What it means
رد شدن (radd shodan) means to fail an exam, be rejected from a program, or be turned away. The noun رد (radd) is borrowed from Arabic, from the root R-D-D meaning to turn back or reject, while شدن (shodan) is the native Persian auxiliary meaning “to become.” Together they form a compound verb meaning literally “to become rejected.” The direct opposite is قبول شدن (ghabul shodan). A close synonym in more formal contexts is مردود شدن (mardud shodan), though رد شدن is far more common in everyday speech.
How to use it
- متاسفانه تو امتحان ریاضی رد شدم. (mota-asefane tu emtehan-e riazi radd shodam.) “Unfortunately I failed the math exam.”
- اگه رد بشی، باید دوباره امتحان بدی. (age radd beshi, bayad dobare emtehan bedi.) “If you fail, you have to take the exam again.”
- اون سال اول کنکور رد شد. (un sal-e aval-e konkur radd shod.) “That year she failed the university entrance exam.”
- نگران نباش، رد شدن اول کار خیلیها بوده. (negaran nabash, radd shodan-e aval-e kar-e kheiliha bude.) “Don’t worry, failing at first has happened to many people.”
Cultural note
Failing the کنکور (konkur) is a deeply emotional event in Iranian family life, often treated with a mix of disappointment and immediate planning for the following year’s retake. Many students spend an entire gap year at a cram school called کانون (kanun) to prepare for a second attempt. The word رد شدن carries a sting of social stigma in competitive academic circles, though attitudes are slowly shifting as alternative paths to career success become more visible.