INTRODUCTION |
In the previous lesson, we covered how to get on the subway. In Iran, it is convenient to travel to some places by taking a train, in Persian ghatar. Going long distances can be quite tiresome. |
GRAMMAR POINT |
You’ll ask for ghatar tickets at a ticket office. The phrase for this is |
Yek bilit baraye Destination, lotfan. |
Your destination goes in the middle of the sentence. |
As for that destination, let’s use the capital city, Tehran for this example. |
“One train ticket to Tehran, please” in Persian is |
Yek bilit baraye Tehran, lotfan. |
Let’s break it down: |
(slow) Yek bi – lit ba – ra – ye Teh – ran lot - fan. |
Once more: |
Yek bilit baraye Tehran, lotfan. |
You remember this pattern from our lesson on long-distance coaches, right? |
Imagine you are travelling not on your own but with someone else, so you need to ask for two or more tickets. |
“Two train tickets to Tehran, please,” is |
Do bilit baraye Tehran, lotfan. |
(slow) Do bi – lit ba – ra – ye Teh – ran lot - fan. |
Do bilit baraye Tehran, lotfan. |
As you can see, it’s very easy to understand. Because it’s two tickets instead of one, you just replace yek meaning “one” with do meaning “two”. |
(slow) Do bi – lit ba – ra – ye The – ran lot - fan. |
Do bilit baraye Tehran, lotfan. |
・ |
If you use these exact words, the attendant will either assume you want a one-way ticket, or ask you whether you want a return ticket, which in Persian is Rafto bargasht |
The question you’ll most often be asked is |
Rafto bargasht ya yek sare? |
“Return or one-way?” |
Let’s break that sentence down: |
(slow) Raf – to bar – gasht ya yek sa - re? |
Once more: Rafto bargasht ya yek sare? |
The first word, raft, means “going.” The o at the end means “and”: rafto. |
The next word, bargasht, means “return.” |
If we use those two words together, Rafto bargasht, means “going and returning”—in other words, a return trip. |
In the middle of the sentence is ya, meaning |
“or.” That tells us we’re about to see an alternative option. |
Then we have yek, which you already know means “one.” |
And finally sare, meaning “way, direction.” |
Put yek and sare together and we get “one way.” |
Put it all together and we get |
(slow) Raf – to bar – gasht ya yek sa - re? |
Rafto bargasht ya yek sare? |
Note that while this sentence spells out both your options, you may just be asked |
Rafto bargasht? |
・ |
If you don’t plan on coming back, you can answer |
Faghat yek sare. |
(slow) Fa – ghat yek sa - re. |
Faghat means “only”, and yek sare is “one way”, as you saw. |
If you want a return ticket, you can say “Yes, going and returning.” |
Bale, rafto bargasht. |
(slow) Ba – leh raf – to bar - gasht. |
Bale, rafto bargasht. |
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