What it means
حاضر (hâzer) means ready, present, or willing. The word is borrowed from Arabic حاضِر (hâzir), the active participle of the verb حَضَرَ (hazara), meaning to be present or to attend, from the root ح-ض-ر (h-z-r). In Persian it has expanded to cover three overlapping meanings: physically present (as in a classroom roll call), ready to act (as in fully prepared), and willing (as in consenting to do something). The verb حاضر شدن (hâzer shodan) means to get ready or to prepare oneself. The verb حاضر بودن (hâzer budan) means to be ready or to be willing. حاضری؟ (hâzeri?) is the everyday question meaning are you ready?
How to use it
- حاضری بریم؟ (hâzeri berim?) “Are you ready to go?”
- یه ربع دیگه حاضر میشم (ye rob dige hâzer misham) “I will be ready in a quarter hour.”
- حاضرم کمک کنم (hâzeram komak konam) “I am willing to help.”
- همه حاضرن، فقط تو نیستی (hame hâzaran, faghat to nisti) “Everyone is present, only you are not here.”
Cultural note
Iranian classroom culture traditionally begins each lesson with the teacher calling roll and students responding حاضر (hâzer) to signal their presence, the Persian equivalent of answering present in English-speaking schools. The word also appears in the expression حاضر جواب (hâzer javâb), meaning someone who always has a quick or witty answer ready, a personality trait that Iranians admire and note with a mix of amusement and respect. A حاضر جواب is not a show-off but someone whose mind moves fast.
References
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