What it means
یکدنده (yekdande) describes a person who is stuck on one idea and will not move from it, the way a car stuck in one gear refuses to shift. Both parts are pure Persian: یک (yek) means “one” and دنده (dande) means “rib” or, in modern usage, a gear in a gearbox. The word is colloquial and a touch more vivid than لجباز (lajbâz), which stresses quarrelsome obstinacy, whereas یکدنده emphasizes single-minded persistence.
How to use it
- اون یکدندهترین آدمیه که میشناسم. (Oon yekdande-tarin âdamiye ke mishnâsam.) “He is the most one-track person I know.”
- یکدنده نباش، یه بار گوش بده. (Yekdande nabâsh, ye bâr gush bede.) “Don’t be so one-track, listen for once.”
- این رئیس خیلی یکدندهست، هیچ پیشنهادی رو قبول نمیکنه. (In raees kheyli yekdande-st, hich pishnahâdi ro qabul nemikone.) “This boss is very single-minded, he accepts no suggestions.”
- با یه آدم یکدنده نمیشه مذاکره کرد. (Bâ ye âdame yekdande nemishe mozâkere kard.) “You can’t negotiate with a one-track person.”
Cultural note
یکدنده gained its gear-based sense in the twentieth century as motorized vehicles became part of everyday life in Iran. دنده originally referred to a rib or ridge, and the automotive sense later made the image more concrete and mechanical for modern speakers. Today the gear sense dominates in the minds of most speakers, giving the word a slightly mechanical, modern flavor.