LESSON TRANSCRIPT

Beginner S1 #7
Don't Be Late in Iran!

CONTENTS
2 INTRODUCTION
2 DIALOGUE
3 POST CONVERSATION BANTER
4 VOCAB LIST
7 KEY VOCAB AND PHRASES
8 LESSON FOCUS
10 OUTRO

# 7
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INTRODUCTION

John: Hi everyone, and welcome back to PersianPod101.com. This is Beginner

Season 1, Lesson 7 - Don't Be Late in Iran! John here.

Mehrnaz: ‫( ﺳﻼم‬salaam), I'm Mehrnaz.

John: In this lesson, you’ll learn about comparative and superlative adjectives. The
conversation takes place at a university campus.

Mehrnaz: It's between Farhad and Shirin Hedayat.

John: The speakers are a teacher and student; therefore, they’ll speak both formal and
informal Persian. Okay, let's listen to the conversation.

DIALOGUE

‫ﺑﻮده اﻳﺪ(؟‬/ ‫ ﺷﻤﺎ ﺗﺎ ﺣﺎﻻ ﺗﻮ اﻳﻦ ﺳﺎﻟﻦ ﮐﻨﻔﺮاﻧﺲ ﺑﻮدﻳﻦ )ﺑﻮده اﻳﻦ‬: ‫ﻓﺮﻫﺎد‬

.(‫ اﻳﻦ ﮐﻨﻔﺮاﻧﺲ ﻫﺮ ﺳﺎل ﺗﻮ )در( ﻫﻤﻴﻦ ﺳﺎﻟﻦ ﺳﺎﻟﻨﻪ )ﺳﺎﻟﻦ اﺳﺖ‬: ‫ﺷﻴﺮﻳﻦ ﻫﺪاﻳﺖ‬

.‫ ﻣﻦ ﻧﻤﯽ دوﻧﻢ )ﻧﻤﯽ داﻧﻢ( ﭼﻄﻮر ﺑﻪ اوﻧﺠﺎ )آﻧﺠﺎ( ﺑﺮﺳﻢ‬:‫ﻓﺮﻫﺎد‬

‫ ﻣﯽ ﺧﻮای )ﻣﯽ ﺧﻮاﻫﯽ( از داﻧﺸﮕﺎه ﺑﻪ اوﻧﺠﺎ )آﻧﺠﺎ( ﺑﺮی )ﺑﺮوی(؟‬: ‫ﺷﻴﺮﻳﻦ ﻫﺪاﻳﺖ‬

.‫ ﺑﻪ اﺣﺘﻤﺎل زﻳﺎد‬:‫ﻓﺮﻫﺎد‬

.‫ اﺗﻮﺑﻮس راﺣﺖ ﺗﺮﻳﻦ وﻟﯽ ﻃﻮﻻﻧﯽ ﺗﺮﻳﻦ اﺳﺖ‬: ‫ﺷﻴﺮﻳﻦ ﻫﺪاﻳﺖ‬

.‫ ﻣﻦ رﻳﺴﮏ ﻧﻤﯽ ﮐﻨﻢ‬.(‫ اﺗﻮﺑﻮﺳﺎ )اﺗﻮﺑﻮس ﻫﺎ( ﻣﻌﻤﻮﻻ ﺳﺮ وﻗﺖ ﻧﻴﺴﺘﻦ )ﻧﻴﺴﺘﻨﺪ‬:‫ﻓﺮﻫﺎد‬

.(‫ ﻣﯽ ﺗﻮﻧﯽ )ﻣﯽ ﺗﻮاﻧﯽ( ﺑﺎ ﺗﺎﮐﺴﯽ ﺑﺮی )ﺑﺮوی‬: ‫ﺷﻴﺮﻳﻦ ﻫﺪاﻳﺖ‬

.(‫ وﻟﯽ ﺑﻪ ﺗﺮاﻓﻴﮏ ﺑﺴﺘﮕﯽ داره )دارد‬:‫ﻓﺮﻫﺎد‬

.‫ ﻣﻌﻤﻮﻻ ﻳﮏ ﺳﺎﻋﺖ زودﺗﺮ راه ﻣﯽ اﻓﺘﻢ‬.‫ وﻟﯽ ﺧﻮب‬.(‫ ﻣﻦ ﻫﻤﻴﺸﻪ ﺑﺎ ﻣﺘﺮو ﻣﯽ رم )ﻣﯽ روم‬: ‫ﺷﻴﺮﻳﻦ ﻫﺪاﻳﺖ‬

John: Listen to the conversation one time slowly.

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 ‫ﺑﻮده اﻳﺪ(؟‬/ ‫ ﺷﻤﺎ ﺗﺎ ﺣﺎﻻ ﺗﻮ اﻳﻦ ﺳﺎﻟﻦ ﮐﻨﻔﺮاﻧﺲ ﺑﻮدﻳﻦ )ﺑﻮده اﻳﻦ‬: ‫ﻓﺮﻫﺎد‬

.(‫ اﻳﻦ ﮐﻨﻔﺮاﻧﺲ ﻫﺮ ﺳﺎل ﺗﻮ )در( ﻫﻤﻴﻦ ﺳﺎﻟﻦ ﺳﺎﻟﻨﻪ )ﺳﺎﻟﻦ اﺳﺖ‬: ‫ﺷﻴﺮﻳﻦ ﻫﺪاﻳﺖ‬

.‫ ﻣﻦ ﻧﻤﯽ دوﻧﻢ )ﻧﻤﯽ داﻧﻢ( ﭼﻄﻮر ﺑﻪ اوﻧﺠﺎ )آﻧﺠﺎ( ﺑﺮﺳﻢ‬:‫ﻓﺮﻫﺎد‬

‫ ﻣﯽ ﺧﻮای )ﻣﯽ ﺧﻮاﻫﯽ( از داﻧﺸﮕﺎه ﺑﻪ اوﻧﺠﺎ )آﻧﺠﺎ( ﺑﺮی )ﺑﺮوی(؟‬: ‫ﺷﻴﺮﻳﻦ ﻫﺪاﻳﺖ‬

.‫ ﺑﻪ اﺣﺘﻤﺎل زﻳﺎد‬:‫ﻓﺮﻫﺎد‬

.‫ اﺗﻮﺑﻮس راﺣﺖ ﺗﺮﻳﻦ وﻟﯽ ﻃﻮﻻﻧﯽ ﺗﺮﻳﻦ اﺳﺖ‬: ‫ﺷﻴﺮﻳﻦ ﻫﺪاﻳﺖ‬

.‫ ﻣﻦ رﻳﺴﮏ ﻧﻤﯽ ﮐﻨﻢ‬.(‫ اﺗﻮﺑﻮﺳﺎ )اﺗﻮﺑﻮس ﻫﺎ( ﻣﻌﻤﻮﻻ ﺳﺮ وﻗﺖ ﻧﻴﺴﺘﻦ )ﻧﻴﺴﺘﻨﺪ‬:‫ﻓﺮﻫﺎد‬

.(‫ ﻣﯽ ﺗﻮﻧﯽ )ﻣﯽ ﺗﻮاﻧﯽ( ﺑﺎ ﺗﺎﮐﺴﯽ ﺑﺮی )ﺑﺮوی‬: ‫ﺷﻴﺮﻳﻦ ﻫﺪاﻳﺖ‬

.(‫ وﻟﯽ ﺑﻪ ﺗﺮاﻓﻴﮏ ﺑﺴﺘﮕﯽ داره )دارد‬:‫ﻓﺮﻫﺎد‬

.‫ ﻣﻌﻤﻮﻻ ﻳﮏ ﺳﺎﻋﺖ زودﺗﺮ راه ﻣﯽ اﻓﺘﻢ‬.‫ وﻟﯽ ﺧﻮب‬.(‫ ﻣﻦ ﻫﻤﻴﺸﻪ ﺑﺎ ﻣﺘﺮو ﻣﯽ رم )ﻣﯽ روم‬: ‫ﺷﻴﺮﻳﻦ ﻫﺪاﻳﺖ‬

John: Listen to the conversation with the English translation.

Farhad: Have you ever been to this conference hall?

Shirin Hedayat: This conference is in this same hall every year.

Farhad: I don't know how to get there.

Shirin Hedayat: Do you want to go there from the university?

Farhad: Most likely.

Shirin Hedayat: The bus is the easiest, though the longest.

Farhad: Buses aren't usually on time. I won't risk it.

Shirin Hedayat: You can take a taxi.

Farhad: But it depends on the traffic though.

Shirin Hedayat: I always take the subway. But, I usually set out one hour earlier.

POST CONVERSATION BANTER

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John: Farhad seems very worried about being on time for the conference.

Mehrnaz: Yeah, there was a lot of discussion about how to make sure they arrive on
time.

John: Is punctuality important in Iran?

Mehrnaz: Well, first things first. Do you know how to say “be on time” in Persian?

John: No, I don’t. Please tell us, Mehrnaz!

Mehrnaz: ‫ﺳﺮ وﻗﺖ ﺑﻮدن‬. To answer your question, Iranians used to be quite relaxed
about being on time.

John: But that’s changed?

Mehrnaz: Yes, it has. Now, companies demand punctuality from their employees.

John: What’s the public transport like? It’s good enough to make sure people are on
time?

Mehrnaz: In the big cities, it has improved greatly, so yes, people can get to work on
time.

John: Do people commute far?

Mehrnaz: Well, about eight million people live in Tehran, and about three to four million
commute to work.

John: Wow, with so many people, you need good public transportation! Okay, now onto
the vocab.

VOCAB LIST

John: Let’s take a look at the vocabulary from this lesson. The first word is...

Mehrnaz: ‫[ ﮐﻨﻔﺮاﻧﺲ‬natural native speed]

John: conference

Mehrnaz: ‫[ﮐﻨﻔﺮاﻧﺲ‬slowly - broken down by syllable]

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Mehrnaz: ‫[ ﮐﻨﻔﺮاﻧﺲ‬natural native speed]

John: Next we have...

Mehrnaz: ‫[ ﺳﺎﻟﻦ‬natural native speed]

John: hall

Mehrnaz: ‫[ﺳﺎﻟﻦ‬slowly - broken down by syllable]

Mehrnaz: ‫[ ﺳﺎﻟﻦ‬natural native speed]

John: Next we have...

Mehrnaz: ‫[ رﺳﻴﺪن‬natural native speed]

John: to get, to reach

Mehrnaz: ‫[رﺳﻴﺪن‬slowly - broken down by syllable]

Mehrnaz: ‫[ رﺳﻴﺪن‬natural native speed]

John: Next we have...

Mehrnaz: ‫[ ﺑﺴﺘﮕﯽ داﺷﺘﻦ‬natural native speed]

John: to depend on

Mehrnaz: ‫[ﺑﺴﺘﮕﯽ داﺷﺘﻦ‬slowly - broken down by syllable]

Mehrnaz: ‫[ ﺑﺴﺘﮕﯽ داﺷﺘﻦ‬natural native speed]

John: Next we have...

Mehrnaz: ‫[ ﺳﺮ وﻗﺖ‬natural native speed]

John: on time

Mehrnaz: ‫[ﺳﺮ وﻗﺖ‬slowly - broken down by syllable]

PERSIANPOD101.COM BEGINNER S1 #7 - DON'T BE LATE IN IRAN! 5

Mehrnaz: ‫[ ﺳﺮ وﻗﺖ‬natural native speed]

John: Next we have...

Mehrnaz: ‫[ ﻃﻮﻻﻧﯽ‬natural native speed]

John: long

Mehrnaz: ‫[ ﻃﻮﻻﻧﯽ‬slowly - broken down by syllable]

Mehrnaz: ‫[ ﻃﻮﻻﻧﯽ‬natural native speed]

John: Next we have...

Mehrnaz: ‫[ ﺳﺮﻳﻊ‬natural native speed]

John: fast

Mehrnaz: ‫[ﺳﺮﻳﻊ‬slowly - broken down by syllable]

Mehrnaz: ‫[ ﺳﺮﻳﻊ‬natural native speed]

John: Next we have...

Mehrnaz: ‫[ ﺑﻪ اﺣﺘﻤﺎل زﻳﺎد‬natural native speed]

John: most likely

Mehrnaz: ‫[ﺑﻪ اﺣﺘﻤﺎل زﻳﺎد‬slowly - broken down by syllable]

Mehrnaz: ‫[ ﺑﻪ اﺣﺘﻤﺎل زﻳﺎد‬natural native speed]

John: Next we have...

Mehrnaz: ‫[ ﻣﺘﺮو‬natural native speed]

John: subway

Mehrnaz: ‫[ﻣﺘﺮو‬slowly - broken down by syllable]

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Mehrnaz: ‫[ ﻣﺘﺮو‬natural native speed]

John: And last...

Mehrnaz: ‫[ زود‬natural native speed]

John: early

Mehrnaz: ‫[زود‬slowly - broken down by syllable]

Mehrnaz: ‫[ زود‬natural native speed]

KEY VOCAB AND PHRASES

John: Let's have a closer look at the usage of some of the words and phrases from this
lesson. The first word is...

Mehrnaz: ‫ﻣﺘﺮو‬

John: Meaning "subway." It sounds pretty familiar...

Mehrnaz: Persian has some loanwords from French, and this is one of them.

John: Is this the only word for subway?

Mehrnaz: There’s also ‫ﻗﻄﺎر زﻳﺮزﻣﻴﻨﯽ‬.

John: Which one should be used?

Mehrnaz: It’s fine to use ‫ ﻣﺘﺮو‬in both written and spoken Persian.

John: Can you give us an example using this word?

Mehrnaz: Sure. For example, you can say, ‫ﻣﺘﺮوی ﺗﻬﺮان ﻫﻔﺖ ﺧﻂ دارد‬.

John: ...which means "Tehran’s subway has seven lines."

John: Okay, what's the next word?

Mehrnaz: ‫ﺳﺮ وﻗﺖ‬

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John: Meaning "On time." Can you break this one down for us?

Mehrnaz: sar means “head,” and vaght means “time.”

John: We can use this to mean something is “on time.”

Mehrnaz: Right. In Persian, we use this at the start of the sentence.

John: Can you give us an example using this word?

Mehrnaz: Sure. For example, you can say, ‫ﻣﻦ ﺳﺮ وﻗﺖ ﺑﻪ ﻣﺤﻞ ﮐﺎر رﺳﻴﺪم‬.

John: ...which means "I arrived at work on time."

John: Okay, now onto the lesson focus.

LESSON FOCUS

John: In this lesson, you'll learn about comparative and superlative adjectives. First,
we’ll look at comparative adjectives. These are adjectives that we use to compare two
things. In English, they are adjectives such as “taller,” “richer,” and “more beautiful.”
How do we make comparative adjectives in Persian?

Mehrnaz: It’s easy - you just add ‫ ﺗﺮ‬after the adjective. For example, ‫زﻳﺒﺎﺗﺮ‬.

John: Meaning “more beautiful.” How can we use comparative adjectives in a sentence?

Mehrnaz: Begin with the first noun, then az, then the other noun, and finally the
comparative adjective.

John: That little word in between the two nouns means “from.”

Mehrnaz: That’s right.

John: Let’s hear an example.

Mehrnaz: ‫ﺑﺮادرم از ﭘﺪرم ﻗﻮﻳﺘﺮ اﺳﺖ‬

John: “My brother is stronger than my father.” Now, how about the superlative
adjectives? These compare everything. In English, they’re words like “tallest,” “richest,”
and “most beautiful.”

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Mehrnaz: You add ‫ ﺗﺮﻳﻦ‬after the adjective. For example, ‫زﻳﺒﺎﺗﺮﻳﻦ‬.

John: “Most beautiful.” Let’s hear an example.

Mehrnaz: ‫اورﺳﺖ ﺑﻠﻨﺪﺗﺮﻳﻦ ﻗﻠﻪ ﺟﻬﺎن اﺳﺖ‬

John: “Mount Everest is the highest peak in the world.” The lesson notes have more
examples of superlative and comparative adjectives in Persian.

Mehrnaz: Be sure to check it out!

John: One adjective that I do want to draw attention to is the word “good.”

Mehrnaz: In Persian, this is ‫ﺑﻪ‬, but we don’t use this word. We only use the
comparative, ‫ﺑﻬﺘﺮ‬, or the superlative, ‫ﺑﻬﺘﺮﻳﻦ‬.

John: There must be a word for “good” though?

Mehrnaz: Yes, for “good,” we say ‫ ﺧﻮب‬instead. For example, ‫ﺧﻮﺑﻢ‬

John: “I’m good.”

Mehrnaz: As you can see, it’s not just beh, but it’s khoobam. This is the short form
of ‫ﻣﻦ ﺧﻮب ﻫﺴﺘﻢ‬, man khoob hastam.

John: Can we use the shortened form in both written and spoken Persian?

Mehrnaz: Yes, we can.

John: I asked because I’d like to talk a little bit about the differences in spoken and
written Persian before we wrap up.

Mehrnaz: There are a lot of differences between spoken and written Persian. But
beginners should know that if you speak the way you write Persian, everyone will
understand you.

John: Then as you get more fluent, you can change your spoken Persian.

Mehrnaz: Right. In spoken Persian, we just shorten words and sentences. For
example, we drop the full verb and replace it with eh. We write ‫ﺑﻪ ﻣﺪرﺳﻪ ﺑﺮوﻳﻢ‬., but we
say ‫ﺑﻪ ﻣﺪرﺳﻪ ﺑﺮﻳﻢ‬.

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John: Both mean “Let’s go to school.”

Mehrnaz: Sometimes, the aa sound becomes an oo sound. Like in ‫ ﺑﺎران‬and ‫ﺑﺎرون‬.

John: Both mean “rain.”

Mehernaz: Sometimes, it’s just the different dialects or accents of the different cities
of Iran. There’s no grammatical rule for why we change it.

John: Let’s give an example for this case.

Mehernaz: For example, we write the adjective "small" as ‫ﮐﻮﭼﮏ‬, koochak, but in
spoken Persian we say ‫ﮐﻮﭼﻴﮏ‬, koochik.

OUTRO

John: Okay, that’s all for this lesson. Thank you for listening everyone, and we’ll see
you next time! Bye!

Mehrnaz: ‫( ﺧﺪا ﺣﺎﻓﻆ‬khodahafez).

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