What it means
پارتی (pârti) in its colloquial Persian sense means having connections or pulling strings through personal relationships. The word is borrowed from French (parti, meaning party, faction, or group) and is recorded in Dehkhoda with that etymology. In spoken Iranian Persian it almost always refers to the social capital of knowing the right person, which many people rely on to speed up bureaucratic processes, secure jobs, or avoid obstacles. It is closely related to the concept of wasta found across the Middle East. You will also hear it as a verb phrase: پارتی داشتن (to have connections) or پارتیبازی (pârti-bâzi, playing the connections game).
How to use it
- بدون پارتی کارت راه نمیافته. (bedun-e pârti kâret râh nemi-yofte.) “Without connections your work won’t get anywhere.”
- اون پارتی داشت، سریع استخدام شد. (un pârti dâsht, sari’ estekhdâm shod.) “He had connections, so he got hired quickly.”
- پارتیبازی توی این اداره خیلی زیاده. (pârti-bâzi tu-ye in edâre kheyli ziâde.) “There is a lot of string-pulling in this office.”
- مگه پارتی نداری؟ (mage pârti nadâri?) “Don’t you have anyone to pull strings for you?”
Cultural note
پارتیبازی is one of the most commonly cited grievances in Iranian public discourse about fairness at work and in government. Studies on public administration in Iran regularly identify personal connections as a parallel system running alongside formal rules. The phrase is used matter-of-factly rather than as a shocking accusation, which reflects how normalized the practice is perceived to be. Younger Iranians often use it with a mix of humor and resignation.