زود

What it means

زود (zud) is a pure Persian adverb covering two related senses: speed (quickly, fast) and temporal earliness (soon, early). Context separates the two: زود رفت means he left quickly, while زود اومد means he came early or he came soon. The command زود باش (zud bâsh) is one of the most frequently heard phrases in Persian family life, equivalent to hurry up. Its antonyms are دیر (dir, late or slow) and آروم (ârum, slowly). A common intensified form is خیلی زود (kheyli zud), meaning very quickly or very soon. The related adjective زودرس (zudrass) describes something premature or precocious.

How to use it

• زود باش، دیر شد. (zud bâsh, dir shod.) “Hurry up, we are late.”
• زود اومدی، هنوز آماده نیستم. (zud umadi, hanuz âmâde nistam.) “You came early, I am not ready yet.”
• خیلی زود تموم شد. (kheyli zud tamum shod.) “It ended very quickly.”
• زودتر بیا فردا. (zudtar biâ fardâ.) “Come earlier tomorrow.”

Cultural note

The phrase زود باش is so woven into Iranian daily life that it functions almost as punctuation in family interaction. Parents say it to children getting ready for school, hosts say it to guests who are lingering at the door, and drivers say it to passengers. It carries no harshness on its own; tone is everything. The antonym دیر (late) is equally loaded: دیر کردی (you were late) is a mild reproach that Iranians learn to navigate carefully because showing up late versus arriving at the right moment carries real social weight, especially for formal occasions.

References

• Dehkhoda
• Vajehyab