What it means
ماندن (mândan) means “to stay,” “to remain,” or “to be left.” It descends directly from Middle Persian māndan and is not a loanword. In everyday speech it covers physical presence (staying home), a remainder (leftover food), and emotional persistence (a feeling that lingers). A natural contrast: ماندن is the opposite of رفتن (raftan, to go). When something is left behind or someone does not leave, mândan is the verb to reach for.
How to use it
- امشب میمونی؟ (emshab mi-muni?) “Are you staying tonight?”
- غذا مونده. (ghazâ munde.) “There’s food left over.”
- تو خونه موندم. (tu khune mundam.) “I stayed home.”
- وقت زیادی نمونده. (vaqt-e ziâdi nemunde.) “Not much time is left.”
Cultural note
In Persian hospitality culture, a guest staying longer is a compliment to the host. The phrase بمون (bemun, stay) is a warm, common invitation. Conversely, telling someone بمون خونه (bemun khune, stay home) took on entirely new meaning during the Covid-19 period, when health campaigns made it a national slogan. The verb also appears in compound adjectives like مانده (mânde, exhausted, literally “stayed/remained”), a subtle reminder of how core physical states are encoded in this root.