Meaning
Used to express lack of comprehension.
Cultural Background
Iranians rarely say 'I don't understand' bluntly. They often add 'Bebakhshid' (Sorry) or 'Bebakhshid, mishe dobare begid?' (Sorry, can you say it again?) to be polite. In Dari, 'Fahmida namishawa' or 'Nafahmidum' is common, but 'Motevajjeh nashudum' is also understood and considered very polite. Tajik speakers might use 'Namifahmam' more frequently in daily life, but 'Motevajjeh' remains the formal standard in literature and news. Younger people might use 'Gij shodam' (I'm confused) or 'Haliyam nemishe' (I don't get it) more often than the formal 'Motevajjeh nemishavam'.
The 'Bebakhshid' Buffer
Always start with 'Bebakhshid' (Excuse me) before saying you don't understand. It makes you sound much more fluent and polite.
Don't just nod!
In Iran, people might keep talking if you just nod. It's better to say 'Motevajjeh nemisham' early than to be totally lost 10 minutes later.
Meaning
Used to express lack of comprehension.
The 'Bebakhshid' Buffer
Always start with 'Bebakhshid' (Excuse me) before saying you don't understand. It makes you sound much more fluent and polite.
Don't just nod!
In Iran, people might keep talking if you just nod. It's better to say 'Motevajjeh nemisham' early than to be totally lost 10 minutes later.
Body Language
A slight tilt of the head and a small squint of the eyes often accompanies this phrase to show you are trying hard to listen.
Ask for 'Sadeh'
After saying you don't understand, ask: 'Mishe sadeh-tar begid?' (Can you say it more simply?)
Test Yourself
Complete the sentence to say 'I don't understand.'
ببخشید، من ________ نمیشوم.
The phrase is 'متوجه نمیشوم'.
Which one is the SPOKEN (informal) version of the phrase?
Which is more common in a cafe?
In spoken Persian, 'am' at the end of verbs often changes to 'am' or 'em', and 'shavam' becomes 'sham'.
Match the response to the situation.
Someone speaks very fast in a language you don't know well.
This means 'I don't understand, please speak slower.'
Fill in the missing line.
A: این کتاب خیلی سخت است. B: بله، من هم ________.
If a book is hard (sakht), you likely don't understand it.
🎉 Score: /4
Visual Learning Aids
Practice Bank
4 exercisesببخشید، من ________ نمیشوم.
The phrase is 'متوجه نمیشوم'.
Which is more common in a cafe?
In spoken Persian, 'am' at the end of verbs often changes to 'am' or 'em', and 'shavam' becomes 'sham'.
Someone speaks very fast in a language you don't know well.
This means 'I don't understand, please speak slower.'
A: این کتاب خیلی سخت است. B: بله، من هم ________.
If a book is hard (sakht), you likely don't understand it.
🎉 Score: /4
Frequently Asked Questions
10 questionsIt's a bit formal. With close friends, 'Nemifahmam' or 'Motevajjeh nemisham' is better.
'Motevajjeh' is 'I'm not following/noticing,' while 'Nemifahmam' is 'I don't grasp/understand.' 'Motevajjeh' is more polite.
Technically yes, but 'Bebakhshid?' or 'Chi goftid?' (What did you say?) is more natural for hearing issues.
Use 'Motevajjeh nashodam.'
Yes, it's actually more common to drop the 'Man'.
Yes, it is perfectly understood in Dari, though they have their own local preferences.
Say 'Hichi motevajjeh nemisham.'
Yes, it's an Arabic loanword, but it's fully integrated into Persian grammar.
Yes! 'In film ro motevajjeh nemisham' is perfect.
Persian has a big difference between written (formal) and spoken (informal) forms. 'Nemisham' is the spoken version.
Related Phrases
نمیفهمم
similarI don't understand
متوجه شدم
contrastI understood / I see
منظورتان چیست؟
builds onWhat do you mean?
دوباره بگویید
builds onSay it again
سواد ندارم
specialized formI am illiterate
