مطمئن

What it means

مطمئن (motma’en) is an adjective meaning sure, certain, or confident. It is borrowed from Arabic, from the root ط-م-ن (t-m-n), which carries the core sense of being at rest or settled. The Arabic Form IV verb اطمأن (itma’anna) means to be reassured or to feel at ease, and مطمئن is its active participle, meaning one who is assured or settled in certainty. In Persian it functions as a pure adjective: مطمئن هستم (motma’en hastam) means I am sure. It also combines with the Persian light verbs بودن (budan, to be) and شدن (shodan, to become) to create compound predicates. مطمئن بودن is the state of being certain, while مطمئن شدن is the act of becoming certain or making sure of something. There is no common pure Persian synonym in everyday use; this Arabic borrowing owns the meaning completely at all registers.

How to use it

• مطمئنی؟ (motma’eni?) “Are you sure?”
• مطمئن شو در رو قفل کردی. (motma’en sho dar ro gholf kardi.) “Make sure you locked the door.”
• اون از نتیجه مطمئن نیست. (un az natije motma’en nist.) “She is not sure about the result.”
• کاملاً مطمئنم که درسته. (kâmelan motma’enam ke doruste.) “I am completely certain it is correct.”

Cultural note

In Iranian conversational style, مطمئنی is one of the most common ways to double-check information before acting on it. Iranians tend to ask this question freely and without implying distrust; it is simply a practical step before committing. The partner phrase مطمئن شو, used as a polite instruction, is equally common: before leaving the house, before submitting a form, before a decision, someone will say it to you. The word reflects a broadly valued habit of verification rather than assumption.

References

• Dehkhoda
• Vajehyab