Reading: A story by M. A. Jamalzadeh, titled “Persian is sweet” (فارسی شیرین است). It is an attempt to give the picture of the cultural situation in Iran at the beginning of the 20th century and especially its reflection on the Persian language.
Listening: An audio version of Jalal Al-e Ahmad’s short story “Someone Else’s Child” (بچۀ مردم). The story centers on an Iranian woman who, due to her new marriage, is forced to part with her child - a powerful reflection on social norms, coercion and gender expectations in mid-20th-century Iran.
Subject of Conversation: Your favorite pieces of literature: writers, books, poetry (آثار ادبی مورد علاقه شما: نویسندگان، کتاب‌ها، شعرها)
In this session, students will share and discuss their favorite pieces of literature—whether it's a novel, short story, poem, or author that has left a lasting impression. The conversation may include works in Persian or in any other language. The aim is to reflect on why certain pieces of literature resonate with us personally or intellectually, and how they shape our worldview, taste, and understanding of language and storytelling. This activity will help develop speaking fluency, improve literary vocabulary, and strengthen skills in expressing personal opinions and abstract ideas in Persian.
Homework:
- Continue reading the story “Persian is sweet” and study the vocabulary.
- Listen to the audio story and select 5 interesting (from your point of view) words and expressions, which will be discussed during the next class (if you don’t understand the expression/word, note down the minute and second when it is pronounced).
Vocabulary (Reading):
| Persian Word | Transcription | English Translation |
| کرجی | karaji | a little boat; a barge |
| پاروزن | pāruzan | an oarsman, a rower |
| حمال | hammāl | a porter |
| لباده | labāde | a quilted cloak |
| چماق | čomāq | A club, an iron mace |
| واحد یموت | vāhed yamut | a walking-stick |
| مابه النزاع | mābe on-nezā’ | apple of contention |
| قشقره (= قشقرق) | qašqare | brawl, uproar; wrangle |
| مات و متحیر | māt o motahayyer | shocked |
| بامبول | bāmbul | trick |
| یخه | yaxe | (shirt) collar |
| خلاص کردن | xalās kardan | to free |
| عنق | onq | a company (of men) |
| منکسر | monkaser | broken; broken in spirit; fragile |
| منحوس | manhus | unfortunate, unhappy |
| تذکره | tazkere | here: passport |
| اخمو | axmu | frowning |
| عبوس | abus | stern |
| بیرق | beyraq | flag |
| جوع | ju’ | starvation |
| مطاع | motā’ | obeyed; that must be obeyed |
| یکه خوردن | yekke xordan | be taken by surprise |
| جد | jadd | ancestor |
| احدی | ahadi | one; someone; no one |
| سرش نمی‌شد | saraš nemišod | he didn’t understand |
| عجالتا | ‘ejālatan | immediately |
| ماستها را کیسه کردن | māsthā rā kise kardan | to become afraid; be scared |
| طرفة العین | tarfat ol-eyn | twinkling of the eye |
| هولدونی | hovoldun | place of detention; prison |
| لیاقت | liāqat | merit, meritoriousness; worth(iness); fitness |
| کذایی | kazāyi | ill-famed |
| چیزی جلب نظرم را کرد | čizi jalb-e nazar-am kard | something attracted my attention |
| وهله | vahle | instance, moment |
| گربه براق | gorbe-ye barrāq | Angora cat |
| چرکین | čerkin | dirty |
| قراول | qarāvol | guard |
| پا برچین | pā barčin | slowly |
| مندیل | mandil | a turban |
| منفذ | monfez | a hole; a passage |
| مقصودم این بود | maqsud-am in bud | I meant |
| اقلا | aqallan | at least |
| متانت | metānat | firmness, constancy |
| آرواره | ārvāre | jaw |
| غشی | γaši | an epyleptic |
| ممد | momedd | helping, assisting |
| زهره | zahre | courage |
| مباح | mobāh | allowable; lawful |
| غامض | γāmez | obscure, abstruse |
| قمپز کردن | qampaz kardan | to bluff |
| چیزی دستگیرم نمی‌شد | čizi dastgir-am nemi-šod | I didn’t understand anything |
Vocabulary (Listening):
| Persian Word | Transcription | English Translation |
| حاضر بودن | hāzer budan | to be ready, to be present |
| طلاق دادن | talāq dādan | to divorce |
| ناچار بودن | nāčār budan | to have no choice, to be forced |
| سر به نیست کردن | sar be nist kardan | to make to disappear |
| چشم و گوش بسته | čašm o guš baste | naive, unaware |
| چاره | čāre | solution, remedy |
| شیرخوارگاه | širxārgāh | nursery, infant care center |
| قبول کردن | qabul kardan | to accept |
| معطل کردن | mo‘attal kardan | to delay; to detain, to keep waiting |
| آبرو کسی را بردن | āberu-ye kasi rā bordan | to put to shame, to disgrace (someone) |
| به این صورت | be in surat | in this way |
| سپردن | sepordan | to entrust, to hand over |
| دارالایتام | dār ol-aytām | orphanage |
| راه دادن | rāh dādan | to admit, to let in |
| با وجود این | bā vojud-e in | nevertheless, despite this |
| هری | horri | suddenly, abruptly (colloquial) |
| دل پایین ریختن | del pāyin rixtan | for one’s heart to sink, to get scared |
| کاشکی | kāški | if only, I wish |
| غصه | γosse | sorrow, grief |
| شیرین‌زبانی | širinzabāni | sweet-talking |
| طاقت آوردن | tāqat āvardan | to endure, to tolerate |
| زار زار | zār zār | sobbing bitterly |
| زیر لب | zir-e lab | under one’s breath (lit. under lip) |
| خجالت کشیدن | xejālat kešidan | to be ashamed |
| به داد کسی رسیدن | be dād-e kasi residan | to help someone out, to come to someone's rescue |
| دلداری دادن | deldāri dādan | to comfort, to console |
| زاییدن | zāyidan | to give birth |
| کار از کار گذشتن | kār az kār gozaštan | to be too late |
| آزار | āzār | trouble, harm |
| اصرار کردن | esrār kardan | to insist |
| پس افتاده | pasoftāde | left behind |
| نره خر | narre xar | idiot, jackass (insult) |
| کلاه خود را قاضی کردن | kolāh-e xod rā qāzi kardan | to consult one's conscience |
| حق دادن | haqq dādan | to concede, to admit someone is right |
| سربار دانستن | sarbār dānestan | to consider a burden |
| به قول | be qoul-e | according to (someone) |
| یک مقدار | yek meqdār | a little, some |
| پهلوی | pahlu-ye | beside, next to |
| قهر کردن | qahr kardan | to get angry with, to sulk, to stop speaking to someone |
| غضب کردن | γazab kardan | to get angry |
| یکسره کردن | yeksare kardan | to finally decide, to finish decisively |
Weekend Presentation: During the weekend, students will be required to dive deeper into the topic of their favorite piece of literature and prepare a short presentation about it. Each presentation should last 7–10 minutes, followed by a brief Q&A and discussion with classmates. This activity will help students develop their speaking and presentation skills in Persian, expand their ability to describe literary works and express nuanced opinions.