What it means
هفته (hafteh) is the Persian word for a week, and it is one of the few common time words in the language that is genuinely native Persian rather than borrowed from Arabic. It descends from Middle Persian *haftag, built on هفت (haft), meaning “seven,” reflecting the seven days of the week. This makes it directly cognate with Latin septem and English “seven.” The plural هفتهها (hafteh-hâ) means “weeks,” and the phrase هفتهی دیگه (hafteh-ye dige) means “next week,” one of the most useful phrases you will hear.
How to use it
- هفتهی دیگه میبینمت. (hafteh-ye dige mibinamet.) “I’ll see you next week.”
- دو هفتهست که ندیدمت. (do hafteh-st ke nadidamet.) “It’s been two weeks since I saw you.”
- این هفته خیلی شلوغه. (in hafteh kheyli sholuqhe.) “This week is very busy.”
- هفتهی پیش رفتم مسافرت. (hafteh-ye pish raftam mosâferat.) “Last week I went on a trip.”
Cultural note
In Iran, the official work week runs Saturday through Wednesday or Thursday, with Friday being the day of rest, equivalent to Sunday in Western calendars. So when Iranians say “آخر هفته” (âkhar-e hafteh), meaning “the end of the week” or “weekend,” they typically mean Thursday and Friday, not Saturday and Sunday. This difference trips up learners who assume a Sunday-anchored weekly rhythm.