زندگی
zendegi
life
nounA2
Quick Reference
zen-de-GI
life
A2 — Elementary
What it means
زندگی (zendegi) means “life.” A pure Persian abstract noun built from زنده (zendeh, “alive”) plus the abstracting suffix ی (-i). Literally: the state of being alive.
It covers life as a whole (someone’s lifetime), daily life (routine, livelihood), and life as a value worth defending.
How to use it
- زندگی سخته (zendegi sakhte) “Life is hard”
- زندگی میکنم (zendegi mikonam) “I live, I am living”
- زندگیام (zendegi-am) “my life”
- زندگی مشترک (zendegi-ye moshtarak) “shared life, married life”
Common pairings
- زندگیکردن (zendegi-kardan) “to live”
- زندگی روزمره (zendegi-ye ruzmarre) “daily life”
- طول زندگی (tul-e zendegi) “length of life, lifetime”
Cultural note
زندگی sits at the center of Iranian pop lyrics, especially in melancholic ballads where the singer laments زندگی بی تو (zendegi bi to, “life without you”). In small talk, زندگی چطوره؟ (zendegi chetore?) is a softer, more reflective version of حالت چطوره. It invites a real answer.
References
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زندگی sits at the center of Iranian pop lyrics, especially in melancholic ballads where the singer laments زندگی بی تو (zendegi bi to, "life without you"). In small talk, زندگی چطوره؟ (zendegi chetore?) is a softer, more reflective version of حالت چطوره. It invites a real answer.Connected Words