Thank You in Farsi: 12 Ways to Say It and How to Reply

Short answer: Thank you in Farsi is mamnun or mersi in everyday speech, and motashakkeram when you want to sound formal. When someone has cooked, hosted or helped, Iranians say dastet dard nakone, "may your hand not hurt". The usual reply to any thanks is khâhesh mikonam, "you're welcome".

ممنون is the word on most learners' lips, and it's the one the search box asks about most. It's a good first word. It's just not the whole story, because Persian thanks people for different things in different ways. Thanks for passing the salt, thanks for a meal that took all afternoon, and thanks to God for good news each have their own phrase.

Here are the ones you'll hear every day, then the replies, which most phrase lists skip.

Thank you in Farsi: the everyday words

In speech, mamnun and mersi do most of the work. Some purists prefer سپاس, which you'll see printed far more often than you'll hear it. You won't offend anyone with mamnun.

You can stack them. ممنونم (mamnunam) adds "I am": "I'm grateful". And خیلی ممنون بابت همه چیز (kheyli mamnun bâbat-e hame chiz), "thank you so much for everything", is the line I suggest for the doorway when you leave someone's home, in the guide to arriving and leaving.

Dastet dard nakone: thanks for effort

This is the phrase that separates textbook Farsi from the real thing. دستت درد نکنه (dastet dard nakone) means "may your hand not hurt". You say it to someone who has done something with their hands, or by extension with their time: cooked dinner, poured tea, carried your bag, fixed your laptop.

Skip it after a home-cooked meal and people will notice. The polite plural is دستتون درد نکنه (dastetun dard nakone), for elders, a host you don't know well, or a group.

• دستت درد نکنه خیلی خوشمزه بود (dastet dard nakone, kheyli khoshmaze bud): "thank you (may your hand not hurt), it was delicious"
• دست شما درد نکنه، عالی دم کردید (dast-e shomâ dard nakone, âli dam kardid): "thank you, you brewed it beautifully", from my tea ceremony post

Its close cousin is زحمت کشیدید (zahmat keshidid), "you went to trouble". You'll hear both together when guests are leaving. A third, gentler one is لطف داری (lotf dâri), "you're kind", for a compliment or a small favour. The formal version is شما لطف دارید (shomâ lotf dârid).

Thanks by situation

Which phrase fits depends on what you're thanking someone for. This is the table I'd want taped to the fridge.

Thank God in Farsi

When an Iranian asks how your family is, a very common answer is خدا رو شکر (khodâ ro shokr), "thank God". The written form is خدا را شکر (khodâ râ shokr). It doesn't make the conversation religious. It's closer to "all good, touch wood", and you'll hear it from people who never pray. الهی شکر (elâhi shokr) says the same thing with a little more feeling.

A typical exchange from my small talk guide: مرسی، همه خوبن. خدا رو شکر. (mersi, hame khuban. Khodâ ro shokr), "thanks, everyone's good, thank God."

How to reply to thank you in Farsi

This is the half that most lists leave out. Someone thanks you; what do you say?

The glossary has the cleanest example of the basic pair: متشکرم! خواهش می‌کنم (motashakkeram! Khâhesh mikonam), "Thank you! You're welcome."

قابلی نداره is worth a warning. When a shopkeeper says it about the price, they don't mean the thing is free. It's تعارف, and you pay anyway. My taarof guide for tourists walks through exactly that moment at the bazaar.

Thanks inside taarof

Thank-you phrases also do a second job: they're how you politely say no. When a host offers tea or fruit, نه ممنون (na mamnun), "no thanks", is the first round of a dance, not the end of it. I explain the rounds in the house visit guide.

When you've really had enough, بسه ممنون (base mamnun), "that's enough, thanks", is clearer than another na mamnun.

Five to learn first

1. Mamnun: your default
2. Mersi: the casual one you'll hear most
3. Dastet dard nakone: after any meal or favour
4. Khâhesh mikonam: the reply
5. Khodâ ro shokr: when someone asks how you are

For the greetings and goodbyes that sit on either side of a thank you, see the 37 Persian greetings post.

Get it wrong and the worst that happens is a warm laugh and a story they’ll tell for years. Get it right — refuse the tea twice, accept on the third — and you’ll watch a face open up. You didn’t just speak Persian. You played the game.