What it means
خسته نباشید (khaste nabâshid) literally means “may you not be tired” and is said to someone who is in the middle of, or has just finished, a task or a period of work. Khaste derives from Middle Persian, where the root carried the sense of being worn out or spent, and it is a native Persian word with no Arabic or Turkic element. Nabâshid is the formal negative subjunctive of budan, meaning “may you not be.” The informal singular is خسته نباشی (khaste nabâshi). The phrase has no close English equivalent: it sits somewhere between “well done,” “keep it up,” and “I see your effort and appreciate it.” Foreigners are sometimes confused because it sounds like a question about fatigue, but it functions as a greeting and a compliment.
How to use it
- خسته نباشید، استاد. (khaste nabâshid, ostâd.) “Well done, Professor.” (said as a student leaves the classroom)
- خسته نباشی، کارت عالیه. (khaste nabâshi, kârat âlieh.) “Keep it up, your work is excellent.”
- به همه بگو خسته نباشن. (be hame begu khaste nabâshan.) “Tell everyone ‘well done’ from me.”
- خسته نباشید، ببخشید مزاحم شدم. (khaste nabâshid, bebakhshid mozâhem shodam.) “I appreciate your work, sorry to interrupt.”
Cultural note
خسته نباشید is one of the most distinctively Iranian social phrases and often surprises language learners because it is said to someone who may not be tired at all: the point is to honor their labor, not to assess their physical state. It is used across all settings, from greeting a cashier at a supermarket to opening an email to a colleague. Responding with ممنون or with the mirrored form شما هم خسته نباشید (shomâ ham khaste nabâshid) is standard. Failing to say it when entering a workplace can feel abrupt to Iranian interlocutors.