پس

What it means

پس (pas) functions primarily as a logical connector meaning “then,” “so,” or “therefore,” linking a conclusion to its premise: پس اشتباه کردی (pas eshtebâh kardi, so you made a mistake / then you were wrong). It also appears at the start of a sentence to open a new point: پس چی؟ (pas chi?, so what? / then what?). In its spatial sense پس means “back” or “behind,” as in پس رفتن (pas raftan, to go back) or giving something back. The two meanings very rarely cause confusion because context makes the sense clear almost immediately. In spoken Persian پس as a logical connective is especially common in narrative and explanation.

How to use it

• پس چرا نگفتی؟ (pas cherâ nagofti?) “So why didn’t you say so?”
• اگه نمی‌خوای، پس بذارش (age nemikhâi, pas bozâresh) “If you don’t want it, then put it down.”
• پس کی میای؟ (pas key miyâi?) “So when are you coming?”
• پول رو پس داد (pul ro pas dâd) “He gave the money back.”

Cultural note

پس is the natural spoken connective Iranians reach for when concluding an argument or drawing a consequence. You will hear it at the start of conclusions in debates, explanations, and instructions. Its bluntness can give a sentence a slightly impatient flavor: پس بیا دیگه (pas biâ digeh) is less of a polite invitation and more of a nudge. In formal written Persian the equivalent conjunctions are پس, بنابراین (banâbarein, therefore), and لذا (lezâ, therefore, Arabic origin), but in speech پس covers almost all of those cases comfortably.

References

• Dehkhoda
• Vajehyab