Farsi · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "قبل" in Farsi?

Q: How do you pronounce قبل in Farsi?

قبل is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /ɣæbl/. It means “before.” Say "GHAHBL," one syllable, ending in a b-l consonant cluster with no vowel between them.

Say "GHAHBL," one syllable, ending in a b-l consonant cluster with no vowel between them.

قبل /ɣæbl/

ghabl

A one-syllable word, so there's no stress placement to think about, but note the unusual final "-bl" cluster, kept intact from its Arabic origin.

Listen: قبل

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Sound it out

ق gh, a rasping sound made at the very back of the throat (like a gentle gargle), plus a short "a" — "gha-."

بل b + l run together with no vowel between them — "-bl," a cluster that doesn't occur at the end of English words this way.

Hear it in a sentence

قبل از غذا دست‌هایتان را بشویید.

Ghabl az ghazā dast-hā-yetān rā beshuyid.

Wash your hands before the meal.

Listen: قبل از غذا دست‌هایتان را بشویید.

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"قبل از غذا دست‌هایتان را بشویید" (Ghabl az ghazā dast-hā-yetān rā beshuyid) means "Wash your hands before the meal." قبل از is a compound preposition ("before," literally "before + from"), and را marks دست‌هایتان ("your hands") as the definite direct object of the imperative بشویید ("wash!").

Where English speakers slip

قبل almost always needs its partner از right after it to mean "before [something]" — قبل alone, without از, isn't a complete preposition the way "before" is in English. Learners also often forget را after a definite direct object like this, but Persian requires it whenever the object is specific (here, "your" hands).