What it means
نامزد (nâmzad) means fiancé or fiancée, the person you are officially engaged to marry. The word is a pure Persian compound: nâm (name) and zad (marked or struck), so its original sense is “the one whose name has been marked,” meaning a person formally designated as a future spouse. It is gender-neutral in form, so context tells you whether the speaker means a male or female fiancé. A close synonym in formal or written Persian is عقد کرده (aqd karde), referring specifically to someone after the religious contract, but in everyday speech نامزد covers the whole engagement period.
How to use it
- نامزدم فردا میاد ایران. (Nâmzadam fardâ miyâd Irân.) “My fiancé is coming to Iran tomorrow.”
- چه وقت نامزد کردید؟ (Che vaght nâmzad kardid?) “When did you get engaged?”
- نامزدت رو به خانوادت معرفی کردی؟ (Nâmzadat ro be khânevâdat mo’arrefi kardi?) “Have you introduced your fiancée to your family?”
- جشن نامزدیشون خیلی قشنگ بود. (Jashn-e nâmzadi-shun kheyli ghashang bud.) “Their engagement party was really beautiful.”
Cultural note
In Iranian culture, the engagement period (نامزدی, nâmzadi) sits between the informal courtship and the formal religious marriage contract (عقد, aqd). An engagement party is typically held, and the couple exchanges rings. During this period the couple is considered promised to each other but not yet legally or religiously married, so social rules about mixing may still apply depending on the family’s background.