What it means
مثل آب خوردن (mesl-e âb khordan) describes something so simple it feels effortless, the way drinking water requires no thought or technique. The word مثل comes from Arabic (root م-ث-ل, meaning likeness or example), while آب and خوردن are native Persian, making this a mixed-origin idiom. The closest synonym in everyday speech is راحتترین کار دنیا (râhat-tarin kâr-e donya), “the easiest thing in the world,” though the idiom is far more vivid and more common in casual conversation.
How to use it
- این کارو مثل آب خوردن انجام داد. (in kâro mesl-e âb khordan anjâm dâd.) “He got it done as easy as drinking water.”
- برای اون، حل کردن این مسئله مثل آب خوردنه. (barâye oon, hal kardan-e in mas’ale mesl-e âb khordan-e.) “For her, solving this problem is effortless.”
- فکر کردی مثل آب خوردنه؟ (fekr kardi mesl-e âb khordan-e?) “Did you think it was that easy?”
- رانندگی توی تهران دیگه برام مثل آب خوردنه. (rânandegi tu-ye tehrân dige barâm mesl-e âb khordan-e.) “Driving in Tehran is second nature to me now.”
Cultural note
Iranians reach for this idiom constantly in daily conversation to minimize a task, either to encourage someone who is nervous or to tease someone who is overcomplicating things. The comparison to drinking water is rooted in how instinctive and automatic that act feels: no skill, no preparation, no effort. In Persian humor, the phrase can also carry a sarcastic edge when someone claims a hard thing is simple.