زیر

What it means

زیر (zir) is a pure Persian preposition and adverb meaning under, below, or beneath. It describes physical position, as in something that sits underneath something else, and also abstract subordination, as in being under someone’s authority or supervision. It forms compounds readily: زیر آب (zir-e âb) means underwater, زیر زمین (zir-e zamin) means underground or a basement, زیر نظر (zir-e nazar) means under supervision or under observation. In music, زیر (zir) also means a high or treble note, the opposite of بم (bam, deep or bass), a meaning that survives from classical Persian music theory. In colloquial speech you often hear زیرش (ziresh) meaning “under it” or “underneath it,” with the pronoun suffix attached.

How to use it

• زیر میز نگاه کن (zir-e miz negâh kon) “Look under the table.”
• زیر بارون موندم (zir-e bârun mundam) “I got caught in the rain” (literally “I stayed under the rain”).
• زیر نظر دکتره (zir-e nazar-e doktare) “He is under the doctor’s supervision.”
• گوشیم زیر بالشم بود (gushim zir-e bâlesham bud) “My phone was under my pillow.”

Cultural note

The expression زیر آب کسی رو زدن (zir-e âb-e kasi ro zadan), literally “to hit someone underwater,” means to undermine someone behind their back, to backstab. It is a vivid colloquial idiom widely used in workplace and social contexts. If someone warns you مراقب باش زیر آبت رو نزنن, they are telling you to watch out for people working against you behind the scenes.

References

• Dehkhoda
• Vajehyab