What it means
تکرار کردن (tekrâr kardan) means “to repeat” or “to review,” as in going over study material before an exam. It is a compound verb, a very common structure in Persian: تکرار (tekrâr) comes from Arabic تَكرَار (repetition, from the root كَرَرَ, to repeat), combined with کردن (kardan), the pure Persian light verb meaning “to do.” In a study context, تکرار کردن is close to مرور کردن (moror kardan, “to go over, to review”), which is slightly more formal. In everyday speech you will often hear simply تکرار کن (tekrâr kon, “repeat it”) from a teacher or tutor.
How to use it
- باید درسها رو تکرار کنم قبل از امتحان. (bâyad dars-hâ ro tekrâr konam qabl az emtehân.) “I need to review the lessons before the exam.”
- دوباره تکرار کن، نفهمیدم. (dobâre tekrâr kon, nafahmidam.) “Repeat it again, I didn’t understand.”
- هر شب درسم رو تکرار میکنم. (har shab darsam ro tekrâr mikonam.) “Every night I review my lesson.”
- معلم گفت تکرار کلید یادگیریه. (mo’allem goft tekrâr kelid-e yâdgiriie.) “The teacher said repetition is the key to learning.”
Cultural note
Rote repetition has historically been central to Iranian educational practice, particularly for memorising Quranic verses, classical poetry, and historical dates. The phrase تکرار مادر علم است (tekrâr mâdar-e elm ast, “repetition is the mother of knowledge”) is a well-known Persian proverb that reflects this cultural attitude toward studying. Iranian students preparing for the کنکور (konkur), the highly competitive national university entrance exam, rely heavily on تکرار کردن across thousands of practice questions. More recently, language teachers and tutors have begun advocating for مرور فاصلهدار (moror-e fâsele-dâr, spaced repetition) as a more effective alternative.