Signification
To allocate a period of time to an activity or person.
Contexte culturel
In Iran, 'spending time' with guests is a sacred duty. If you visit someone, they will 'sarf' hours entertaining you, and suggesting they are 'busy' can be seen as impolite. Similar to Iran, Dari speakers use 'waqt sarf kardan' in formal contexts, but 'waqt gozashtan' is very common in Kabul's daily speech. Tajik Persian (using Cyrillic) uses 'вақт сарф кардан'. It is often used in state media to discuss national development. Persian influencers often use 'vaqt sarf kardan baraye khod' (spending time on oneself) to translate the concept of 'Self-Care'.
The 'Goal' Rule
If you can add 'to achieve X' to your sentence, 'sarf kardan' is likely the right choice.
Don't use for 'Spending Money'
Stick to 'kharj kardan' for money in 99% of situations to avoid sounding like a 19th-century poet.
Signification
To allocate a period of time to an activity or person.
The 'Goal' Rule
If you can add 'to achieve X' to your sentence, 'sarf kardan' is likely the right choice.
Don't use for 'Spending Money'
Stick to 'kharj kardan' for money in 99% of situations to avoid sounding like a 19th-century poet.
Use with 'Ziadi'
It sounds very natural when paired with 'ziadi' (a lot of). 'Vaqt-e ziadi sarf kardam' is a very common native phrase.
Taarof Context
If someone says 'Vaqt-etoon ro nemigiram' (I won't take your time), you can respond with 'Khoshal misham vaqt sarf konim' (I'd be happy to spend time).
Teste-toi
Fill in the blank with the correct form of 'vaqt sarf kardan'.
من برای یادگیری گیتار هر روز دو ساعت ______.
Since learning guitar is a purposeful activity, 'sarf kardan' is the best fit.
Which sentence is most appropriate for a job interview?
How would you say 'I spent a lot of time on this project'?
Option B is formal and emphasizes purposeful effort.
Match the Persian phrase to its English context.
Match the following:
These are the three main ways to talk about time in Persian.
Complete the dialogue.
علی: چرا خستهای؟ سارا: چون تمام روز را ______ نوشتن مقاله کردم.
'Sarf' is used here because writing an article is a productive task.
🎉 Score : /4
Aides visuelles
Sarf vs. Gozarandan
Where to spend time
Self
- • Exercise
- • Reading
- • Meditation
Others
- • Family
- • Friends
- • Charity
Future
- • Learning
- • Working
- • Planning
Banque d exercices
4 exercicesمن برای یادگیری گیتار هر روز دو ساعت ______.
Since learning guitar is a purposeful activity, 'sarf kardan' is the best fit.
How would you say 'I spent a lot of time on this project'?
Option B is formal and emphasizes purposeful effort.
Associez chaque element a gauche avec son pair a droite :
These are the three main ways to talk about time in Persian.
علی: چرا خستهای؟ سارا: چون تمام روز را ______ نوشتن مقاله کردم.
'Sarf' is used here because writing an article is a productive task.
🎉 Score : /4
Questions fréquentes
10 questionsIt is neutral-to-formal. You can use it with your boss or your friends, but 'vaqt gozashtan' is more common with friends.
No. For staying overnight, use 'shab mandan' (شب ماندن).
The opposite is 'vaqt talaf kardan' (wasting time).
Usually yes, 'baraye' (for) or 'ruye' (on) are used to indicate the activity.
Yes, it is used in all major Persian dialects including Farsi, Dari, and Tajiki.
Yes, 'sarf-e vaqt' is the noun form (time expenditure), often used in titles or formal writing.
Generally, yes. It implies the time was used for a purpose, which is usually seen as positive.
It's better to use 'gozarandan' for holidays. 'Tatilat ra dar Shomal gozarandim'.
Say: 'Nemikhaham baraye in kar vaqt sarf konam'.
Yes! 'Sarf kardan' is also a very formal way to say 'to eat' (e.g., 'Ghazā sarf kardan'). Context tells them apart.
Expressions liées
وقت گذاشتن
similarTo put/spend time
وقت گذراندن
contrastTo pass time
وقت تلف کردن
contrastTo waste time
زمانبندی کردن
builds onTo schedule
وقت اختصاص دادن
specialized formTo allocate time
