What it means
تعطیلی درسی (ta’tili-ye darsi) means “school holiday” or “academic break,” any day or period when classes and exams are suspended. The noun “ta’tili” (تعطیلی) derives from the Arabic root ʿ-ṭ-l (to halt, to make idle), and “darsi” is the adjectival form of Arabic dars (lesson). Both components carry Arabic origin. Common academic breaks in Iran include Nowruz (the Persian New Year, in late March), Dah-ye Fajr (ten days commemorating the 1979 Revolution in February), and Moharram holidays. A simpler colloquial alternative is just “ta’til” on its own, which covers any kind of closure.
How to use it
- تعطیلی درسی عید چند روزه؟ (ta’tili-ye darsi-ye eyd chand ruze?) “How many days is the Nowruz academic break?”
- فردا تعطیله، کلاس نداریم. (fardâ ta’tile, kelâs nadârim.) “Tomorrow is a holiday, we don’t have class.”
- تعطیلیهای این ترم خیلی کمه. (ta’tili-hâye in tarm kheyli kame.) “There are very few breaks this semester.”
- تو تعطیلی درسی چیکار میکنی؟ (tu ta’tili-ye darsi chikâr mikoni?) “What do you do during academic breaks?”
Cultural note
The Iranian academic calendar is shaped by a combination of national holidays, religious observances, and the Persian calendar cycle. The longest academic break is Nowruz, which can stretch from late March into mid-April and effectively marks the end of the second semester’s teaching period. Religious holidays follow the lunar Hijri calendar and shift each year, so the exact dates of ta’tili-hâye darsi change annually, which requires students and professors to check the official university calendar each year.