What it means
سفارش دادن (sefâresh dâdan) means to order food or to place an order, and it is the standard phrase used at restaurants, cafes, and shops throughout Iran. It is a compound verb formed from سفارش (sefâresh), a verbal noun derived from the Persian verb سپاردن (sepârdan), meaning “to entrust” or “to commit to someone’s care,” and دادن (dâdan), the Persian verb “to give.” Together they convey the idea of entrusting a request to someone. A close synonym is سفارش کردن (sefâresh kardan), which carries the same meaning and is equally natural in speech.
How to use it
- آمادهاین سفارش بدید؟ (âmâdein sefâresh bedid?) “Are you ready to order?”
- میخوام کباب کوبیده سفارش بدم. (mikhâm kabâb-e kubide sefâresh bedam.) “I want to order koobideh kebab.”
- هنوز سفارش ندادیم. (hanuz sefâresh nadâdim.) “We haven’t ordered yet.”
- میتونم از طریق اپ سفارش بدم؟ (mitoonam az tarigh-e app sefâresh bedam?) “Can I order through the app?”
Cultural note
In Iranian restaurants it is common for the whole table to order together once everyone has had a chance to look at the menu, rather than ordering one by one as the server comes around. With the rapid growth of food delivery apps such as Snapp Food and Digikala Food, سفارش دادن now appears just as often in the context of online ordering as it does at the table. The noun سفارش alone is also used to confirm that an order has been placed, as in “sefâreshi dâdam” meaning “I placed an order.”