Farsi · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "قبلاً" in Farsi?

Q: How do you pronounce قبلاً in Farsi?

قبلاً is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /ɣæbˈlæn/. It means “already.” Say "khub-LAN" but swap that "kh" for the raspier ق sound — a gargled scrape at the back of the throat — followed by a crisp "lan" as in "land" without the d.

Say "khub-LAN" but swap that "kh" for the raspier ق sound — a gargled scrape at the back of the throat — followed by a crisp "lan" as in "land" without the d.

قبلاً /ɣæbˈlæn/

ghablan

Stress falls firmly on the last syllable, -لاً ("-lan"), which also carries a nasalized "n" ending typical of Arabic-borrowed adverbs like this one.

Listen: قبلاً

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Sound it out

قـ The raspy "gh" sound made at the back of the throat, the same sound غ makes — think of a soft gargle, not a plain English "g."

بلاً "Bo" or "ba" plus "lan": a quick "b," a short vowel, then "lan" rhyming with the start of "lantern." The little tanwin mark at the end (ً) is what gives the final "n" sound, borrowed from Arabic grammar.

Hear it in a sentence

قبلاً این فیلم را دیده‌ام.

Ghablan in film rā dide-am.

I have already seen this film.

Listen: قبلاً این فیلم را دیده‌ام.

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In قبلاً این فیلم را دیده‌ام, قبلاً means "already" or "previously" and pairs naturally with the perfect tense دیده‌ام ("I have seen"), just as English "already" pairs with "have seen." Also note را after فیلم: this is the direct object marker used because فیلم ("this film") is a specific, known thing being talked about — را marks definite direct objects and has no direct English equivalent.

Where English speakers slip

Because the word is borrowed from Arabic, English speakers sometimes try to pronounce the ق as a plain "k" or "g," losing the distinctive throaty rasp — and some learners also mistakenly drop the final nasal "n" sound, saying "ghabla" instead of the correct "ghablan."