an exam tomorrow, we need to memorize the text.”
Cultural note
Memorization has a long and respected place in Persian-speaking cultures. Students are expected to memorize passages of the Quran, classical poetry by Hafez and Sa’di, and key literary texts throughout their school years. The phrase از بر کردن appears in classical Persian literature, including verses by Hafez and Khaqani cited in Dehkhoda, and it remains the natural, colloquial verb of choice in everyday Iranian speech today. Knowing a poem az bar, by heart, is a point of cultural pride and a common feature at family gatherings and formal ceremonies.