رفتار

What it means

رفتار (raftâr) means behavior, conduct, or treatment of another person. The word is pure Persian, derived from the verb رفتن (raftan, to go or to walk) with the suffix ـار (-âr) that in Persian forms agent or manner nouns from verb stems. The underlying sense is something like the manner of one’s going, that is, how one moves through and acts in the world. It covers both the behavioral patterns of a person over time and a specific instance of how someone treats another: رفتارت با مادرت خوب نبود (raftârat bâ mâdaret khub nabud, your behavior toward your mother wasn’t good). A related noun is رفتارشناسی (raftârshenâsi), meaning behavioral science. The opposite in spirit is بدرفتاری (badraftâri, mistreatment) versus خوش‌رفتاری (khoshraftâri, good conduct).

How to use it

• رفتارش با همه خوبه. (raftâresh bâ hame khube.) “His behavior toward everyone is good.”
• رفتار کردن با بچه‌ها سخته. (raftâr kardan bâ bachehâ sakhte.) “Dealing with children is difficult.”
• از رفتارش خوشم نیومد. (az raftâresh khosham nayomad.) “I didn’t like how he acted.”
• رفتار خوب تو کار خیلی مهمه. (raftâr-e khub tu kâr kheyli mohemme.) “Good conduct at work matters a lot.”

Cultural note

In Iranian social life, رفتار is one of the central measures by which a person’s character is judged. Complimenting someone’s رفتار, saying آدم خوش‌رفتاریه (he is a person of good conduct), is a meaningful endorsement. Iranian families place heavy emphasis on رفتار از دیدگاه دیگران (how one’s behavior is perceived by others), and children are taught from a young age that رفتار in public reflects on the entire family. The phrase رفتارت با خودته but carrying the implicit meaning that behavior reveals character runs through Persian proverbs and literature alike.

References

• Dehkhoda
• Vajehyab