What it means
مشکل (moshkel) means problem, difficulty, or hard. As a noun: یه مشکلی پیش اومد (ye moshkeli pish umad, a problem came up). As an adjective: این کار خیلی مشکله (in kâr kheyli moshkel-e, this work is very difficult). The word comes from Arabic مُشکِل (mushkil), meaning something causing difficulty or doubt, from the root ش-ک-ل (sh-k-l) related to form and shape. In everyday Persian مشکل is the dominant word for problem, more common in spoken use than the near-synonym مسئله (mas’ale), which leans toward issue or matter in a more formal sense. The compound مشکلسازی (moshkel-sâzi) means trouble-making, and مشکلگشا (moshkel-goshâ) means problem-solver.
How to use it
- مشکلی نیست (moshkeli nist) “No problem, there is no issue.”
- یه مشکل دارم (ye moshkel dâram) “I have a problem.”
- این سوال خیلی مشکله (in soâl kheyli moshkel-e) “This question is very difficult.”
- مشکلت چیه؟ (moshkel-at chi-ye?) “What is your problem? What is wrong?”
Cultural note
مشکلی نیست is one of the most reassuring phrases in Persian and a cornerstone of Iranian hospitality and social smoothing. When a guest apologizes for arriving late or asks for a small favor, the immediate مشکلی نیست signals that everything is fine and no awkwardness is needed. Conversely, مشکل داری? (do you have a problem?) sharpens into a challenge depending on tone, and Iranians are sensitive to that shift. Learning the difference between مشکل (neutral, a difficulty) and گیر (gir, colloquial for being stuck or being bothered) fills out an important register gap in everyday Persian.
References
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