What it means
نرخ تبدیل (nerkh-e tabdil) means exchange rate, the price at which one currency converts to another. The two parts of this phrase have different origins: نرخ (nerkh) descends from Middle Persian narg, meaning rate or price, and is a native Persian word that was later borrowed into Arabic as narḫ, not the other way around. تبدیل (tabdil) does come from Arabic tabdīl, from the root b-d-l, meaning conversion or change. Together they form a standard financial term used in banks, currency exchange offices (sarâfi), and news reports. In casual speech, Iranians sometimes shorten this to simply نرخ ارز (nerkh-e arz), meaning the currency rate.
How to use it
- نرخ تبدیل دلار به تومان چنده؟ (nerkh-e tabdil-e dolâr be tomân chande?) “What is the dollar to toman exchange rate?”
- نرخ تبدیل امروز خیلی بالاست. (nerkh-e tabdil-e emruz kheyli bâlâst.) “Today’s exchange rate is very high.”
- قبل از سفر نرخ تبدیل رو چک کن. (ghabl az safar nerkh-e tabdil ro chek kon.) “Check the exchange rate before the trip.”
- بانک نرخ تبدیل رسمی رو اعلام کرد. (bânk nerkh-e tabdil-e rasmi ro e’lâm kard.) “The bank announced the official exchange rate.”
Cultural note
Iran operates with multiple parallel exchange rates: the official government rate set by the Central Bank, the open-market rate (nerkh-e âzâd), and rates at licensed exchange shops (sarâfi). The gap between these rates has at times been enormous due to sanctions and currency fluctuations, making nerkh-e tabdil a topic of daily conversation for ordinary Iranians. Travelers and business people almost always check the sarâfi rate rather than the official bank rate before any transaction.