وقت

What it means

وقت (vaqt) means “time” in the everyday sense: a moment, an occasion, or available hours in your day. It is borrowed from Arabic w-q-t (وقت).

Persian also uses زمان (zamân) for time in the abstract or scientific sense (era, duration). For “do you have time?” or “it is time to leave,” speakers reach for vaqt.

How to use it

• وقت داری؟ (vaqt dâri?) “Do you have time?”
• وقت ندارم (vaqt nadâram) “I don’t have time”
• چه وقتی؟ (che vaqti?) “What time? / When?”
• وقتش رسیده (vaqtesh reside) “Its time has come”

Common pairings

• وقت آزاد (vaqt-e âzâd) “free time”
• وقت شام (vaqt-e shâm) “dinner time”
• هر وقت (har vaqt) “any time, whenever”
• یک وقتی (ye vaqti) “sometime, at some point”

Cultural note

Iranian taarof bends around vaqt. Asking وقت دارید؟ before requesting a favor is the polite opener. The reply بله، وقت دارم (yes, I have time) commits you, while وقت ندارم softens a refusal without giving reasons.

References

• Dehkhoda
• Vajehyab
• Wiktionary