I counted the words in a 10-minute phone call with my mom in Tehran. She used 47 unique words. 38 of them are on this list.
That’s the thing about common farsi words. they’re not the words textbooks teach first. Textbooks give you colors and classroom objects. Real Farsi runs on pronouns, a handful of verbs, question words, and the small connecting words that hold everything together. Cross-reference any entry in the Vajehyab Persian dictionary for full definitions. The hundred words below represent the core of spoken Persian. Master them and you’ll understand more than half of any casual conversation.
Every word here gets the full treatment: Persian script, transliteration, English, the spoken Tehrani form when it differs, and a real example sentence. Not “the cat is on the table” sentences. sentences you’d actually hear in Tehran. To hear pronunciation on Forvo, search any word from this list.
Why These 100 Words Cover 60% of Spoken Farsi
Languages are wildly unequal in how they distribute usage. A tiny group of words appears in almost every sentence. Pronouns, basic verbs, question words, and connectors. these are the load-bearing walls of the language. You can see usage examples on Glosbe for any of them. The nouns and adjectives you add later are furniture. Important, but the building stands without them.
In Persian, this effect is even more dramatic than in English. Farsi is a pro-drop language. you can drop the pronoun because the verb ending tells you who’s speaking. Compound verbs mean a handful of light verbs (kardan, zadan, shodan) combine with nouns to create hundreds of verb meanings. So knowing these 100 words doesn’t just give you 100 words. It gives you the building blocks for hundreds more.
The list below is ranked by frequency in spoken Persian. not written, not literary, not news broadcasts. Spoken. Because that’s what you need first. For the written frequency list that extends to 500, see 500 Persian Words by Frequency.
Words 1–20: The Absolute Core
These twenty words are non-negotiable. You’ll use every single one of them within your first hour of speaking Farsi. They include the pronouns, the essential verbs, and the glue words.
1. من. man. I/me
The first word everyone learns. Short, simple, identical in both registers. Man irani hastam. I’m Iranian.
2. تو. to. you (informal)
For friends, family, people your age or younger. To koji?. Where are you?
3. او. u. he/she
Spoken: اون. un. Persian has no grammatical gender. u covers both. Un raft. He/she left.
u miravam
او میروم
I go (formal)
man miram
من میرم
I go (spoken)
4. ما. mâ. we
Mâ irâni hastim. We’re Iranian. Same in both registers.
5. شما. shomâ. you (formal/plural)
Use this with strangers, elders, anyone you’d call “Lei” in Italian or “vous” in French. Shomâ az kojâ hastid?. Where are you from?
6. است. ast. is
Spoken: ـه. -e (just a suffix). This is the most dramatic formal/spoken split in Persian. Written: in ketâb khub ast. Spoken: in ketâb khub-e. The entire word vanishes into a sound.
7. را. râ. (object marker)
Spoken: رو. ro. No English equivalent. Marks the direct object. Ketâb ro didi?. Did you see the book?
8. در. dar. in/at
Spoken: تو. tu. Yes, same spelling as “you”. context makes it clear. Tu khuneh hastam. I’m at home.
9. که. ke. that/which/who
The universal connector. Mardi ke did. The man that she saw. Shows up constantly.
10. این. in. this
In chi-e?. What is this? One of the first phrases you’ll need.
11. و. va. and
Spoken: o. Written between words in formal text. Man o to. Me and you.
12. با. bâ. with
Bâ man biyâ. Come with me.
13. نه. na. no/not
Short, sharp, universal. Na, nemikham. No, I don’t want it.
14. بله. baleh. yes
Spoken: آره. âreh. Baleh is formal. Âreh is what you’ll hear 95% of the time.
15. بودن. budan. to be
The fundamental verb. Man khub-am. I’m good. To koji budi?. Where were you?
16. داشتن. dâshtan. to have
Man ye khâhar dâram. I have a sister. Also used for the continuous tense: dâram miram. I’m going (right now).
17. کردن. kardan. to do/make
The most important light verb. Combines with nouns to create compound verbs: kâr kardan (to work), fekr kardan (to think), shoru’ kardan (to start). Compound verbs are how 80% of Persian verbs are built.
18. رفتن. raftan. to go
Dâram miram. I’m going. The present stem rav/row changes to r in spoken: miram not miravam.
19. گفتن. goftan. to say/tell
Behesh goftam. I told him/her. One of the first irregular verbs you’ll meet (present stem: gu).
20. شدن. shodan. to become
The second essential light verb. Khaste shodam. I got tired. Hâzer shod. It got ready.
Words 21–50: Building Blocks
Now we add common nouns, more verbs, and the question words. These words let you move from pointing and grunting to actually asking for things and describing your day.
21. خوب. khub. good
Hâlet khub-e?. Are you OK? The most used adjective in the language.
22. خیلی. kheyli. very/a lot
Kheyli mamnun. Thank you very much. Works as both “very” and “a lot.”
23. یک. yek. one/a
Spoken: یه. ye. Also functions as the indefinite article. Ye chai mikhâm. I want a tea.
24. آمدن. âmadan. to come
Spoken present: miyâm (not mi-âyam). Fardâ miyâm. I’m coming tomorrow.
25. خواستن. khâstan. to want
Spoken: خواستن. khâstan (same infinitive, but conjugates as mikhâm not mikhâham). Chi mikhâi?. What do you want?
man mikhâham beravam
من میخواهم بروم
I want to go
man mikhâm beram
من میخوام برم
I want to go
26. دانستن. dânestan. to know
Nemidunam. I don’t know. (Spoken compression of nemidânam.) You’ll say this constantly.
27. دیدن. didan. to see
Didamesh. I saw him/her. Note the clitic pronoun -esh attached directly.
28. خوردن. khordan. to eat
Ghazâ khordi?. Did you eat? Also means “to hit” in some compound verbs (zamin khordan = to fall).
29. چی. chi. what
Chi shod?. What happened? The most common question word.
30. کی. key. when
Key miyâi?. When are you coming?
31. کجا. kojâ. where
Kojâi?. Where are you? (Note: the verb “to be” fuses into a suffix.)
32. چرا. cherâ. why
Cherâ narafti?. Why didn’t you go? Also means “yes” as a correction to a negative: “Nayumadi?” “Cherâ, umadam.”. “You didn’t come?” “Yes I did.”
33. چطور. chetor. how
Chetori?. How are you? (Informal.) The formal version is hâl-e shomâ chetor-e?
34. آب. âb. water
Ye livân âb mikhâm. I want a glass of water.
35. غذا. ghazâ. food
Ghazâ hâzer-e. Food’s ready. For food-specific vocabulary, the food hub has 100+ words organized by category.
36. خانه. khâneh. house/home
Spoken: خونه. khuneh. Dâram miram khuneh. I’m going home.
37. کار. kâr. work/job
Kâr dâram. I have work. Kâret chi-e?. What do you do (for work)?
38. پول. pul. money
Pul nadâram. I don’t have money.
39. وقت. vaght. time
Vaght nadâram. I don’t have time. One of the most honest sentences in Farsi.
40. اسم. esm. name
Esmet chi-e?. What’s your name?
41. زدن. zadan. to hit/strike
The third essential light verb. Harf zadan = to talk. Zang zadan = to call (phone). Gush zadan = to listen. One verb, dozens of meanings.
42. هم. ham. also/too
Man ham miyâm. I’m coming too. Position matters. it goes right after the word it modifies.
43. دیگه. digeh. else/anymore/so
The spoken Swiss army knife. Digeh chi?. What else? Digeh nemikhâm. I don’t want anymore.
44. برای. barâye. for
In barâye to-e. This is for you.
45. از. az. from/than
Az kojâ umadi?. Where did you come from? Also used for comparisons: az man bozorgtar-e. he’s bigger than me.
46. تا. tâ. until/so that
Tâ fardâ. Until tomorrow. Sabr kon tâ biyâm. Wait until I come.
47. اگر. agar. if
Spoken: اگه. ageh. Ageh biyâi, khub mishe. If you come, it’ll be good.
48. مال. mâl. belonging to
In mâl-e man-e. This is mine. The Persian way to express possession without a verb.
49. زمان. zamân. time (abstract)
While vaght is everyday “time,” zamân is more formal/abstract. Zamân zud migzareh. Time passes quickly.
50. خواهر. khâhar. sister
Khâharam irân-e. My sister is in Iran. Note: spoken pronunciation is still khâhar. this word doesn’t shift.
Words 51–80: Conversation Essentials
Time words, more adjectives, and the connectors that turn simple sentences into actual conversation.
51. برادر. barâdar. brother
Spoken: داداش. dâdâsh (informal, also used for close male friends). Dâdâsham zang zad. My brother called.
52. پدر. pedar. father
Spoken: بابا. bâbâ. Nobody says pedar in casual conversation unless they’re angry.
53. مادر. mâdar. mother
Spoken: مامان. mâmân. Mâmânam goft. My mom said.
54. امروز. emruz. today
Emruz kâr dâram. I have work today.
55. فردا. fardâ. tomorrow
Fardâ miyâm. I’ll come tomorrow.
56. دیروز. diruz. yesterday
Diruz naraftam. I didn’t go yesterday.
57. الان. alân. now
Alân kojâi?. Where are you now?
58. بعد. ba’d. after/later
Ba’dan harf mizanim. We’ll talk later.
59. بزرگ. bozorg. big/great
Khuneh-ye bozorgi dâran. They have a big house. Also means “elder” for people.
60. کوچک. kuchak. small
Spoken: کوچیک. kuchik. Ye kuchik-e. It’s a small one.
61. زیاد. ziyâd. a lot/many/too much
Ziyâd harf mizaneh. He/she talks too much.
62. کم. kam. little/few
Ye kam sabr kon. Wait a little.
63. جدید. jadid. new
Spoken: تازه. tâzeh is more natural in speech. Gushiye tâzeh kharidm. I bought a new phone.
64. قشنگ. ghashang. beautiful/pretty
Che ghashang-e!. How beautiful! Used for people, places, and things.
65. بد. bad. bad
Bad nist. Not bad. (The standard Iranian response to “how are you?”)
66. اما. ammâ. but
Mikhâm beram, ammâ vaght nadâram. I want to go, but I don’t have time. Vali is equally common.
67. یا. yâ. or
Châi yâ ghahveh?. Tea or coffee?
68. هیچ. hich. none/nothing/no
Hich chi nemigam. I won’t say anything.
69. همه. hameh. all/everyone
Hameh umadn. Everyone came.
70. خودم. khodam. myself
Khodam miram. I’ll go myself. Khod + pronoun suffix = reflexive.
71. فکر کردن. fekr kardan. to think
Fekr konam âreh. I think so. (Spoken shortening of fekr mikonam.)
72. حرف زدن. harf zadan. to talk/speak
Bâ ki harf mizadi?. Who were you talking to?
73. نگاه کردن. negâh kardan. to look
Negâh kon!. Look!
74. فهمیدن. fahmidan. to understand
Nafahmidam. I didn’t understand. You’ll use this a lot early on.
75. نشستن. neshestan. to sit
Befarmâid beshinid. Please sit down (formal).
76. ساعت. sâ’at. hour/clock/watch
Sâ’at chand-e?. What time is it? For everything about telling time in Farsi, that post covers it.
77. سال. sâl. year
Chand sâlet-e?. How old are you? (Literally: “How many years are you?”)
78. روز. ruz. day
Ruz-e khubi dâshti?. Did you have a good day?
79. شب. shab. night
Shab bekheyr. Good night.
80. صبح. sobh. morning
Sobh bekheyr. Good morning. For more greetings and social phrases, the dedicated post goes deep.
Words 81–100: The Ones That Make You Sound Real
These last twenty are the ones that separate someone who studied Farsi from someone who sounds like they’ve actually been in an Iranian living room. Discourse particles, polite phrases, and the filler words that make speech sound natural.
81. یعنی. ya’ni. I mean/that is
The filler word of Farsi. Ya’ni, nemidunm chi begam. I mean, I don’t know what to say.
82. مثلاً. masalan. for example/like
Masalan chi?. Like what? Used constantly in spoken Farsi.
83. اصلاً. aslan. at all/absolutely not
Aslan khub nist. It’s not good at all. Emphatic negation.
84. حتماً. hatman. definitely/sure
Hatman miyâm. I’ll definitely come. (May or may not be true. context matters.)
85. شاید. shâyad. maybe
Shâyad fardâ. Maybe tomorrow. When an Iranian says shâyad, it usually means no.
86. لطفاً. lotfan. please (formal)
The textbook word for please. In reality, Iranians use mishe (can you?) much more: Mishe in ro bedi?. Can you give me this?
87. ممنون. mamnun. thank you
Kheyli mamnun. Thank you very much. More common in daily speech than the formal moteshakkeram.
88. ببخشید. bebakhshid. excuse me/sorry
Bebakhshid, sâ’at chand-e?. Excuse me, what time is it? Used for both apologies and getting attention.
89. سلام. salâm. hello
Salâm, chetori?. Hi, how are you?
90. خداحافظ. khodâhâfez. goodbye
Literally “God protect you.” Spoken: sometimes shortened to khodâfez.
91. مرسی. mersi. thanks
Borrowed from French. Less formal than mamnun, used constantly among friends.
92. عالی. âli. great/excellent
Âli shod!. It turned out great!
93. بیا. biyâ. come! (imperative)
Biyâ inja. Come here. One of the first imperatives you’ll learn.
94. بگو. begu. say! tell! (imperative)
Begu chi shod. Tell me what happened.
man nemidânam
من نمیدانم
I don’t know
man nemidunm
من نمیدونم
I don’t know
95. بذار. bezâr. let/leave it (spoken imperative of گذاشتن)
Bezâr beram. Let me go. Extremely common in spoken Farsi.
96. مگه. mage. isn’t it?/but (rhetorical)
Mage narafti?. Didn’t you go? Adds surprise or challenge to a question.
97. آخه. âkheh. because/but why
Âkheh cherâ?. But why though? Expresses frustration or seeking explanation.
98. بابا. bâbâ. dude/come on (interjection)
Beyond meaning “father,” bâbâ is an interjection: Bâbâ, vel kon!. Dude, let it go!
99. چقدر. cheghad. how much/how many
Spoken: چقد. cheghad (shortened). Cheghad mishe?. How much is it?
100. دوست داشتن. dust dâshtan. to like/love
Dust dâram. I like it/I love you. The same phrase covers both. tone and context distinguish them.
The Full 100 Table
Here’s the scannable reference. all 100 words in one table. Print it, screenshot it, or import it into Anki.
| # | Farsi | Transliteration | English | Spoken Form |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | من | man | I/me | same |
| 2 | تو | to | you (informal) | same |
| 3 | او | u | he/she | اون (un) |
| 4 | ما | mâ | we | same |
| 5 | شما | shomâ | you (formal) | same |
| 6 | است | ast | is | -e (suffix) |
| 7 | را | râ | (object marker) | رو (ro) |
| 8 | در | dar | in/at | تو (tu) |
| 9 | که | ke | that/which | same |
| 10 | این | in | this | same |
| 11 | و | va | and | o |
| 12 | با | bâ | with | same |
| 13 | نه | na | no | same |
| 14 | بله | baleh | yes | آره (âreh) |
| 15 | بودن | budan | to be | same |
| 16 | داشتن | dâshtan | to have | same |
| 17 | کردن | kardan | to do/make | same |
| 18 | رفتن | raftan | to go | same |
| 19 | گفتن | goftan | to say | same |
| 20 | شدن | shodan | to become | same |
| 21 | خوب | khub | good | same |
| 22 | خیلی | kheyli | very | same |
| 23 | یک | yek | one/a | یه (ye) |
| 24 | آمدن | âmadan | to come | same |
| 25 | خواستن | khâstan | to want | same |
| 26 | دانستن | dânestan | to know | same |
| 27 | دیدن | didan | to see | same |
| 28 | خوردن | khordan | to eat | same |
| 29 | چی | chi | what | same |
| 30 | کی | key | when | same |
| 31 | کجا | kojâ | where | same |
| 32 | چرا | cherâ | why | same |
| 33 | چطور | chetor | how | same |
| 34 | آب | âb | water | same |
| 35 | غذا | ghazâ | food | same |
| 36 | خانه | khâneh | house | خونه (khuneh) |
| 37 | کار | kâr | work | same |
| 38 | پول | pul | money | same |
| 39 | وقت | vaght | time | same |
| 40 | اسم | esm | name | same |
| 41 | زدن | zadan | to hit/strike | same |
| 42 | هم | ham | also | same |
| 43 | دیگه | digeh | else/anymore | spoken only |
| 44 | برای | barâye | for | same |
| 45 | از | az | from/than | same |
| 46 | تا | tâ | until | same |
| 47 | اگر | agar | if | اگه (ageh) |
| 48 | مال | mâl | belonging to | same |
| 49 | زمان | zamân | time (abstract) | same |
| 50 | خواهر | khâhar | sister | same |
| 51 | برادر | barâdar | brother | داداش (dâdâsh) |
| 52 | پدر | pedar | father | بابا (bâbâ) |
| 53 | مادر | mâdar | mother | مامان (mâmân) |
| 54 | امروز | emruz | today | same |
| 55 | فردا | fardâ | tomorrow | same |
| 56 | دیروز | diruz | yesterday | same |
| 57 | الان | alân | now | same |
| 58 | بعد | ba’d | after/later | same |
| 59 | بزرگ | bozorg | big | same |
| 60 | کوچک | kuchak | small | کوچیک (kuchik) |
| 61 | زیاد | ziyâd | a lot | same |
| 62 | کم | kam | little/few | same |
| 63 | جدید | jadid | new | تازه (tâzeh) |
| 64 | قشنگ | ghashang | beautiful | same |
| 65 | بد | bad | bad | same |
| 66 | اما | ammâ | but | same |
| 67 | یا | yâ | or | same |
| 68 | هیچ | hich | none/nothing | same |
| 69 | همه | hameh | all/everyone | same |
| 70 | خودم | khodam | myself | same |
| 71 | فکر کردن | fekr kardan | to think | same |
| 72 | حرف زدن | harf zadan | to talk | same |
| 73 | نگاه کردن | negâh kardan | to look | same |
| 74 | فهمیدن | fahmidan | to understand | same |
| 75 | نشستن | neshestan | to sit | same |
| 76 | ساعت | sâ’at | hour/clock | same |
| 77 | سال | sâl | year | same |
| 78 | روز | ruz | day | same |
| 79 | شب | shab | night | same |
| 80 | صبح | sobh | morning | same |
| 81 | یعنی | ya’ni | I mean | same |
| 82 | مثلاً | masalan | for example | same |
| 83 | اصلاً | aslan | at all | same |
| 84 | حتماً | hatman | definitely | same |
| 85 | شاید | shâyad | maybe | same |
| 86 | لطفاً | lotfan | please | same |
| 87 | ممنون | mamnun | thank you | same |
| 88 | ببخشید | bebakhshid | excuse me | same |
| 89 | سلام | salâm | hello | same |
| 90 | خداحافظ | khodâhâfez | goodbye | khodâfez |
| 91 | مرسی | mersi | thanks | same |
| 92 | عالی | âli | great | same |
| 93 | بیا | biyâ | come! | same |
| 94 | بگو | begu | say!/tell! | same |
| 95 | بذار | bezâr | let/leave | spoken only |
| 96 | مگه | mage | isn’t it? | spoken only |
| 97 | آخه | âkheh | but why | spoken only |
| 98 | بابا | bâbâ | dude/come on | spoken only |
| 99 | چقدر | cheghad | how much | same |
| 100 | دوست داشتن | dust dâshtan | to like/love | same |
FAQ
What are the most common words in Farsi?
How many words do you need to speak basic Farsi?
What is the difference between spoken and written Farsi words?
What Farsi words should I learn first as a beginner?
Is Farsi vocabulary similar to Arabic?
One hundred words. That’s a deck of Anki cards you can build in twenty minutes and drill in fifteen minutes a day. In a month, these words will be reflexive. you’ll hear kojâi? and your brain will translate it before you finish thinking.
If you want to keep going, the 500-word list extends this into A2 and B1 territory. For the verbs on this list that need conjugation help, the grammar reference has full conjugation patterns with both registers.
And when you’re ready to test these words in real conversation. not typing, not reading, but actually speaking to someone who’ll correct your pronunciation of خواستن before it calcifies wrong. I’m on Preply. First lesson, we go through your weakest 20 from this list and fix them. It’s less painful than it sounds.
Planning a trip? Many of these words show up in our Essential Farsi for Traveling in Iran guide, with full phrases built around them.
