School Activities

School activities in Persian

This topic is about the activities you do at school - lessons, sport, music, trips, homework and exams. Every word comes with its Persian script, a transliteration in brackets to help you say it, and the English meaning. Remember: Persian is read from right to left.

Words for school activities

Here are six to learn first. Each shows the script, how to say it, and what it means.

What varzesh means in Persian

What does ورزش (varzesh) mean?

• Sport or PE
• Music
• Homework
• A library

Match each word to its English meaning

How the script works

Two things about the Persian script. First, like Arabic, it is written from right to left. Second, Persian uses the Perso-Arabic alphabet: it shares most letters with Arabic but adds four of its own - پ (pe), چ (che), ژ (zhe) and گ (gaf) - for sounds Arabic does not have.

More school words

Four more, including a place and two objects you will need for the next check.

Which are activities?

Select the THREE words that are school ACTIVITIES, not objects.

• ورزش (varzesh)
• موسیقی (musiqi)
• گردش (gardesh)
• کتاب (ketab)
• قلم (qalam)

Match the script to how it is said

Where are you?

You go to the کتابخانه (ketabkhane). What is it?

• The library
• The classroom
• The music room
• The exam hall

How do you say it?

A lesson درس is said _____. Homework تکلیف is said _____. Sport ورزش is said _____. A trip گردش is said _____.

Putting it together

Now you can talk about a whole school day. At school (مدرسه) you sit in a lesson (درس), you might do sport (ورزش) or music (موسیقی), and there may be an exam (امتحان). There are also school trips (گردش) and the library (کتابخانه), and at home there is always the homework (تکلیف).

Persian puts is at the end

The school words become sentences once you add است (ast - is) at the end, where English would not put it: - درس در مدرسه است = "the lesson is at the school". در (dar - in, at) sits before مدرسه, and است closes the sentence. Without است it is not yet a sentence. - من ورزش را دوست دارم = "I like sport". را (ra) is the little word Persian puts after a definite object - here after ورزش, to mark it as the thing being liked. دوست دارم (dust daram) is "I like".

Persian puts را after the thing being liked

Persian puts را after the thing being liked. Which of these says "I like sport"?

• من ورزش را دوست دارم (man varzesh ra dust daram)
• من را ورزش دوست دارم (man ra varzesh dust daram)
• من ورزش دوست دارم (man varzesh dust daram)
• درس در مدرسه است (dars dar madrese ast)

Order the school day

Put a normal school day into a sensible order. (Each step tags its Persian word.)

• You arrive at school (مدرسه)
• You have your first lesson (درس)
• You do sport (ورزش)
• You visit the library (کتابخانه)
• At home you do your homework (تکلیف)

Pick the word

For each situation, choose the right Persian word.

• You want to talk about sport and PE at school.
• Your class is going on a school trip.
• The teacher gives you work to finish at home.

Read the script

Three questions about the Persian script itself.

• In which direction is Persian written and read?
• Persian uses the Perso-Arabic alphabet plus four extra letters. Which is one of them?
• Which word is the Persian for "school"?