What it means
نجات (nejât) means rescue, salvation, or deliverance from danger. The word comes from Arabic, from the root ن-ج-و (n-j-w) meaning to escape, to be saved, to survive. In Persian it functions as a noun that anchors two productive compound verbs: نجات دادن (nejât dâdan), to save or to rescue someone, and نجات یافتن (nejât yâftan) or its colloquial equivalent نجات پیدا کردن (nejât peydâ kardan), meaning to be saved or to manage to escape. The word carries both secular meaning, as in saving someone from physical danger, and religious meaning, as in spiritual salvation. In formal and literary contexts you may also encounter رهایی (rahâyi, liberation) as a near synonym with a more political or philosophical flavor.
How to use it
- جونم رو نجات داد (jun-am ro nejât dâd) “He saved my life.”
- از اون وضع نجات پیدا کردم (az oun vaz’ nejât peydâ kardam) “I got out of that situation.”
- تیم نجات اومد (tim-e nejât umad) “The rescue team arrived.”
- نجاتم بده (nejât-am bede) “Save me / get me out of this.”
Cultural note
The phrase نجاتم بده (nejât-am bede, save me) is used far beyond emergencies in colloquial Persian. Iranians say it humorously when stuck in a boring conversation, a dull work meeting, or an awkward family situation, making a theatrical plea for rescue. The theatrical register of the phrase is well understood by all speakers, and responding to it with a wry smile is a standard social move.
References
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