What it means
فاصله (fâsele) means distance, gap, or interval. It is borrowed from Arabic, built on the root ف-ص-ل (f-s-l), which carries the core sense of separating or cutting apart. The characteristic ـه ending on the word is a marker of its Arabic origin. In Persian, فاصله covers physical distance between two places, a gap in time, and an emotional or social distance between people. A native Persian near-synonym is دوری (duri), which leans more toward the emotional sense of being far away, while فاصله is neutral and covers all three domains with ease.
How to use it
- فاصله بین دو شهر زیاد است. (fâsele-ye beyn-e do shahr ziâd ast.) “The distance between the two cities is great.”
- یه فاصله کوتاه بین دو جلسه داریم. (ye fâsele-ye kutâh beyn-e do jalase dârim.) “We have a short interval between the two sessions.”
- فاصلهات رو با ماشین جلویی حفظ کن. (fâsele-at ro bâ mâshin-e jeloyi hefz kon.) “Keep your distance from the car in front.”
- بین ما یه فاصلهای افتاده. (beyn-e mâ ye fâsele-i oftâde.) “A gap has fallen between us.”
Cultural note
Because Persian has absorbed so much Arabic vocabulary over more than a thousand years of literary and religious contact, words like فاصله feel completely native to modern speakers, and few would identify it as a borrowing without prompting. The root ف-ص-ل also appears in the related Persian word فصل (fasl, season or chapter), which shares the underlying Arabic sense of separation and division. In Persian poetry and literature, فاصله often appears in emotional contexts describing the distance that grief, exile, or love creates between people.