قول

What it means

قول (qol) means “promise” or “one’s word.” Borrowed from Arabic q-w-l (قول), the root of speech. In Persian it carries the weight of a binding spoken commitment.

The everyday use is in the compound قول‌دادن (qol-dâdan), “to give a promise / to promise.”

How to use it

• قول می‌دم (qol midam) “I promise”
• قول دادی (qol dâdi) “You promised”
• قولت یادت نره (qolet yâdet nare) “Don’t forget your promise”
• زیر قولش زد (zir-e qolesh zad) “He broke his promise (literally: hit under his word)”

Common pairings

• قول‌دادن (qol-dâdan) “to promise”
• قول و قرار (qol-o-qarâr) “promise and arrangement, agreement”
• سر قول (sar-e qol) “true to one’s word”

Cultural note

Among Iranian friends, قول مردونه (qol-e mardune, “a man’s word”) is a heavy oath, used by all genders despite the gendered phrasing. Parents soothe children with قول می‌دم فردا می‌ریم (qol midam fardâ mirim, “I promise we’ll go tomorrow”). Breaking a قول damages اعتماد (e’temâd, trust) far more than missing a casual plan.

References

• Dehkhoda
• Vajehyab
• Wiktionary