What it means
شما (shomâ) is the formal and plural second-person pronoun in Persian, equivalent to French vous or German Sie. It addresses one person with respect, or any group regardless of formality.
How to use it
- شما کجایی هستید؟ (shomâ kojâyi hastid?) “Where are you from?” (formal)
- شما بفرمایید (shomâ befarmâyid) “After you” (polite gesture)
- حال شما چطوره؟ (hâl-e shomâ chetore?) “How are you?” (respectful)
Register notes
Use شما with strangers, elders, professors, in-laws, shopkeepers you don’t know, and anyone older or higher in status. The informal counterpart تو (to) signals intimacy: family, close friends, lovers, kids. Switching from شما to تو is a relationship milestone in Iran, often invited by the older or higher-status person. Default to شما when in doubt.
Cultural note
شما anchors the entire Iranian system of taarof. A Tehran taxi driver will say شما to a passenger he just met; a daughter-in-law uses شما with her husband’s parents for life. Using تو too early reads as rude or presumptuous. Iranians abroad often slip into تو faster, but inside Iran, شما stays sturdy.
References
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