What it means
همه (hame) is the everyday Persian word for “all” or “everyone.” It is a pure Persian word, tracing back to Old Iranian hama meaning the same thing. You will hear it dozens of times a day in spoken Tehran Persian. It can refer to people (everyone), things (all of it), or serve as a determiner before a noun: همهی کتابها (hame-ye ketâb-hâ) means “all the books.” A close contrast is هر (har), which means “every” and distributes individually, while همه collects everything together as one group.
How to use it
- همه اومدن. (hame umadan.) “Everyone came.”
- همهی غذا رو خوردم. (hame-ye ghazâ ro khordam.) “I ate all the food.”
- همه میدونن. (hame midunân.) “Everyone knows.”
- این برای همهست. (in barâye hame-st.) “This is for everyone.”
Cultural note
In Persian conversation, همه often carries a strong collective weight, reflecting a culture that values group belonging. Phrases like همه با هم (hame bâ ham, “all together”) appear in festive contexts, political slogans, and everyday encouragement. The word also shows up frequently in proverbs, reinforcing the idea that community action matters more than individual effort.