What it means
نظریه (nazariyeh) means theory, expert opinion, or a formally stated viewpoint. Persian borrowed this word from Arabic, where it derives from the root ن-ظ-ر (n-z-r), meaning to look, to observe, or to consider, the same root that gives نظر (nazar), meaning opinion or gaze. In academic and scientific contexts, نظریه translates directly as theory, as in نظریهی تکامل (theory of evolution) or نظریهی نسبیت (theory of relativity). In legal and professional settings, it means an expert opinion or official position paper. A close but slightly different word is فرضیه (farzieh), which means hypothesis, a proposed idea not yet tested.
How to use it
- نظریهی داروین رو خوندم. (nazariye-ye dârvin ro khundam.) “I read Darwin’s theory.”
- نظریهی کارشناس چیه؟ (nazariye-ye kârshenâs chiye?) “What is the expert’s opinion?”
- این فقط یه نظریهست. (in faghat ye nazariyest.) “This is just a theory.”
- نظریههای مختلفی وجود داره. (nazariye-hâ-ye mokhtalefi vojud dâre.) “Various theories exist.”
Cultural note
In Iranian academic and scientific culture, the word نظریه carries serious intellectual weight: presenting a نظریه implies it is backed by evidence and systematic reasoning, not mere opinion. In official bureaucratic contexts, a نظریهی کارشناسی (expert opinion document) is a formal written assessment that government offices and courts rely on for technical decisions. The phrase نظریه دادن (nazariyeh dâdan), to issue an expert opinion, is a recognized professional act with legal standing in certain administrative proceedings.