Iranians have a blessing for everything. You sneeze? الحمدالله. alhamdolellâh. Someone cooked? دستت درد نکنه. dastet dard nakone. Someone’s leaving? خدا نگهدار. khodâ negahdâr. Someone died? روحش شاد. ruhesh shâd. There’s a Persian blessing for every moment. and using the right one at the right time is how Iranians know you belong. This is the reference list you’ll bookmark and come back to before every social event, holiday, and phone call.
The Universal Toast: به سلامتی
به سلامتی. be salâmati. "to health." This is the Swiss Army knife of Iranian toasts. Raise whatever you’re holding. tea, doogh, water, cola. and say it. Works at birthdays, weddings, dinners, random Tuesday gatherings.
You can extend it:
به سلامتی خانوادهات. be salâmati-ye khânevâdat. "to your family’s health."
به سلامتی عروس و داماد. be salâmati-ye arus o dâmâd. "to the health of the bride and groom." Perfect at weddings.
به سلامتی همه. be salâmati-ye hame. "to everyone’s health." The diplomatic version when you don’t want to single anyone out.
This one phrase covers 80% of social situations. Master it first.
The خدا Phrases: 8 God-Invocations Iranians Use Daily
Persian is saturated with God-references. These aren’t exclusively religious. secular Iranians use them constantly. They’re linguistic muscle memory.
خداحافظ. khodâhâfez. "God protect you." The standard goodbye. Everyone says it. Literally everyone.
خدا بزرگه. khodâ bozorge. "God is great." Used when facing difficulty, hearing bad news, or expressing that something is beyond human control. In mourning: deep comfort. In daily life: a shrug at fate.
خداییش. khodâyish. "swear to God" / "honestly." Used for emphasis. "Khodâyish, this food is incredible." Not a prayer. a verbal exclamation point.
ایشالا. ishâlâ. "God willing." Attached to any future statement. "See you tomorrow, ishâlâ." "You’ll pass the exam, ishâlâ." Without it, you sound presumptuous. as if you control the future.
خدا رو شکر. khodâ ro shokr. "thank God." Response to "how are you?". khodâ ro shokr khubam. "thank God, I’m well." Also used when narrowly avoiding disaster.
خدا برکت بده. khodâ barakat bede. "may God bless it." Said about food, money, a new house, a new baby. Wherever abundance is wished.
خدا نگهدار. khodâ negahdâr. "God keep you." A farewell, slightly warmer than khodâhâfez. Used by older relatives, especially mothers watching you leave.
الحمدالله. alhamdolellâh. "praise God." Response to sneezing, to good news, to recovering from illness. The reflex phrase for gratitude.
Birthday Blessings
Beyond تولدت مبارک. tavalodet mobârak. "happy birthday":
سالهای سال زندگی کنی. sâlhâ-ye sâl zendegi koni. "may you live many, many years." The heavyweight.
ایشالا صد سال زنده باشی. ishâlâ sad sâl zende bâshi. "God willing, may you live a hundred years."
خدا سالت رو پر خوشی کنه. khodâ sâlet ro por-e khoshi kone. "may God fill your year with joy."
هر سال این موقع همینجوری شاد باشی. har sâl in moghe’ haminjuri shâd bâshi. "every year at this time, may you be this happy." A warm, specific blessing.
Wedding and Engagement Blessings
تبریک میگم. tabrik migam. "congratulations." The standard.
مبارک باشه. mobârak bâshe. "may it be blessed." More emotional.
خوشبخت بشید. khoshbakht beshid. "may you be happy." THE wedding phrase.
سفیدبختی. sefid-bakhti. "white fortune". pure, unblemished happiness.
به پای هم پیر بشید. be pâ-ye ham pir beshid. "may you grow old together."
زندگیتون پر از عشق باشه. zendegitun por az eshgh bâshe. "may your life be full of love."
For the full wedding vocabulary. the aghd, the arusi, the gift protocol. see the wedding phrases guide. And for Persian endearment terms you’ll hear the couple using, there’s a dedicated post.
Funeral and Mourning Blessings
تسلیت میگم. tasliyat migam. "my condolences."
روحش شاد. ruhesh shâd. "may their soul be happy." Said about the deceased.
خدا رحمتش کنه. khodâ rahmatesh kone. "may God have mercy on them."
خدا صبرت بده. khodâ sabret bede. "may God give you patience." Said to the grieving.
خدا بیامرزتش. khodâ biyâmorzatesh. "may God forgive them."
یادش همیشه زندهست. yâdesh hamishe zende-st. "their memory is always alive." Used on anniversaries.
Nowruz, Yalda, and Holiday Blessings
عید مبارک. eyd mobârak. "happy holiday." The universal greeting for any Iranian holiday.
سال نو مبارک. sâl-e no mobârak. "happy new year." For Nowruz. the Persian New Year in March. For the full Haft-Sin guide, that post covers the table and the traditions.
عیدتون مبارک. eydetun mobârak. "happy holiday (formal)." The respectful version for elders.
سال خوبی داشته باشید. sâl-e khubi dâshte bâshid. "may you have a good year." A Nowruz add-on.
شب یلداتون مبارک. shab-e yaldâtun mobârak. "happy Yalda night." For the winter solstice celebration. The Yalda guide covers what to expect and what to say.
ایشالا سال بعد کنار هم باشیم. ishâlâ sâl-e ba’d kenâr-e ham bâshim. "God willing, next year we’ll be together." Said at the end of holiday gatherings. part wish, part prayer.
For holiday phrases with your partner’s family specifically, the Nowruz and Yalda partner guide covers that territory. For holiday-specific phrases organized by individual celebration, see the 25 Persian holiday phrases cheat sheet. The complete Persian holidays guide maps the full calendar.
Everyday Blessings People Forget to Learn
These are the phrases that textbooks skip but Iranians use dozens of times a day:
نوش جان. nush-e jân. "may it nourish your soul." Said when someone is eating or drinking. The Farsi "bon appetit" but deeper. it literally wishes the food becomes part of their spirit.
خسته نباشید. khaste nabâshid. "may you not be tired." Said to anyone who has been working, hosting, driving, cooking. Arguably the most Iranian phrase that exists. No equivalent in English.
دستت درد نکنه. dastet dard nakone. "may your hand not hurt." Said to someone who made something. cooked, built, created. It blesses the hands that did the work. Say it after every meal someone cooked for you.
سلامت باشید. salâmat bâshid. "be healthy." A farewell blessing, often from shopkeepers or after a transaction.
قربونت برم. ghorbânet beram. "I’d sacrifice myself for you." Sounds dramatic. Used casually. Means deep affection. You’ll hear grandmothers saying this every three minutes.
الهی قربونت برم. elâhi ghorbânet beram. the "I pray to God I’d sacrifice myself for you" version. Even more intense. Still casual.
چشمت روشن. cheshmet roshan. "may your eye be bright." Said when someone receives good news, achieves something, or when you visit after a long absence.
خدا خیرت بده. khodâ kheyret bede. "may God give you goodness." Said to someone who helped you or did something generous.
For the complete dining phrases. the ones you’ll use at every table. that post covers 25 more.
How to Use This List
Bookmark this page. Before any Iranian gathering, scan the relevant section. You don’t need all 35. you need the 3-4 that match the occasion.
Going to a birthday? Grab the birthday blessings.
Attending a funeral? The mourning section.
Random house visit? The everyday blessings are your toolkit.
35 blessings, one app. Import this list into ZabanYar and the spaced repetition system prioritizes the ones you keep mixing up. because confusing a wedding blessing with a funeral phrase is the kind of mistake you only make once.
This post is part of the mehmooni guide. the complete map of Iranian social events.
If you want to get the pronunciation right on these blessings. because tone matters. book a trial lesson on Preply and practice them with a native speaker before the event.