What it means
فالو کردن (fâlow kardan) means to follow someone on a social media platform such as Instagram or Twitter. The base word فالو is a direct borrowing from the English word “follow,” combined with the all-purpose Persian auxiliary کردن (to do) to create a verb. It is purely colloquial: you will not find it in formal writing or official Persian, where you might instead see دنبال کردن (donbâl kardan), which carries the same meaning and is the native Persian alternative. In everyday speech in Tehran and among younger Iranians globally, فالو کردن is far more common than its formal counterpart.
How to use it
- منو فالو کن، هر روز محتوا میذارم. (mano fâlow kon, har ruz mohtavâ mizâram.) “Follow me, I post content every day.”
- تو اینستاگرام خیلی آدمهای جالب فالو میکنم. (tu Instâgerâm kheyli âdamhâye jâleb fâlow mikonam.) “I follow a lot of interesting people on Instagram.”
- اون حساب فیک بود، فالوش کردم اشتباه شد. (oon hesâb feyk bud, fâlowesh kardam eshtebâh shod.) “That account was fake, following it was a mistake.”
- چرا منو آنفالو کردی؟ (cherâ mano onfâlow kardi?) “Why did you unfollow me?”
Cultural note
Despite internet restrictions in Iran, Instagram and Telegram remain among the most-used platforms in the country, and فالو کردن is part of everyday vocabulary for millions of Iranians across all ages. The borrowed English form has become so naturalised that many speakers do not register it as a foreign word. Its opposite, آنفالو کردن (onfâlow kardan), has also entered the language in exactly the same structural pattern, showing how productively Persian integrates English digital vocabulary through the کردن construction.