Updated: 5 February 2022
I work with a bunch of translators and language teachers here in Tehran. They are native Persian speakers, and I, of course, am a native English speaker. Given the number of idioms and seemingly “untranslatable” Persian expressions, they are always asking me how I would translate certain phrases from Persian to English. After some thought, I give my translation, and then we all agree that it just doesn’t get to the heart of it quite like the original.
Then I throw them a few English words and phrases to get their translation, which again, is just not the same. I mean, really, how would you translate “cheesy” into Persian? Sure, you can come up with something, but it’s just not the same. More recently, I asked a colleague how he would translate “flaky” (as in a person being flaky), and he was stumped. He came back the next day with a translation, which was a good one, but still didn’t quite capture the essence of “flaky”.
So Persian language lovers, this one’s for you. Here are some Persian expressions related to the time of day that are sure to both spice up your speaking and impress any Iranians you meet along the way. Are they translatable? Yes, somehow. But like “flaky,” their translation either isn’t satisfactory or doesn’t capture the implications.
تا لنگ ظهر
Tâ lenge zohr (until noon)
One day I got the question, “How would you translate, tâ lenge zohr? Do you even have such a phrase?” The best I could come up with was “until noon”. We were both unsatisfied. How do you capture the judgmental, disapproving overtone of leng in the translation? “Until noon” is so…normal (and boring). Tâ lenge zohr literally means “until the leg of noon”. It’s frequently heard by mothers scolding their children (or perhaps mothers-in-law gossiping about their daughter/son-in-law) for sleeping in too late. Tâ lenge zohr mikhâbi!? (You sleep in until the leg of noon!?) Sure tâ lenge zohr and “until noon” are the same, but it’s one thing to say you slept in [until noon] and quiiiiite another to say tâ lenge zohr. With tâ lenge zohr there is a sense of shame in the fact that someone has slept in so late, and because of this, you tend to use this phrase to talk about someone else, not yourself. Because you are a responsible person who wakes up at a decent hour, obvi.
For you Persian grammar enthusiasts out there, you need to use tâ lenge zohr with the verb khâbidan (to sleep), as in Bachash har rooz tâ lenge zohr mikhâbe. (His/Her kid sleeps in until noon every day.) And there’s a subtle implication (or maybe not so subtle) that the kid is a lazy bum.
کله سحر
Kaleh sahar (at the crack of dawn)
It wasn’t until my colleague brought up the question about tâ lenge zohr that I realized that there are also Persian expressions related to waking up and staying up. My friend always tells me bâyad kaleh sahar bidâr sham (literally, I have to wake up at the head of dawn), which is, of course, like the English “to wake up at the crack of dawn”. So, kaleh sahar is the same as “at the crack of dawn.” Ok, I’m satisfied with this translation.
تا خروس خوان / از خروس خوان
Tâ khurus khun (until late night) / Az khurus khun (from early morning)
Tâ/az khurus khun literally means “until/from the rooster’s crow”. And depending on which preposition you use, it can either mean “until late night” or “from early morning.”
In this clip from the series Shahgoosh, we see the perfect example of a disapproving landlady, fed up that her tenant hasn’t paid the rent. She claims that he sleeps tâ lenge zohr and stays up partying tâ khurus khun (here, of course, it takes the meaning of “until late night”).
تا بوق سگ
Tâ booghe sag (late/all night)
This is my favorite one, and one that my aunt very frequently uses. Tâ booghe sag literally means “until the dog’s horn”, but it refers to working late, kind of like burning the midnight oil. It can also mean “to stay up/out late”. For example, my aunt likes to reminisce about her vacations with friends in which they would stay out tâ booghe sag [late/all night].
Again, use this expression with a verb, like tâ booghe sag kâr kardan (to work late). For example, Man tâ booghe sag kâr mikonam (I work late.)
In yet another clip from the series Shahgoosh, the wife is talking about how her husband works day and night and never has any time off. She says he works like a dog, az khurus khun tâ booghe sag, and in the end, he still can’t make ends meet. Here’s the example where az khurus khun means “from early morning” because of the preposition az.
Why tâ booghe sag?
I’m not sure about the others, but this last one actually has an interesting backstory. Back in the day, when the bazaars would close, there were watchmen who patrolled from dusk until dawn. But because the bazaars were so big, they couldn’t patrol all the areas and had dogs known as “bazaar dogs” to help them. These predatory canines were known to attack anyone but their owners. When the bazaars were closing, the watchmen would sound a ram horn 3 times to signal that the dogs were being let loose. This horn was known as- you guessed it!- booghe sag (the dog’s horn), and people would leave once they heard the warning. The watchmen and dogs would then patrol the bazaar all night.
Try one of these Persian expressions out next time you are practicing. You will definitely surprise (and impress) your listener. And drop me a line or comment below to let me know how it goes 🙂
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