What it means
سفته (sefte) is a formal written document in which one party promises to pay a specific amount of money to another party on a specified future date. The word traces back to the Persian verb سفتن (softan), meaning to pierce or thread, but as a financial instrument it entered Persian via Arabic, where it was adapted as سفتجه (suftaja). Dehkhoda records the financial-document sense explicitly as “معرب” (Arabicized). Unlike a cheque (چک), which draws on existing funds, a sefte is a forward commitment: the money is not necessarily available yet. A close contrast is برات (barât), a bill of exchange, which involves a third-party drawer.
How to use it
- سفته امضا کردم که اجاره رو تضمین کنم. (Sefte emzâ kardam ke ejâre ro tazmin konam.) “I signed a promissory note to guarantee the rent.”
- صاحبخونه ازم خواست یه سفته بدم. (Sâhebkhune azam khâst ye sefte bedam.) “The landlord asked me to give a promissory note.”
- سفتهام تو بانک واسه وثیقه بود. (Sefte-am tu bânk vâse vasiqe bud.) “My promissory note was at the bank as collateral.”
- اگه سفته برگشت بخوره دردسر داری. (Age sefte bargasht bekhore dardesar dâri.) “If the promissory note is dishonored, you are in trouble.”
Cultural note
In Iran, سفته is routinely used as a security deposit in rental agreements, employment contracts, and informal loans, often in amounts far exceeding the actual transaction. Because the legal enforcement of a dishonored sefte is relatively swift under Iranian commercial law, landlords and employers treat it as a powerful guarantee. Many Iranians encounter their first sefte when signing a lease or starting a new job, and the phrase “سفته دادن” (giving a sefte) carries a weight of serious personal obligation.