What it means
نسبت (nesbat) comes from the Arabic root ن-س-ب (n-s-b), relating to lineage and proportion. In Persian it carries three overlapping senses: a mathematical ratio or proportion (such as 3 to 1), a relational connection between two things, and in formal language, a comparison or regard. In maths class you will hear it as نسبت (ratio), while in conversation it often means “in relation to” or “compared to.” A near synonym in the relational sense is رابطه (râbete, connection or relationship).
How to use it
- نسبت طول به عرض این اتاق ۲ به ۱ است. (nesbat-e tul be arz-e in otâq do be yek ast.) “The ratio of length to width of this room is 2 to 1.”
- نسبت به سال گذشته، قیمتها بالا رفته. (nesbat be sâl-e gozashte, qeymat-hâ bâlâ rafte.) “Compared to last year, prices have gone up.”
- نسبت بین دو کمیت رو محاسبه کن. (nesbat-e beyn-e do kamiyyat ro mohâsebe kon.) “Calculate the ratio between the two quantities.”
- نسبت به این موضوع چه فکری میکنی؟ (nesbat be in mowzu’ che fekri mikoni?) “What do you think in relation to this matter?”
Cultural note
نسبت is one of those Arabic-rooted words so thoroughly embedded in Persian that most speakers do not perceive it as a borrowing. In Iranian maths education the term appears from primary school onward and is the standard word for ratio and proportion. Beyond maths, the phrase نسبت به (nesbat be, in relation to or compared to) is one of the most common prepositional phrases in both spoken and written Persian.