To say “hello,” you would use “salaam alaykum” (may peace be upon you) or simply “salaam” (peace). If you're leaving, you can part ways by saying “khoda hafez,” which means, “may God protect you.”
Salâm / Dorood — Hello
Salâm is probably the most routine way to say “hello,” but since it's an Arabic-rooted word, many Iranians opt to use the authentically Persian dorood.
Other common terms of endearment include: azizam (عزیزم, my dear), asalam (عسلم, my honey), khoshgelam (خوشگلم, my beautiful), nafasam (نفسم, my breath), jigaram (جیگرم, my liver).
Cheek kissing in Iran is relatively common between friends and family. Cheek kissing between individuals of the same sex is considered normal. However, cheek kissing between male and female in public is considered to be a punishable crime by the government, but it is known to occur among some young Iranians.
Persian cats are incredibly affectionate felines, and they are not afraid to show it, especially to people they love and trust. You will know your Persian adores you if they: Purr a lot—Persians purr while you groom them or pet them, or even when they enjoy their food. That's how they show satisfaction.
It is rude to put your feet on the table. Burping and sniffing in front of others is considered rude. One should not touch people of the opposite gender unless they are very close family or friends.
A parting expression that we can use any time of the day to strangers or friends is Khoda hafez, which literally means “May God protect you.” You can think of it as a Persian version of “Goodbye” or “bye bye.” Let's break it down: (slow) Kho-da Ha-fez. Once again, it is: Khoda hafez.
In Iran, a man can marry permanently up to four women, with the consent of the previous wives.
Persian is one of the oldest Indo-European languages in the world. It's soft-sounding, romantic and full of passion. For Iranians, poetry plays a significant part in their culture, and they study it as part of the curriculum from a young age at school.
“Khoshgel” means both “pretty” and “beautiful”.
If you're greeting group, then you first greet the older women, then the younger, followed by the men, first greet strangers and then your friends. The first one to greet is the person entering a room. And if you're not sure, always be the first to greet.
Joon is often used after saying someone's name as a form of respect or affection- baba joon, for example, means father dear, or Sarah joon, is simply Sarah dear.
Âfiat bâsheh. Âfiat bâsheh means “bless you” and is used after someone sneezes (although I'm always surprised by how infrequently Iranians use this compared to Americans).
“In many Muslim cultures, when you want to ask them how they're doing, you ask: in Arabic, Kayf haal–ik? or, in Persian, Haal-e shomaa chetoreh? How is your haal?
How long will the meeting last? Yalla. One of the most common Arabic words used, yallah means “let's go” or “come on” and is frequently used by all nationalities in the Middle East to mean that you want something to happen or want things to keep moving along.
If you're going to learn one common Arabic phrase, this is definitely the one. “Yalla” means hurry up or let's go and “habibi” is a term of endearment, so “yalla habibi” means something along the lines of hurry up, love.
Persians call their lover 'nafasam' or 'my breath. ' Bold for a language that predates toothpaste.
Eye Contact: When talking to people of the same age, gender or status, direct eye contact is expected. This communicates friendly affection and sincerity. However, in accordance to Islamic principles, males and females are expected to lower their gaze and avoid sustained eye contact with each other.
Don't talk about or criticize Iranian politics or political figures. You may find some Iranians to be vocal about their opinions, but no matter what they may say, at the end of the day, Iranians are nationalistic. So if you find yourself in this situation, listen without offering your own views.
These elements are Sabzeh (wheatgrass grown in a dish), Samanu (sweet pudding made from wheat germ), Senjed (sweet dry fruit of the lotus tree), Serkeh (Persian vinegar), Seeb (apple), Seer (garlic) and Somaq (sumac).