خبر

What it means

خبر (khabar) is a high-frequency Arabic-origin noun that Persian has absorbed so completely it feels native. The core meaning is information or news, but the word stretches in several directions depending on context. In everyday speech khabar is the thing you receive: a phone call brings you khabar, the morning newspaper is full of khabar, and a friend who has not been in touch is someone you have had no khabar from. It also extends to awareness or knowledge of a situation: داری خبر داری? (you have khabar? / are you aware?) is a perfectly natural question. The plural اخبار (akhbâr) is the formal word for the news as a broadcast or publication, the kind you read in a headline or hear on the radio. In spoken Persian khabar covers all of this without ceremony.

How to use it

• خبری داری؟ (khabari dâri?) “Any news? / Have you heard anything?”
• از اون خبر نداری؟ (az oon khabar nadâri?) “Have you heard from him/her?”
• خبر بده وقتی رسیدی (khabar bede vaghti residi) “Let me know when you get there.”
• اخبار ساعت نه رو دیدی؟ (akhbâr-e sâ’at-e noh ro didi?) “Did you catch the nine o’clock news?”

Cultural note

Iranians use خبر دادن (khabar dâdan, to give news, to notify) as the standard way to say “let me know” or “give me a heads-up.” It carries none of the formality that English “notify” implies. Texting someone خبر بده is simply how you ask to be kept in the loop. The phrase خبر داری? (are you aware?) can also function as mild concern, checking in on someone who has gone quiet. The formal plural اخبار appears on news channels, newspapers, and radio bulletins, while khabar is the word you use at the kitchen table.

References

• Dehkhoda
• Vajehyab