Meaning
The act of posing an inquiry.
Cultural Background
Asking questions is often a way to show interest in someone's life. Don't be surprised if a new acquaintance asks about your job or family quickly. In traditional Iranian circles, questioning is seen as the 'key to the treasure of knowledge'. Students are encouraged to ask deep, probing questions. When asking a question that might be a burden, Iranians use 'softening' phrases to avoid sounding demanding. On Iranian social media, 'Ask me a question' stickers (like on Instagram) are translated as 'از من سؤال کنید' or 'بپرس'.
The 'Have' Shortcut
In casual speech, instead of saying 'I want to ask a question', just say 'Ye so'al daram' (I have a question). It's much more common.
Preposition Alert
Never forget 'az'. Saying 'Man shoma so'al mikonam' sounds like 'I question you' in a very aggressive, broken way.
Meaning
The act of posing an inquiry.
The 'Have' Shortcut
In casual speech, instead of saying 'I want to ask a question', just say 'Ye so'al daram' (I have a question). It's much more common.
Preposition Alert
Never forget 'az'. Saying 'Man shoma so'al mikonam' sounds like 'I question you' in a very aggressive, broken way.
Polite Prefaces
Always start with 'Bebakhshid' (Excuse me) when asking a stranger a question to be culturally appropriate.
Compound Verb Logic
Mastering 'so'al kardan' helps you learn hundreds of other verbs like 'kar kardan' (to work) or 'fekr kardan' (to think).
Test Yourself
Fill in the correct form of 'kardan' in the present tense.
من از معلم سؤال ______.
The subject is 'Man' (I), so the present tense of 'kardan' is 'mi-kon-am'.
Which sentence uses the correct preposition?
Choose the correct sentence:
In Persian, you ask 'from' (az) someone.
Complete the dialogue with the most natural phrase.
A: ببخشید آقا، میتوانم ______؟ B: بله بفرمایید.
The context of 'Excuse me' and 'Go ahead' strongly implies asking a question.
Match the phrase to the correct register.
Match 'آیا میتوانم سؤالی مطرح نمایم؟' to its register.
The use of 'matrah namayem' is highly formal and academic.
🎉 Score: /4
Visual Learning Aids
Practice Bank
4 exercisesمن از معلم سؤال ______.
The subject is 'Man' (I), so the present tense of 'kardan' is 'mi-kon-am'.
Choose the correct sentence:
In Persian, you ask 'from' (az) someone.
A: ببخشید آقا، میتوانم ______؟ B: بله بفرمایید.
The context of 'Excuse me' and 'Go ahead' strongly implies asking a question.
Match 'آیا میتوانم سؤالی مطرح نمایم؟' to its register.
The use of 'matrah namayem' is highly formal and academic.
🎉 Score: /4
Frequently Asked Questions
10 questionsIn spoken Persian, yes. 'So'al kardan' or 'so'al porsidan' are the standard. 'Porsidan' is slightly more formal or literary.
Yes, it's very common colloquially. It literally means 'to ask a question'.
You say 'Az u so'al kardam'. Remember the 'az'!
The plural is 'so'al-ha' (Persian) or 'so'alaat' (Arabic plural used in Persian).
No, it's generally seen as friendly, but use 'Bebakhshid' to be polite.
Say 'So'al nakon'.
Yes, 'so'al kardan' is perfect for that.
'So'al' is the common word; 'porsesh' is more formal/academic (e.g., 'porsesh-name' for a questionnaire).
Yes, but in compound verbs, it loses its individual meaning and just acts as a verbalizer.
Say 'Kheyli so'al daram'.
Related Phrases
پرسیدن
synonymTo ask
جواب دادن
contrastTo answer
تحقیق کردن
specialized formTo investigate/research
استنطاق کردن
specialized formTo interrogate
درخواست کردن
similarTo request
سؤالپیچ کردن
builds onTo grill someone with questions
