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Jan 2011
11m 36s

Speak Lesson 3 | How to Introduce Where ...

Chai & Conversation
About this episode

In the Persian language, there are two different ways of saying 'you'- a formal version (shomā), and an informal version (tō). In this lesson, we learn both forms, and learn when it's appropriate to use them. For instance, when you're talking to a close friend or a family member close to your age, you would use the informal you, tō. When speaking with someone older than you, or someone you should show respect for, you use the formal version, shomā. Iranian culture places a high value on respect, so when in doubt, err on the side of formality. In the podcast, we talk more about this so that you are confident with your choice of which to use. In addition to the different forms of you, we go over some questions you can ask using the formal or information versions of you. These include:

  • And you?
  • What is your name?

Another wonderful topic of conversation and good way to get to know others is by asking them where they're from. This is a great topic of conversation no matter where in the world you are. We'll learn the formal and informal way of asking. The phrases learned in this section include:

  • Where are you from? (informal)
  • Where are you from? (formal)
  • I am from ________

We also learn a list of countries and how to say them in the Persian language. The countries learned in this lesson include:

  • Iran (pronounced ee-rān)
  • the United States
  • Spain
  • England
  • Germany
  • France
  • Mexico

We also include several other countries in the bonus vocabulary.

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