What School Is Like

School in Persian

This topic is about school. Every word comes with its Persian script, a transliteration in brackets to help you say it, and the English meaning. Persian is written right to left.

Classroom words in Persian

Learn these school words:

Match each Persian word to its English meaning

The Persian word for a teacher

Which Persian word means 'a teacher'?

• معلم (moallem)
• شاگرد (shagerd)
• کتاب (ketab)
• کلاس (kelas)

How the script works

Two things about 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, including پ (the p sound) and گ (the g sound). Learn each word with its transliteration to help you say it.

School words

Select the TWO words connected with school.

• درس (dars)
• امتحان (emtehan)
• پدر (pedar)
• مادر (madar)

Match each Persian word to how it is said

How do you say it?

The school مدرسه is said _____. The teacher معلم is said _____. A book کتاب is said _____. A lesson درس is said _____.

Order the school day

Put a school day in a sensible order.

• Go to school (مدرسه, madrese)
• Sit in the class (کلاس, kelas)
• Study a lesson (درس, dars)
• Do your homework (مشق, mashgh)

The Persian word for an exam

Which Persian word means 'an exam'?

• امتحان (emtehan)
• قلم (ghalam)
• کلاس (kelas)
• شاگرد (shagerd)

Saying the school words in Persian

At school مدرسه (said _____), a student شاگرد (said _____) studies a lesson درس (said _____) with a teacher معلم (said _____).

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: - من شاگرد هستم = "I am a pupil". من (man - I), then what you are, then هستم (hastam) - the form of "am" that goes with من. It still comes last. - معلم در مدرسه است = "the teacher is at the school". The same shape with است (ast), the form used for someone else. در (dar - in, at) sits before مدرسه.

Persian uses a different form of "to be" for each person

Persian uses a different form of "to be" for each person. Which of these says "I am a pupil"?

• من شاگرد هستم (man shagerd hastam)
• من شاگرد است (man shagerd ast)
• هستم من شاگرد (hastam man shagerd)
• معلم در مدرسه است (moallem dar madrese ast)

A school day

Choose the right Persian word for each school situation.

• You want to say 'a book'. You choose:
• You need the word for 'a teacher'. You choose:
• To say 'homework', you choose:

Use what you know

Use what you know about Persian to make each choice.

• Persian is written in which direction?
• Compared with Arabic, the Persian alphabet...
• 'A school' in Persian is:

Well done

You have met the key Persian school words: مدرسه (madrese, school), معلم (moallem, teacher), شاگرد (shagerd, student), درس (dars, lesson), کتاب (ketab, book) and امتحان (emtehan, exam). Keep practising the script and the transliteration together.