نگه داشتن

What it means

نگه داشتن (negah dâshtan) is a compound verb built from نگه (negah, a contracted form of نگاه, meaning gaze or watch) and داشتن (dâshtan, to have or hold). Together they express the idea of keeping something in place, maintaining a condition, or guarding something so it does not slip away. The range of meaning is wide: you can نگه دار a secret, a car, a tradition, a child, or a promise. In the imperative, نگه دار functions as a standalone command equivalent to stop or hold on, used everywhere from traffic situations to casual conversation. The phrase نگه داشتن را بلد نیست captures a common social observation, meaning he does not know how to look after things, whether possessions, relationships, or responsibilities.

How to use it

• اینو برام نگه دار (ino baram negah dâr) “Hold this for me.”
• نگه دار، یه چیزی بپرسم (negah dâr, ye chizi beporsam) “Hold on, I want to ask you something.”
• نمی‌تونه هیچ چیزی رو نگه داره (nemitune hich chizi ro negah dâre) “He can’t keep anything.”
• این سری رو برای خودت نگه دار (in serr ro barâye khodat negah dâr) “Keep this secret to yourself.”

Cultural note

The command نگه دار is one of the first Persian phrases foreign drivers pick up in Iran, because it is shouted from street to street whenever traffic stops unexpectedly. Beyond traffic, it appears in everyday moments: a friend grabbing your arm before you cross the street, a shopkeeper calling out to slow you down before you leave. The verb’s overlap between physical holding and more abstract maintaining reflects a Persian tendency to use tactile language for relational and social ideas.

References

• Dehkhoda
• Vajehyab