What it means
یارانه (yârâne) means subsidy. It is a native Persian word built from یار (yâr, helper or companion) with the suffix ـانه, giving the sense of “assistance” or “support payment”. The word is used for any government financial support given to producers, consumers, or essential goods. In everyday Iranian speech, یارانه most often refers to the direct cash transfers that the government deposits into household bank accounts each month.
How to use it
- یارانه این ماه واریز شده؟ (yârâne-ye in mâh vâriz shode?) “Has this month’s subsidy been deposited?”
- دولت یارانه نان رو قطع کرد. (dowlat yârâne-ye nân ro qat’ kard.) “The government cut the bread subsidy.”
- یارانه انرژی رو اصلاح میکنن. (yârâne-ye enerzhi ro eslâh mikonan.) “They are reforming the energy subsidy.”
- خانوادههای کمدرآمد یارانه بیشتری میگیرن. (khânevâde-hâ-ye kamdarâmad yârâne-ye bishtari migiran.) “Lower-income families receive a higher subsidy.”
Cultural note
Iran’s Targeted Subsidies Law of 2010 replaced decades of price controls on fuel, bread, and utilities with direct monthly cash payments to households. This program, widely known simply as یارانه, was one of the largest subsidy reforms in the world at the time. The monthly transfer amount has been revised several times, and debates about which households qualify, and how large the payment should be, are a regular feature of Iranian economic and political life.