سابقه

The Persian word سابقه (sābeqe) is a multifaceted noun that primarily translates to 'background,' 'record,' 'history,' or 'precedent.' At its core, it refers to something that has happened before, establishing a foundation or a track record for a person, an institution, or even a concept. In the context of the modern Iranian workplace, it is most frequently encountered when discussing professional experience. If someone asks about your sābeqe-ye kāri, they are inquiring about your work history—how many years you have been in the field and what roles you have held. However, the word extends far beyond the office. It is used in medical settings to describe a patient's history of illness (sābeqe-ye pezeški), in legal settings to describe a criminal record (sābeqe-ye keyfari), and in academic or historical discussions to refer to a precedent or a long-standing tradition.

Professional Context

In a job interview, the term is used to quantify and qualify your past. It isn't just about 'experience' (which is often tajrobe), but specifically about the 'record' of your employment.

The word derives from the Arabic root 's-b-q', which relates to the idea of 'preceding' or 'going before.' This etymological root helps learners understand that sābeqe is always looking backward to establish credibility for the present. When an Iranian speaker says something has 'no history' (bi-sābeqe), they mean it is unprecedented or brand new. This is a common way to describe a groundbreaking discovery or an unusually intense weather event. For example, a 'unprecedented storm' would be tufān-e bi-sābeqe. Understanding this word is essential for B1 learners because it bridges the gap between daily conversation and official, professional, or medical interactions.

Medical Context

Doctors use this word to ask about family history or past illnesses, such as 'sābeqe-ye bimāri-ye ghalbi' (history of heart disease).

In social contexts, the word can also imply a 'track record' of behavior. If someone is known for being reliable, they have a 'good record' (sābeqe-ye xub). Conversely, a 'bad record' (sābeqe-ye bad) suggests a history of mistakes or untrustworthiness. This usage is common in community trust and business partnerships. When evaluating a company, an investor might look at its sābeqe to see how it performed during previous economic downturns. It essentially functions as a measure of reliability based on historical facts.

Legal Context

In law, 'sābeqe' refers to judicial precedents or the criminal history of a defendant, often determining the severity of a sentence.

Using سابقه correctly requires understanding its role as a noun and its common pairings with verbs and adjectives. In most cases, it functions as the object of the sentence or as part of an 'ezafe' construction (the Persian linking vowel '-e'). To say someone 'has experience,' you would typically say sābeqe dārad. If you want to specify the amount of time, you place the duration before the word: panj sāl sābeqe (five years of record/history). Note that even though we might translate this as 'five years of experience,' the Persian word sābeqe emphasizes the duration and the formal record of that time.

Common Verb Pairings

The most common verbs used with sābeqe are 'dāshtan' (to have), 'barrasi kardan' (to investigate/review), and 'ijād kardan' (to create/establish).

When describing something as 'unprecedented,' the prefix bi- (meaning 'without') is attached to form the adjective bi-sābeqe. This is a very common and sophisticated way to add emphasis in both formal and journalistic Persian. For example, 'unprecedented growth' is roshd-e bi-sābeqe. In negative sentences, if you want to say someone has 'no history' of something, you can use hich sābeqe-i nadārad. This is particularly useful in medical and legal contexts where the absence of a record is just as important as the presence of one.

In more formal or written Persian, you will encounter the plural form savābeq. This is used when referring to a comprehensive set of records, such as a student's full academic history or a professional's entire portfolio of past jobs. For example, 'savābeq-e tahsili' refers to academic records. When you are asked to 'send your records' in a formal email, the word savābeq is the standard choice. It sounds more professional than using the singular form in these specific pluralized contexts.

The 'Ezafe' Construction

Always remember to add the '-e' sound when connecting 'sābeqe' to a descriptive noun. Example: 'sābeqe-ye dosti' (history of friendship).

Another interesting usage is in the phrase sābeqe dāshtan used in a general sense to mean 'to have happened before.' If a machine breaks down and you want to ask if this has happened before, you could say: āyā in moshkel sābeqe dārad? (Does this problem have a precedent/history?). This is a very natural way to speak in Persian and shows a high level of fluency. It moves beyond just 'work history' into the realm of 'precedent' and 'recurrence.'

If you are living in Iran or working with Persian speakers, you will hear سابقه in several specific environments. The most common is the professional sphere. During recruitment, HR managers will constantly refer to sābeqe-ye kāri. You will see it on job portals like Divar or Karboom, where job listings often specify a minimum requirement, such as 'at least 3 years of sābeqe.' In this context, it is the standard term for professional tenure.

News and Media

Journalists use 'bi-sābeqe' to describe historic events, record-breaking temperatures, or unprecedented political shifts.

In a medical context, whether you are at a local clinic or a large hospital in Tehran, the first thing a doctor or nurse will ask is about your sābeqe-ye bimāri. They want to know if you have a history of chronic conditions like diabetes or high blood pressure. You might also hear sābeqe-ye xānevādegi, which refers to family medical history. This is a crucial term for anyone navigating the Iranian healthcare system. Even at a pharmacy, a pharmacist might ask if you have a sābeqe-ye hassāsiat (history of allergy) to a certain medication.

Legal and administrative settings are the third major area where this word appears. If someone is applying for a visa or a sensitive government job, they may need to provide a govāhi-ye adam-e su-ye sābeqe. This is a 'certificate of no criminal record' (literally 'certificate of lack of bad record'). This phrase is very common in official paperwork. Furthermore, in judicial reports, you will hear lawyers arguing whether a defendant has a sābeqe-ye dār (someone with a record) or is a first-time offender.

Social and Relational Contexts

Friends might use it to discuss the history of their relationship or to talk about a person's reputation in a community.

Finally, you will hear it in everyday problem-solving. If an appliance is acting up, a technician might ask, Ghablan ham sābeqe dāshte? (Has this happened before? / Does it have a history?). This usage is very practical and highlights how the word functions as a synonym for 'precedent' in casual conversation. It’s a way of asking if a current situation is a recurring issue or a one-time anomaly.

One of the most frequent mistakes English speakers make is confusing سابقه (sābeqe) with تجربه (tajrobe). While both can be translated as 'experience,' they are not always interchangeable. Tajrobe refers to the skills, wisdom, or feelings gained through doing something. Sābeqe refers to the chronological record or the formal history of having done it. For example, you might have ten years of sābeqe (work history) but very little tajrobe (actual skill/experience) if you didn't learn much during that time. Conversely, you could have a lot of tajrobe in a hobby without having any formal sābeqe (record) to show for it.

Mistake 1: Using 'Tajrobe' for 'Work History'

Don't say 'Tajrobe-ye kāri-ye man panj sāl ast.' Instead, say 'Sābeqe-ye kāri-ye man panj sāl ast.' Sābeqe is the correct term for duration of employment.

Another common error is the misplacement of the word in numerical phrases. In English, we say 'ten years of experience.' In Persian, the number and the unit of time must precede sābeqe. You should say dah sāl sābeqe. Beginners often try to translate literally and say sābeqe-ye dah sāl, which, while understandable, is less common and sounds slightly unnatural in most professional contexts. The structure [Number] + [Time Unit] + [Sābeqe] is the golden rule for describing tenure.

Learners also struggle with the plural form savābeq. It is an Arabic broken plural, which means its form changes significantly from the singular sābeqe. Some students try to pluralize it the Persian way as sābeqe-hā. While sābeqe-hā is occasionally heard in very informal speech, savābeq is the standard and correct plural for all formal, academic, and professional writing. Using savābeq correctly will immediately make your Persian sound more advanced and educated.

Mistake 2: Confusing 'Sābeqe' with 'Tārix'

'Tārix' means 'history' as a subject or a specific date. 'Sābeqe' means 'history' in the sense of a personal or specific track record.

Finally, be careful with the phrase bi-sābeqe. It is often used to describe events, not people. If you want to say a person is 'inexperienced,' you would say bi-tajrobe or kam-tajrobe. Calling a person bi-sābeqe sounds like they have no record at all (like they don't exist in the system), which is rarely what you mean in a social context. Use bi-sābeqe for situations, weather, or prices, and bi-tajrobe for people.

Persian is a language rich in synonyms, and سابقه has several close relatives that you should know to refine your vocabulary. Understanding the nuances between these words will help you choose the right one for the right context. The most common alternatives are pishine, tārixče, and tajrobe.

Sābeqe vs. Pishine

'Pishine' (پیشینه) is a more formal, purely Persian (non-Arabic) word for background or history. It is often used in academic papers or formal literature.

Tārixče (تاریخچه) is another useful alternative. It literally means 'little history' and is used to describe the brief history or evolution of a thing, like the 'history of the telephone' or the 'history of a company.' While sābeqe focuses on the record of performance, tārixče focuses on the chronological story of how something came to be. If you are writing a report about a company's origins, use tārixče. If you are discussing their reliability based on past performance, use sābeqe.

Sābeqe vs. Tajrobe

As mentioned before, 'tajrobe' is about skill and internal experience, while 'sābeqe' is about the external record and duration.

In legal contexts, you might hear pishine-ye keyfari as a synonym for sābeqe-ye keyfari. Both refer to a criminal record, but pishine is often preferred in formal legal documents. For B1 learners, sticking with sābeqe is usually safe as it is universally understood and very common in both spoken and written forms. However, being able to recognize pishine will help you when reading official news or academic texts.

Finally, when talking about a 'precedent' in a more abstract or philosophical sense, you might encounter the word osve or nemune (example/model), but sābeqe remains the most direct way to say 'something that has happened before' that serves as a reference point. If you want to say 'there is no precedent for this,' sābeqe nadārad is the most natural and impactful phrase to use.