Farsi words that learners commonly confuse or misuse, explained side by side. Front: the confusable Farsi words in Persian script with romanization in parentheses. Back: an explanation of the difference.
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- مریض vs مریضی (mariz vs mariz-i)
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Mariz means "sick" (an adjective), mariz-i means "an illness" (a noun); do not confuse the two forms.- دیدن vs نگاه کردن (didan vs negāh kardan)
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Didan means "to see," negāh kardan means "to look/watch"; the same distinction as English see vs. watch.- شنیدن vs گوش دادن (shenidan vs goosh dādan)
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Shenidan means "to hear," goosh dādan means "to listen"; the same distinction as English hear vs. listen.- دانستن vs شناختن (dānestan vs shenākhtan)
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Dānestan means "to know" (a fact), shenākhtan means "to know/recognize" (a person or place), similar to French savoir vs. connaitre.- رفتن vs آمدن (raftan vs āmadan)
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Raftan means "to go," āmadan means "to come"; easily reversed by new learners.- خریدن vs فروختن (kharidan vs forukhtan)
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Kharidan means "to buy," forukhtan means "to sell"; opposite actions.- زود vs دیر (zud vs dir)
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Zud means "early/soon," dir means "late"; opposite meanings that are often mixed up.- کم vs کمی (kam vs kami)
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Kam means "little/few" (an adjective), kami means "a little bit" (an adverb); similar spelling but a different grammatical role.- خوب vs خوبی (khub vs khubi)
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Khub means "good"; khubi appears in the greeting "خوبی؟" meaning "are you well?"; do not confuse the two forms.- حالا vs الان (hālā vs al'ān)
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Both can mean "now," but al'ān is slightly more formal and precise, while hālā is everyday and can also mean "well then."- دیروز vs پریروز (dirooz vs pariroz)
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Dirooz means "yesterday," pariroz means "the day before yesterday"; easy to mix up.- فردا vs پسفردا (fardā vs pas-fardā)
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Fardā means "tomorrow," pas-fardā means "the day after tomorrow."- برادر vs خواهر (barādar vs khāhar)
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Barādar means "brother," khāhar means "sister"; the similar sound pattern trips up beginners.- عمو vs دایی (amu vs dāyi)
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Amu is the father's brother (paternal uncle), dāyi is the mother's brother (maternal uncle); not interchangeable.- اتاق vs خانه (otāgh vs khāneh)
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Otāgh means "room," khāneh means "house/home"; do not confuse the part with the whole.
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