What it means
صبر کردن (sabr kardan) is a compound verb meaning “to wait” or “to be patient.” It is one of the most frequent compound verbs in Persian.
The word breaks into two parts: صبر (sabr), an Arabic-origin noun meaning “patience” or “endurance,” and کردن (kardan), the Persian light verb “to do.” The literal sense is “to do patience.” Persian builds many of its most common verbs this way: noun + کردن.
How to use it
- یک لحظه صبر کن (yek lahze sabr kon) “Wait a moment”
- صبر کنید لطفا (sabr konid lotfan) “Please wait” (formal)
- باید صبر داشته باشیم (bâyad sabr dâshte bâshim) “We must have patience”
How it sounds in conversation
“کجایی؟ منتظرم” “صبر کن، الان میام”
(“kojâyi? montazaram” “sabr kon, alân miyâm”)
“Where are you? I am waiting” “Wait, I’m coming now”
“چقدر صبر داری!” “حالا، اینجوری بزرگ شدم”
(“cheqadr sabr dâri!” “hâlâ, injuri bozorg shodam”)
“How patient you are!” “Well, that’s how I was raised”
Common pairings
- صبر داشتن (sabr dâshtan) “to have patience”
- صبر و حوصله (sabr-o howsele) “patience and forbearance” (set phrase)
- کاسه صبر کسی لبریز شدن (kâse-ye sabr-e kasi labriz shodan) “someone’s bowl of patience overflowing” (idiom: to lose patience)
- صبر ایوب (sabr-e ayyub) “the patience of Job” (biblical and Quranic reference)
Register
Neutral. Universal across formal writing, casual speech, and religious or literary contexts where patience carries cultural weight.
References
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