What it means
قرض گرفتن (gharz gereftan) means to borrow, to take a loan from someone. It is a compound verb made of two parts: قرض (gharz), which comes from Arabic qarḍ meaning a loan or debt, and گرفتن (gereftan), the pure Persian verb meaning to take or to receive. Together the literal sense is to take a loan, which maps directly onto to borrow. The opposite compound is قرض دادن (gharz dâdan), to lend. In more formal or banking contexts you might also hear وام گرفتن (vâm gereftan), which refers specifically to a bank loan.
How to use it
- میتونم ازت قرض بگیرم؟ (mitonam azat gharz begiram?) “Can I borrow from you?”
- از بانک قرض گرفت تا خونه بخره. (az bânk gharz gereft tâ khune bekhare.) “He borrowed from the bank to buy a house.”
- مجبور شدم از دوستم قرض بگیرم. (majbur shodam az dustam gharz begiram.) “I had to borrow from my friend.”
- هر بار که مشکل داره قرض میگیره. (har bâr ke moshkel dâre gharz migire.) “Every time she has a problem, she borrows money.”
Cultural note
Borrowing money from family and friends rather than from banks is deeply embedded in Iranian social life. The practice is often governed by informal trust rather than written contracts. Islamic finance principles, which prohibit interest (rebâ), also shape how Iranians think about debt: a gharz without interest is considered virtuous, while interest-bearing loans are theologically sensitive. Many Iranians navigate this by framing personal loans as interest-free gharz rather than formal bank products.