Farsi · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "قدیمی" in Farsi?

Q: How do you pronounce قدیمی in Farsi?

قدیمی is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /ɣæd̪iːˈmiː/. It means “old (things).” Say "gha-dee-MEE," with a raspy "gh" at the start and stress on the final syllable.

Say "gha-dee-MEE," with a raspy "gh" at the start and stress on the final syllable.

قدیمی /ɣæd̪iːˈmiː/

ghadimi

Stress falls on the last syllable, MI; the word has three syllables and, like most Persian words, defaults to final stress.

Listen: قدیمی

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Sound it out

ق a raspy sound made at the very back of the throat — in everyday Tehran speech it merges with غ into one "gh" sound, somewhere between a deep English "g" and a gargle; followed by a short "a."

د d, as in English "dog."

یم a long "ee" followed by m, as in "deem."

ی a final long "ee" as in "see," closing the word.

Hear it in a sentence

این کتاب قدیمی است.

In ketāb ghadimi ast.

This book is old.

Listen: این کتاب قدیمی است.

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"In ketāb ghadimi ast" follows the familiar noun + adjective + ast pattern: ketāb ("book"), ghadimi ("old"), ast ("is"). Note that ghadimi describes objects and things, not people's age — a different word (pir) is used for an old person.

Where English speakers slip

The ق is the trickiest part: English speakers usually substitute a plain "g" as in "go," but it should be pulled further back in the throat, closer to a gargled sound. Also don't confuse this with pir — using ghadimi to describe an elderly person sounds odd in Persian.