Listening 1: We begin today’s class with a track from the popular Iranian group Macan Band titled “Jazebe” ("Attraction"). This song offers a great example of modern Persian pop music, both in style and language.
Reading 1: Here are the lyrics of today’s first song.
Listening 2: Next up is another hit from contemporary Persian pop culture: “1001 Shab” ("1001 Nights") by Erfan Tahmasbi. Released this year, the song has been gaining popularity at an impressive pace.
Reading 2: The lyrics of the abovementioned song.
Reading 3: Our final piece for today is a simple yet widely beloved song called “Qoul Midam” ("I Promise") by Mohsen Yeganeh. With millions of streams worldwide, it remains one of the most listened-to Persian songs globally.
Listening 3: The lyrics of Mohsen Yeganeh’s song.
Subject of Conversation 1: Acquaintance and introduction (آشنایی و معرفی)
Generally, when you learn Persian as a beginner, you start introducing yourself in the literary language, which not the case with native speakers. In this section student are going to introduce and talk about themselves in colloquial Persian. Participation of each student will be highly appreciated and the use of the colloquial words and expressions will be taken into account when assessing the success of each student.
Subject of Conversation 2: Modern Iranian songs (آهنگ های معاصر ایرانی )
Each student will try to express his/her opinion about the modern Persian popular songs. The correct usage of various colloquial words and expressions will be encouraged and will be taken into account when assessing the success of each student.
Homework:
- Continue compiling the list of “rules” of colloquial Persian. Add the patterns you’ve encountered today.
- Please choose a Persian song written in colloquial language (your favorite, or any that interests you) and translate it into English. Try to capture both the meaning and the tone as naturally as possible.
Vocabulary (Song 1):
| Persian Word | Transcription | English Translation |
| اصلاً | aslan | at all, absolutely not |
| رو به راه بودن | ru be rāh budan | to be doing well, to be okay |
| هی | hey | consistently, on and on |
| گیر دادن | gir dādan | to pick on, to bother |
| بغل گرفتن | baγal gereftan | to hug |
| خواب کسی بردن | xāb-e kasi bordan | for someone to fall asleep |
| حس کردن | hes kardan | to feel |
| انگاری، انگار | engāri, engār | as if, like |
| جاذبه | jāzebe | attraction |
| بد موقع آمدن | bad mouqe’ āmadan | to show up at a bad time |
| شبیه | šabih-e | like, similar to |
| بند آمدن | band āmadan | to stop (e.g., crying, rain) |
| افسرده شدن | afsorde šodan | to become depressed |
| پیش کسی بودن | piš-e kasi budan | to be with someone |
Vocabulary (Song 2):
| Persian Word | Transcription | English Translation |
| کاشتن | kāštan | to plant |
| دربه‌در کردن | darbedar kardan | to make someone wander, to displace emotionally |
| چشمه | češme | spring (water) |
| دعا کردن | do‘ā kardan | to pray |
| آرام گرفتن | ārām gereftan | to calm down, to find peace |
| حیف بودن | heyf budan | to be a pity |
| سمت | samt | direction, toward |
| قبله | qeble | qibla (the direction of prayer) |
| چرخاندن | čarxāndan | to make to turn, to make to spin |
| ترانه | tarāne | song |
| قافیه | qāfiye | rhyme |
| فانوس | fānus | lantern |
| شعله | šo’le | flame |
| به تن کردن | be tan kardan | to put on (clothes), to wear |
| آغوش | āγuš | embrace |
| معشوق | ma‘šuq | beloved |
| خبر کردن | xabar kardan | to inform, to let know |
Vocabulary (Song 3):
| Persian Word | Transcription | English Translation |
| خاطره | xātere | memory |
| دل سوختن | del suxtan | to feel sorrow, heart to ache |
| تظاهر کردن | tazāhor kardan | to pretend, to pose |
| دم | dam-e | in the time of, during |
| دلشوره گرفتن | delšure gereftan | to feel anxious |
| قول دادن | qol dādan | to promise |
| لااقل | lāaqal | at least, minimum |
| راحت بودن | rāhat budan | to be comfortable |
| باقی ماندن | bāqi māndan | to remain |
| احساس | ehsās | feeling, emotion |
| وجود داشتن | vojud dāštan | to exist |
| حواس به چیزی بودن | havās be čizi budan | to pay attention to something, to understand, to realize |
| مسیر | masir | path, route |
| مقصد | maqsad | destination |
| جدا | jodā | separated |
| دلگیر | delgir | gloomy, sad |
| پر‌بغض | porboγz | full of sobs, choked with emotion |