What it means
صبر (sabr) is borrowed from Arabic, from the root s-b-r, meaning to be patient or to endure. In Persian it means patience, forbearance, and the capacity to bear difficulty without complaint. The verb form is صبر کردن (sabr kardan), to be patient or to wait. A related word is تحمل (tahammol), which leans more toward tolerance or endurance of something unpleasant, while sabr carries a more virtuous, deliberate quality of choosing to wait with grace.
How to use it
- صبر کن، الان میاد. (sabr kon, alân miyâd.) “Be patient, he is coming now.”
- صبرم داره تموم میشه. (sabram dâre tamum mishe.) “My patience is running out.”
- با صبر و حوصله کارشو انجام داد. (bâ sabr o howsele kâresho anjâm dâd.) “He did his work with patience and care.”
- صبر ایوب رو داشته باش. (sabre Ayyub ro dâshte bâsh.) “Have the patience of Job.”
Cultural note
صبر is one of the most frequently invoked virtues in both Persian poetry and Islamic ethics. In the Quran it is mentioned over ninety times and is described as a quality God loves. In Persian proverbs the phrase “sabr o zafer” (patience and victory) appears often, suggesting that endurance is the surest path to success. Hafez and Saadi both use sabr extensively in their verse, elevating it from a practical habit to a spiritual discipline. The expression “صبر تلخ است و لیکن بر شیرین دارد” (sabr is bitter but its fruit is sweet) is one of the most quoted lines in everyday Persian speech.