جارو کشیدن

The Persian compound verb جارو کشیدن (Jāru keshidan) is an essential part of the daily vocabulary for anyone living in or visiting an Iranian household. At its core, the word jāru refers to a broom, and keshidan means to pull, drag, or draw. While historically this combination referred to the rhythmic motion of sweeping a floor with a traditional straw broom, in modern urban Persian, it is the standard way to say 'to vacuum.' When you see someone moving the head of a vacuum cleaner back and forth across a Persian carpet, they are performing the act of jāru keshidan.

Literal Meaning

To pull the broom; to drag the sweeping tool across the surface.

Modern Usage

Used almost exclusively for using a vacuum cleaner (جاروبرقی) on carpets, rugs, or hard floors.

The cultural significance of this verb cannot be overstated. Iranians are famous for their intricate, hand-woven carpets, which are often the pride of the home. Maintaining these carpets requires frequent cleaning. Therefore, jāru keshidan is not just a chore; it is an act of preservation for valuable art pieces. You will hear this word most often during the weekend cleaning routines or during the massive annual spring cleaning known as Khaneh-tekani (shaking the house).

Understanding the difference between jāru keshidan and jāru zadan is also helpful. While they are often used interchangeably, jāru zadan (literally 'to hit the broom') often implies a quicker, perhaps less thorough sweeping of a small area, whereas jāru keshidan suggests a more methodical cleaning of a larger surface area like a whole rug.

In a social context, offering to help with jāru keshidan is a sign of extreme intimacy and helpfulness. It is usually a task performed by family members. If you are a guest, you wouldn't typically offer to vacuum unless you are staying for a long period and have become 'part of the family' (khodemāni).

Register

Neutral to Informal. Appropriate for all daily conversations.

Synonym Note

Often replaced by 'Jaroo barghi keshidan' to be hyper-specific about using electricity.

Using جارو کشیدن correctly requires a basic understanding of Persian compound verb conjugation. The verb consists of the noun 'Jāru' (broom) and the verb 'Keshidan' (to pull). When conjugating, only the 'Keshidan' part changes, while 'Jāru' remains static. The present stem of keshidan is kesh (کش), and the past stem is keshid (کشید).

Present Continuous

I am vacuuming: دارم جارو می‌کشم (Dāram jāru mikesham).

In everyday speech, the object being vacuumed usually takes the postposition rā (را) if it is a specific room or rug. For example, 'I vacuumed the room' becomes Otāgh rā jāru keshidam. However, in spoken Persian, rā often softens to ro or disappears entirely depending on the flow of the sentence.

The verb is also versatile in terms of tense. If you want to describe a habit, you use the simple present/habitual: Man har ruz jāru mikesham (I vacuum every day). For a completed action in the past, use the simple past: Diruz jāru keshidam (I vacuumed yesterday). If you are talking about something you were doing when something else happened, use the past continuous: Dāshtam jāru mikesham ke telefon zang zad (I was vacuuming when the phone rang).

Negative Form

Add 'na' to the verb: جارو نمی‌کشم (I don't vacuum).

For more formal writing, you might see the full name of the appliance used: Jāru-barghi keshidan. This clarifies that an electric vacuum is being used rather than a manual broom. However, in conversation, people are lazy and just say jāru keshidan because the context of being indoors on a carpet makes it obvious.

Compound Structure

[Noun: Jāru] + [Verb: Keshidan]. Note that the stress falls on the 'Jā' of Jāru.

If you spend a Saturday morning in a Tehran apartment building, the muffled drone of vacuum cleaners through the walls is the soundtrack to جارو کشیدن. You will hear this word in domestic settings, cleaning service advertisements, and even in workplace environments. It is a word rooted in the 'real world' of chores and maintenance.

In the Home

Parents telling children to clean their rooms, or spouses dividing housework.

One of the most common places to hear this verb is in the context of Khaneh-tekani. This is the massive cleaning ritual that takes place in every Iranian home before the Persian New Year (Nowruz). During the two weeks leading up to the spring equinox, the phrase jāru keshidan is repeated endlessly as every corner of the house, every rug, and every curtain is cleaned. You might hear someone say, 'I've been vacuuming and washing for three days straight!'

You will also hear this in professional settings. If you work in an office in Iran, the khedmat-gozār (service staff) will often come in early or stay late to jāru keshidan the workspace. In this context, it's a professional task. If you are booking a hotel or an Airbnb-style 'suite' in Iran, you might see 'daily vacuuming' (jāru keshidan-e ruzāneh) listed as an amenity.

In television dramas and movies, jāru keshidan is often used as a visual shorthand for a character who is stressed, busy, or trying to prepare for an important visitor. The sound of the vacuum often covers up dialogue, creating a sense of domestic chaos or urgency.

Spoken Variations

In Tehrani dialect, 'mikesham' might sound like 'mikesham' but the 'r' in 'jāru' is always clear.

One of the most frequent mistakes English speakers make when learning جارو کشیدن is using the wrong auxiliary verb. In English, we 'do' the vacuuming or 'use' the vacuum. In Persian, if you say jāru kardan, it's generally understood, but it sounds slightly 'off' or simplified. The correct, idiomatic choice is keshidan (to pull).

Mistake 1: Wrong Auxiliary

Using 'Jāru dāshtan' (to have a broom) when you mean to say you are cleaning.

Another error is confusing jāru keshidan with ti keshidan. While both involve pulling a cleaning tool, ti keshidan refers specifically to mopping a hard floor with a wet mop. If you tell someone you are going to jāru keshidan the kitchen tiles, they might expect you to use a vacuum, which isn't always the best way to clean tiles. Use ti keshidan for wet cleaning and jāru keshidan for dry debris/carpets.

Learners also struggle with the present stem of keshidan. Because the infinitive ends in '-idan', some might think the stem is 'keshid', leading to 'jāru mikeshidam' for the present tense. Remember: the present stem is just kesh. So, 'I vacuum' is jāru mikesham. Using the past stem in the present tense is a very common B1-level error.

Finally, be careful with the word order. In Persian, the compound verb stays together at the end of the sentence. Don't put the object between 'jāru' and 'keshidan'. It's not 'jāru otāgh rā keshidam'; it's 'otāgh rā jāru keshidam'. The noun 'jāru' is essentially welded to the verb.

Word Order Rule

سجّل مجاناً لرؤية جميع الأمثلة