مسئله

What it means

مسئله (mas’ale) means problem, issue, or matter. The word entered Persian from Arabic مَسْأَلَة (mas’ala), a noun of place or instance derived from the root س-أ-ل (s-‘-l), meaning “to ask” or “to request.” In classical Arabic a مسألة was literally a question put forward for discussion; over time the meaning broadened to cover any problem or matter requiring attention. In modern Persian the word sits comfortably at B1 level and appears in both formal writing and everyday speech. The phrase مسئله‌ای نیست (mas’ale-i nist) is one of the most common ways Iranians say “no problem” or “don’t worry about it,” and مسئله اینه که (mas’ale ine ke) is the spoken equivalent of “the thing is” or “here’s the issue.” A near synonym is مشکل (moshkel), which leans more toward difficulty or hardship, while مسئله can refer to any matter, trivial or serious.

How to use it

• مسئله‌ای نیست (mas’ale-i nist) “No problem at all.”
• مسئله اینه که پول کافی ندارم (mas’ale ine ke pul-e kâfi nadâram) “The thing is I don’t have enough money.”
• این یه مسئله جدیه (in ye mas’ale-ye jaddie) “This is a serious matter.”
• مسئله رو حل کردی؟ (mas’ale ro hal kardi?) “Did you solve the problem?”

Cultural note

In Iranian schools, مسئله is the standard word teachers use for a math or logic problem on an exam. Students hear phrases like مسئله بعدی (mas’ale-ye ba’di, “next problem”) dozens of times a day in class. Outside the classroom, مسئله‌ای نیست has become a culturally important phrase of social ease in Iranian interaction, signalling that no offence was taken and no debt of apology is owed. It functions as a social lubricant in situations where an English speaker might say “don’t mention it” or “it’s fine.”

References

• Dehkhoda
• Vajehyab