Learn Persian with Chai and Conversation

In this lesson, we watch a clip of a conversation between Nader and Razieh, who he is hoping to convince to come work for him. We are joined in the lesson by Yara Elmjouie.

Yara Elmjouie, a contributor passionate about Persian culture, shares insights from the acclaimed film A Separation. The conversation highlights how cinema can enhance language learning through realistic dialogues, while exploring cultural nuances in familial relationships. They dive into Persian linguistics, discussing naming conventions, politeness, and colloquial phrases. The episode also touches on negotiation intricacies influenced by cultural contexts and economic factors, emphasizing the importance of communication styles in Persian conversations.

In this lesson, we go over the last lines of the poem payāmé naseem by Hafez: می‌ای دارم چو جان صافی و صوفی می‌کند عیبش may-ee dāram chō jān sāfee ō soofee meekonad aybashخدایا هیچ عاقل را مبادا بخت بد روزیkhodāyā heech āghel rā mabādā bakht bad roozee

In this lesson, we go over the following lines of the poem payāmé naseem by Hafez: جدا شد یار شیرینت کنون تنها نشین ای شمعjodā shod yāré sheereenat konoon tanhā nesheen ay sha'am که حکم آسمان این است اگر سازی و گر سوزیké hokmé āsemān een ast agar sāzee ō gar soozee

In this lesson, we go over the following lines of the poem payāmé naseem by Hafez: به صحرا رو که از دامن غبار غم بیفشانیbé sahrā rō ké az dāman ghobāré gham beafshāneeبه گلزار آی کز بلبل غزل گفتن بیاموزیbé golzār āy k’az bolbol ghazal goftan beāmoozee

In part 3 of our discussion of Hafez's poem payāmé naseem, we go over the 3rd and 4th lines of the poem: چو گُل گَر خُردِه‌ای داری خُدا را صَرفِ عِشرَت کُنکِه قارون را غَلَط‌ها داد سُودایِ زَر‌اَندوزیchō gol gar khordeyee dāree khodā rā sarfé eshrat konké ghāroon rā ghalat-hā dād sodāyé zarandoozee

In this part 2 episode of Hafez's beautiful poem payāmé naseem, we look at the individual words and phrases in the first two lines of the poem, and learn how to use the words and phrases in current Persian conversation.

In this introduction to the poem payāmé naseem, we are joined by musician Fared Shafinury to discuss the full selection of the poem. In addition, we provide a detailed overview of Hafez, the poet, and his significance in Iranian culture. 

In this second part of the poetry lesson for Rudaki's poem shād zee, we go over the entire poem line by line, phrase by phrase so you can get a full grasp of the vocabulary in the poem. You'll then have a full understanding of how to use the vocabulary in everyday conversation.

This is the introduction to our shabé shehr (night of poetry) series, where we go over short selections of poems in Persian, and their overall meanings in English. In this episode, we're joined by Yara Elmjouie to talk about a poem by Rudaki about living in the moment.