Meaning
To purchase bread from a bakery or store.
Cultural Background
Freshness is key. Iranians rarely buy sliced bread from a shelf; they prefer to buy it hot from the oven multiple times a week. Bread (Naan) is often used as a utensil to scoop up food, making the act of buying it essential for every meal. Bread is never placed upside down, as it is considered disrespectful to the 'barakat' of the house.
The Bakery Queue
If you go to buy bread in Iran, always ask 'Who is the last person?' (Nafar-e ākhari kiyeh?) to find your spot in line.
Verb Shortening
In spoken Persian, 'میخرم' (mi-kharam) is often shortened to 'میخرم' but the 'm' is very distinct.
Meaning
To purchase bread from a bakery or store.
The Bakery Queue
If you go to buy bread in Iran, always ask 'Who is the last person?' (Nafar-e ākhari kiyeh?) to find your spot in line.
Verb Shortening
In spoken Persian, 'میخرم' (mi-kharam) is often shortened to 'میخرم' but the 'm' is very distinct.
Test Yourself
Fill in the missing verb in the correct tense.
من دیروز نان ______.
The sentence uses 'diruz' (yesterday), so the past tense 'kharidam' is required.
Which sentence is the most natural way to say 'Go buy bread'?
برو ...
The imperative 'baxar' with the bare noun 'nān' is the standard way to give this command.
Complete the dialogue.
A: نان داریم؟ B: نه، باید ______.
The context of not having bread requires the action of buying it.
Match the Persian to the English.
1. نان میخرم, 2. نان خریدم, 3. نان بخر
Matching the tenses: Present, Past, and Imperative.
🎉 Score: /4
Visual Learning Aids
Types of Bread to Buy
Traditional
- • Sangak
- • Barbari
- • Lavash
- • Taftoon
Practice Bank
4 exercisesمن دیروز نان ______.
The sentence uses 'diruz' (yesterday), so the past tense 'kharidam' is required.
برو ...
The imperative 'baxar' with the bare noun 'nān' is the standard way to give this command.
A: نان داریم؟ B: نه، باید ______.
The context of not having bread requires the action of buying it.
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
Matching the tenses: Present, Past, and Imperative.
🎉 Score: /4
Frequently Asked Questions
6 questionsYes, but usually people specify 'nān-e basti-bandi' (packaged bread) for sliced bread.
Usually 'nān kharidan'. You only use 'rā' if you are talking about a specific, previously mentioned piece of bread.
Early morning (6-8 AM) or late afternoon (5-7 PM).
Only if you want exactly one loaf. Otherwise, 'nān kharidan' implies the general act.
In casual conversation, yes, 'gereftan' (to get) is very frequent.
Yes, but that is a noun phrase (the buying of bread), not a verb phrase.
Related Phrases
نانوایی
specialized formBakery
نانآور
builds onBreadwinner
پول نان
similarBread money
