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Vocabulary
میلیارد

B1 numeral #2,000 most common 10 min read

میلیارد

The number equivalent to one thousand million; a billion.

milyard Top 2,000

At the A1 level, learners are introduced to basic numbers from 1 to 100. The word میلیارد (milyārd) is generally considered too advanced for absolute beginners, as they are focusing on everyday survival vocabulary like buying bread or telling time. However, it is useful to recognize the word if you hear it on the news. At this stage, simply knowing that 'milyārd' means a very large number (a billion) is sufficient. You do not need to worry about the complex math or currency conversions yet. Just focus on recognizing the sound 'mil-yārd' and associating it with a huge quantity, like the population of the world or a massive amount of money. Practice saying it slowly: mil-yārd. It sounds a bit like the English word 'milliard', which makes it easier to remember for some European language speakers. Keep your focus on smaller numbers first, like ten (dah), hundred (sad), and thousand (hezār).

As an A2 learner, you are starting to handle more complex transactions and understanding broader topics. You should now know how to count up to a million (میلیون). The word میلیارد (milyārd) is the next logical step. You will encounter this word when reading simple news headlines about the economy or population. At this level, you should learn the basic grammatical rule: when you use 'milyārd' with a noun, the noun stays singular. For example, 'do milyārd nafar' (two billion people). You should also start to understand that in Iran, prices for big things like houses or cars are in billions of Tomans. If someone says a car is 'yek milyārd', they mean one billion Tomans. Practice writing the number with its nine zeros: ۱,۰۰۰,۰۰۰,۰۰۰. Try to read simple sentences that contain this word and understand the general context, even if you don't know every other word in the sentence.

At the B1 level, میلیارد (milyārd) becomes an active part of your vocabulary. You are expected to understand and participate in conversations about current events, the economy, and general statistics. You should be comfortable reading and saying complex numbers that include billions, millions, and thousands. For example, reading 1,500,000,000 as 'yek milyārd o pān-sad milyun'. You must fully grasp the difference between Rials and Tomans at this stage, as misunderstanding 'milyārd' in a financial context can lead to major confusion. You should also be able to use the plural form 'milyārd-hā' (billions of) to express indefinite, massive quantities in a descriptive or exaggerated way. Practice listening to Persian news broadcasts (like BBC Persian or Iran International) and try to catch the numbers they mention regarding budgets, exports, or populations. Your pronunciation of the word should be clear and natural.

As a B2 learner, your use of میلیارد (milyārd) should be fluent and automatic. You can read complex financial reports, understand fast-paced news segments, and discuss macroeconomic concepts in Persian. You are comfortable with the syntax of large numbers and never make the mistake of pluralizing the noun that follows them. You understand the nuances of when to use exact figures versus approximations like 'chand milyārd' (several billion). You can also comfortably navigate conversations about real estate or corporate finance where 'milyārd' is the standard unit of measurement. At this level, you should be able to seamlessly switch between Rials and Tomans in your head when hearing a figure in billions, depending on the formality of the context. You can use idiomatic expressions or hyperbole involving 'milyārd' naturally in casual conversations.

At the C1 level, your comprehension and usage of میلیارد (milyārd) are near-native. You can effortlessly process complex, multi-layered numerical data presented in academic papers, government budget documents, or high-level economic debates. You understand the historical context of the word (its French origin) and how it fits into the broader linguistic landscape of Persian numerals. You can detect subtle implications in how a speaker uses the word, such as emphasizing the sheer scale of a number for rhetorical effect in a political speech. You are completely comfortable with the fast, sometimes slurred pronunciation of large numbers in colloquial speech, where 'milyārd' might be shortened or blended with surrounding words. You can write formal reports or essays incorporating precise figures in the billions without hesitation or grammatical errors.

At the C2 level, you have absolute mastery over the word میلیارد (milyārd) and all its associated contexts. You can engage in highly technical discussions regarding national deficits, global market capitalizations, or astronomical distances with the same ease as a highly educated native speaker. You appreciate the stylistic choices an author makes when writing out numbers versus using digits in literature or journalism. You can play with the language, using 'milyārd' in creative, poetic, or deeply sarcastic ways, fully understanding the cultural weight of hyper-inflation and what a 'billion' means in the daily life of an Iranian versus its mathematical value. Your pronunciation, intonation, and syntactic integration of the word are flawless, reflecting a deep, intuitive grasp of the Persian language.

Practice it Examples Notes & Tips

میلیارد in 30 Seconds

Means 'billion' (1,000,000,000).
Noun following it must be singular.
Often implies 'Tomans' in daily life.
Plural form 'میلیاردها' means 'billions of'.

The Persian word میلیارد (milyārd) translates directly to 'billion' in English, representing the number 1,000,000,000. It is a fundamental numerical term used in everyday Persian, especially in contexts involving economics, population statistics, government budgets, and astronomy. Understanding how to use this word is crucial for anyone looking to achieve fluency in Persian, as large numbers frequently appear in news broadcasts, financial reports, and demographic discussions.

Mathematical Value: One thousand million (10^9). In Persian, it follows the short scale system, similar to modern English, despite its phonetic similarity to the long scale 'milliard'.

جمعیت جهان بیش از هشت میلیارد نفر است.

In the context of the Iranian economy, the term میلیارد is incredibly common due to the valuation of the local currency, the Rial (and Toman). Because of inflation, everyday transactions might involve millions, but national budgets, corporate valuations, and real estate prices are almost exclusively discussed in billions or trillions. Therefore, mastering this word is not just a mathematical exercise but a practical necessity for navigating Iranian society.

Currency Context: When Iranians say 'yek milyārd', they usually mean one billion Tomans, not Rials, unless specified otherwise in formal contexts.

قیمت این خانه دو میلیارد تومان است.

Beyond economics, the word is used in scientific contexts. For example, the age of the Earth or the universe is expressed in billions of years. The structure of the word remains invariable; it does not take plural markers when preceded by a number, which is a standard rule for Persian numerals. You say 'do milyārd' (two billion), not 'do milyārd-hā'.

Grammar Rule: Numerals in Persian do not pluralize the noun that follows them, nor do they pluralize themselves when acting as a specific quantity.

زمین حدود چهار و نیم میلیارد سال عمر دارد.

However, when expressing an indefinite, massive quantity, the plural form میلیاردها (milyārd-hā) can be used, translating to 'billions of'. This is often used rhetorically to emphasize a vast, uncountable amount.

میلیاردها ستاره در کهکشان وجود دارد.

The etymology of the word traces back to the French 'milliard', which was adopted into Persian during the Qajar era when French was the dominant European language of diplomacy and education in Iran. This historical borrowing explains why Persian uses 'milyārd' instead of an Arabic-derived term or a native Persian compound for this specific large number.

دولت یک میلیارد دلار بودجه اختصاص داد.

In summary, 'milyārd' is an indispensable vocabulary item for intermediate and advanced Persian learners. Its usage spans across daily financial transactions, news consumption, and scientific discussions. By mastering its pronunciation, grammatical rules, and contextual nuances, learners can significantly improve their comprehension of authentic Persian materials and engage more confidently in conversations involving large quantities.

Using the word میلیارد (milyārd) correctly in Persian requires an understanding of both its grammatical properties and its cultural context, particularly regarding currency. As a numeral, it follows the standard rules for numbers in Persian syntax. The most important rule to remember is that nouns following a specific number remain in the singular form. Therefore, when you say 'five billion people', the word for people (نفر or آدم) must be singular.

Syntax Position: The number precedes the noun it modifies. [Number] + [Classifier/Unit] + [Noun].

پنج میلیارد نفر در این قاره زندگی می کنند.

When dealing with money, the usage becomes slightly more complex due to the dual currency system in Iran (Rial and Toman). In formal writing, news, and official documents, amounts are stated in Rials. However, in spoken Persian and everyday commerce, Tomans are used. One Toman equals ten Rials. Therefore, when someone says 'yek milyārd', you must infer the currency from the context. If you are buying a house, it is definitely Tomans.

Spoken vs Written: In spoken Persian, 'milyārd' almost exclusively implies Tomans unless 'Rial' is explicitly stated.

هزینه پروژه ده میلیارد ریال برآورد شد.

Another common usage is in the plural form میلیاردها (milyārd-hā), which translates to 'billions'. This is used when the exact number is unknown or irrelevant, and the speaker wants to emphasize a massive quantity. In this case, the noun that follows can be pluralized, although it is not strictly necessary depending on the noun type.

Indefinite Plural: Use 'milyārd-hā' to mean 'billions of'. This acts as a quantifier of magnitude rather than a precise count.

آنها میلیاردها دلار ضرر کردند.

When combining 'milyārd' with other numbers to form complex figures, the conjunction 'و' (va, often pronounced 'o' in spoken Persian) is used to connect the different magnitudes. For example, 1,500,000,000 is read as 'yek milyārd o pān-sad milyun'. The order is always from the largest magnitude to the smallest, exactly as in English.

درآمد شرکت دو میلیارد و سیصد میلیون بود.

In scientific writing, you might encounter abbreviations or specific formatting, but the word is still read as 'milyārd'. For learners, practicing reading large numbers aloud is highly recommended, as the stringing together of 'milyārd', 'milyun', 'hezār', and hundreds can be a tongue twister initially. Start with simple billions and gradually add millions and thousands to build fluency.

فاصله تا آن ستاره چند میلیارد کیلومتر است.

The word میلیارد (milyārd) is ubiquitous in modern Persian, permeating various aspects of daily life, media, and professional environments. For a language learner, knowing where and how this word appears provides valuable context for improving listening comprehension and reading skills. The most prominent domain where you will encounter 'milyārd' is undoubtedly the news media, specifically in economic and political reporting.

News Broadcasts: Used daily in reports concerning the national budget, oil revenues, foreign trade, and inflation.

صادرات غیرنفتی به چهل میلیارد دلار رسید.

Another common setting is the real estate market. Due to the economic conditions in Iran, property prices in major cities like Tehran are astronomically high when expressed in the local currency. A modest apartment can easily cost several billion Tomans. Therefore, conversations with real estate agents (بنگاهی) or browsing property listings will constantly expose you to this word.

Real Estate: Essential vocabulary for buying, selling, or renting property in Iran.

ارزش این زمین بیش از ده میلیارد است.

You will also hear 'milyārd' in scientific documentaries, educational programs, and academic lectures. Whether discussing the age of the universe, the number of cells in the human body, or global population statistics, 'milyārd' is the standard term. In these contexts, the pronunciation is usually more formal and articulated clearly compared to fast-paced street conversations.

Science & Education: Used to quantify vast distances, long timeframes, and large populations.

مغز انسان دارای میلیاردها سلول عصبی است.

In everyday colloquial conversations, people might use 'milyārd' hyperbolically to express a large amount of something, similar to how English speakers say 'I have a billion things to do'. This figurative use adds color to the language and shows a native-like command of exaggeration.

من هزار میلیارد بار به تو گفتم این کار را نکن!

Finally, in the realm of technology and social media, metrics such as video views, website traffic, and follower counts for global celebrities or viral content are often discussed in millions and billions. As internet culture becomes increasingly globalized, Persian speakers frequently translate these massive digital metrics using 'milyārd'.

این ویدیو بیش از یک میلیارد بازدید داشت.

When learning to use the word میلیارد (milyārd), students often make several predictable errors, primarily stemming from direct translation from their native languages or confusion regarding Persian numerical grammar. The most frequent mistake is pluralizing the noun that follows the number. In English, we say 'two billion dollars', pluralizing 'dollar'. In Persian, the noun must remain singular: 'do milyārd dolār', not 'do milyārd dolār-hā'.

Pluralization Error: Adding the plural suffix 'ها' (hā) or 'ان' (ān) to nouns following a specific number.

Incorrect: سه میلیارد ماشین‌ها. Correct: سه میلیارد ماشین.

Another common pitfall is confusion between the short scale and long scale naming systems. Because 'milyārd' sounds exactly like the French/British long-scale 'milliard' (which traditionally meant a thousand million, while 'billion' meant a million million), some European learners might get confused about its actual value. In modern Persian, 'milyārd' strictly means 10^9 (one thousand million), equivalent to the US/modern English 'billion'.

Scale Confusion: Assuming 'milyārd' means a million million (10^12). The Persian word for 10^12 is تریلیون (trilyun).

جمعیت چین بیش از یک میلیارد است.

Pronunciation errors also occur. The word is pronounced 'mil-yārd'. Some learners might slur the syllables or mispronounce the 'yā' sound, making it sound like 'mil-ard' or 'milyon'. Paying attention to the distinct 'yā' and the final 'rd' consonant cluster is important for clear communication, especially in noisy environments like bazaars or over the phone.

Pronunciation: Ensure the 'y' sound is clearly articulated: mil-YĀRD.

بودجه سالانه چند میلیارد است؟

A critical cultural and practical mistake is ignoring the Rial vs. Toman distinction. If a vendor says a car costs 'yek milyārd', and you assume it's Rials, you are underestimating the price by a factor of ten. In almost all informal and semi-formal buying/selling contexts, 'milyārd' implies Tomans. Failing to clarify this can lead to severe misunderstandings in financial transactions.

منظورتان یک میلیارد تومان است یا ریال؟

Lastly, learners sometimes struggle with reading long numbers written in digits. Persian uses a comma or a slight space to separate thousands, just like English (e.g., ۱,۰۰۰,۰۰۰,۰۰۰). When reading these aloud, remember to connect the blocks of numbers with 'و' (va/o). Missing the connector makes the number sound disjointed and unnatural to a native speaker's ear.

یک میلیارد و دویست میلیون.

To fully grasp the usage of میلیارد (milyārd), it is helpful to compare it with other large numerical terms in Persian. The Persian numbering system for large quantities is heavily borrowed from French, which makes it somewhat familiar to European language speakers, but the exact values must be memorized to avoid confusion. The most immediate neighbors on the number scale are میلیون (milyun) and تریلیون (trilyun).

میلیون (Milyun): Meaning 'million' (1,000,000). This is one thousand times smaller than a milyārd.

یک میلیارد برابر با هزار میلیون است.

Moving up the scale, we have تریلیون (trilyun), which translates to 'trillion' (1,000,000,000,000). While 'milyārd' is common in daily life due to real estate and national budgets, 'trilyun' is mostly reserved for macroeconomic discussions, global GDPs, or astronomical figures. It is rarely used in everyday personal finance.

تریلیون (Trilyun): Meaning 'trillion' (10^12). One thousand times larger than a milyārd.

بدهی ملی چند تریلیون دلار است، نه چند میلیارد.

Another term worth noting is هزار (hezār), meaning 'thousand'. While much smaller, it is the building block for expressing numbers between millions and billions. For instance, instead of saying 'half a billion', Persians might say 'pānsad milyun' (five hundred million). Understanding how 'hezār' interacts with 'milyun' and 'milyārd' is key to fluid counting.

هزار (Hezār): Meaning 'thousand' (1,000). The foundational multiplier in the Persian number system.

هزار میلیون می شود یک میلیارد.

Sometimes, in very informal slang, people might use abbreviations or substitute words for large amounts of money, similar to 'grand' or 'bucks' in English. However, for 'milyārd', the word itself is usually stated, though the 'Toman' part is dropped. You might hear 'yek mil' used ambiguously for million, but 'milyārd' is usually pronounced fully to avoid costly misunderstandings.

قیمتش دو میلیارد است.

In conclusion, placing 'milyārd' accurately within the hierarchy of Persian numbers (hezār -> milyun -> milyārd -> trilyun) will solidify your understanding and ensure you can comprehend and articulate exact figures, whether you are reading a scientific article or negotiating a major purchase in Iran.

How Formal Is It?

Formal

Informal

Slang

Difficulty Rating

Grammar to Know

Examples by Level

یک میلیارد خیلی زیاد است.

One billion is a lot.

Basic subject-verb structure.

من یک میلیارد ندارم.

I don't have a billion.

Negative verb 'nadāram'.

این عدد یک میلیارد است.

This number is one billion.

Simple identification.

جهان هشت میلیارد آدم دارد.

The world has eight billion people.

Noun 'ādam' remains singular.

دو میلیارد پول.

Two billion money.

Simple phrase.

میلیارد بعد از میلیون است.

Billion is after million.

Preposition 'ba'd az'.

آن ماشین یک میلیارد است.

That car is one billion.

Demonstrative 'ān'.

من میلیارد را یاد گرفتم.

I learned 'billion'.

Past tense 'yād gereftam'.

قیمت این خانه دو میلیارد تومان است.

The price of this house is two billion Tomans.

Specifying currency (Tomans).

بیش از یک میلیارد نفر در چین زندگی می کنند.

More than one billion people live in China.

Using 'bish az' (more than).

او چند میلیارد پول در بانک دارد.

He has several billion money in the bank.

Using 'chand' (several) with numbers.

هزینه این کار یک میلیارد ریال است.

The cost of this work is one billion Rials.

Formal currency (Rials).

من تا یک میلیارد شمردم.

I counted up to one billion.

Preposition 'tā' (up to).

نصف یک میلیارد می شود پانصد میلیون.

Half of a billion is five hundred million.

Math vocabulary 'nesf' (half).

آنها یک میلیارد دلار سرمایه دارند.

They have one billion dollars in capital.

Foreign currency 'dolār'.

آیا این پروژه یک میلیارد می ارزد؟

Is this project worth one billion?

Question form with 'arzidan' (to be worth).

دولت بودجه ای معادل ده میلیارد دلار تصویب کرد.

The government approved a budget equivalent to ten billion dollars.

Formal vocabulary 'tasvib kard'.

میلیاردها ستاره در کهکشان راه شیری وجود دارد.

There are billions of stars in the Milky Way galaxy.

Plural form 'milyārd-hā'.

خسارت زلزله حدود پنج میلیارد تومان برآورد شده است.

The earthquake damage is estimated at about five billion Tomans.

Passive voice 'barāvard shode ast'.

برای خرید این آپارتمان حداقل سه میلیارد نیاز داری.

You need at least three billion to buy this apartment.

Conditional context 'niyāz dāri'.

جمعیت هند به زودی از یک و نیم میلیارد نفر عبور خواهد کرد.

India's population will soon surpass one and a half billion people.

Future tense 'obur khāhad kard'.

این شرکت سالانه دو میلیارد سود خالص دارد.

This company has a net profit of two billion annually.

Business terminology 'sud-e khāles'.

سن زمین حدود چهار و نیم میلیارد سال تخمین زده می شود.

The age of the Earth is estimated to be about four and a half billion years.

Scientific passive 'takhmin zade mishavad'.

او با فروش سهامش یک شبه میلیاردر شد.

He became a billionaire overnight by selling his shares.

Derived noun 'milyārder' (billionaire).

کسری بودجه امسال به بیش از صد میلیارد هزار تومان رسیده است.

This year's budget deficit has reached over one hundred thousand billion Tomans.

Complex large numbers.

سرمایه گذاری چند میلیارد دلاری در بخش انرژی تجدیدپذیر ضروری است.

A multi-billion dollar investment in the renewable energy sector is essential.

Adjectival phrase 'chand milyārd dolāri'.

اختلاس سه هزار میلیارد تومانی یکی از بزرگترین پرونده های فساد بود.

The three thousand billion Toman embezzlement was one of the biggest corruption cases.

Historical/news reference.

مغز انسان از ده ها میلیارد نورون تشکیل شده است که با هم در ارتباطند.

The human brain is composed of tens of billions of neurons that communicate with each other.

Scientific description 'tashkil shode ast'.

صادرات غیرنفتی کشور در سال گذشته مرز چهل میلیارد دلار را رد کرد.

The country's non-oil exports crossed the forty billion dollar mark last year.

Idiomatic expression 'marz-e ... rā rad kard'.

اگر میلیاردها تومان هم خرج کنی، نمی توانی سلامتی را بخری.

Even if you spend billions of Tomans, you cannot buy health.

Conditional 'agar ... ham'.

ارزش بازار این استارتاپ به یک میلیارد دلار رسید و تبدیل به یونیکورن شد.

The market value of this startup reached one billion dollars and it became a unicorn.

Modern business jargon.

تعداد کاربران فعال این شبکه اجتماعی از مرز دو میلیارد نفر گذشت.

The number of active users of this social network passed the two billion mark.

Formal reporting style.

تزریق ده ها میلیارد دلار نقدینگی به بازار نتوانست مانع از سقوط شاخص بورس شود.

Injecting tens of billions of dollars of liquidity into the market could not prevent the stock index from crashing.

Advanced economic vocabulary.

در مقیاس کیهانی، چند میلیارد سال تنها چشم بر هم زدنی بیش نیست.

On a cosmic scale, a few billion years is nothing more than the blink of an eye.

Poetic/rhetorical structure 'cheshm bar ham zadani bish nist'.

بدهی های معوقه بانکی که بالغ بر صدها میلیارد تومان است، اقتصاد را فلج کرده است.

Non-performing bank loans, amounting to hundreds of billions of Tomans, have paralyzed the economy.

Relative clause with 'bālegh bar'.

پروژه های زیرساختی نیازمند تامین مالی چند میلیارد دلاری از طریق سرمایه گذاری خارجی هستند.

Infrastructure projects require multi-billion dollar financing through foreign investment.

Complex noun phrases.

تخمین زده می شود که تا پایان قرن، خسارات ناشی از تغییرات اقلیمی به تریلیون ها، نه میلیاردها، دلار برسد.

It is estimated that by the end of the century, damages from climate change will reach trillions, not billions, of dollars.

Contrastive emphasis.

وی با ثروتی افسانه ای بالغ بر چند ده میلیارد دلار، در صدر فهرست ثروتمندان قرار گرفت.

With a legendary wealth amounting to several tens of billions of dollars, he topped the rich list.

Descriptive formal phrasing.

تخصیص بهینه منابع چند میلیارد تومانی مستلزم نظارت دقیق و شفافیت مالی است.

The optimal allocation of multi-billion Toman resources requires strict oversight and financial transparency.

Academic/administrative register.

میلیاردها بایت داده در هر ثانیه در سراسر شبکه جهانی اینترنت جابجا می شود.

Billions of bytes of data are transferred across the global internet network every second.

Technical IT context.

سیاست‌های انبساطی و چاپ بی‌رویه پول، حجم نقدینگی را به ارقام نجومیِ چند هزار میلیارد تومانی سوق داده است.

Expansionary policies and rampant money printing have driven liquidity to astronomical figures of several thousand billion Tomans.

Highly formal economic analysis.

درک عظمت کیهان، جایی که فواصل با میلیاردها سال نوری سنجیده می‌شوند، فراتر از گنجایش ذهن بشر است.

Comprehending the immensity of the cosmos, where distances are measured in billions of light-years, is beyond the capacity of the human mind.

Philosophical/scientific discourse.

مناقشات حقوقی بر سر مالکیت معنوی این اختراع، پای غرامت‌های چند میلیارد دلاری را به میان کشید.

Legal disputes over the intellectual property of this invention brought multi-billion dollar compensations into play.

Advanced legal terminology.

تاراج میلیاردها دلار از ثروت ملی در سایه فقدان نهادهای نظارتی مستقل، زخمی کاری بر پیکره اقتصاد وارد آورد.

The plundering of billions of dollars of national wealth in the shadow of a lack of independent regulatory bodies inflicted a fatal wound on the body of the economy.

Journalistic/literary critique.

جهش ژنتیکی که میلیاردها سال پیش رخ داد، مسیر تکامل حیات بر روی کره خاکی را برای همیشه دگرگون ساخت.

The genetic mutation that occurred billions of years ago forever altered the course of the evolution of life on Earth.

Evolutionary biology context.

هزینه‌های سرسام‌آور نظامی که سالانه سر به صدها میلیارد دلار می‌زند، می‌توانست صرف ریشه‌کنی فقر جهانی شود.

The staggering military expenditures that annually run into hundreds of billions of dollars could have been spent on eradicating global poverty.

Socio-political commentary.

تبعات جبران‌ناپذیر این تصمیم نسنجیده، میلیاردها تومان خسارت مستقیم و غیرمستقیم به بار خواهد آورد.

The irreparable consequences of this ill-considered decision will bring about billions of Tomans in direct and indirect damages.

Formal predictive statement.

در بازار آشفته مسکن، ارقام میلیاردی دیگر نه نماد ثروت، بلکه حداقل بهای بقا در کلان‌شهرها محسوب می‌شوند.

In the chaotic housing market, billion-Toman figures are no longer a symbol of wealth, but rather the minimum price of survival in metropolises.

Sociological observation.

Common Collocations

یک میلیارد

چند میلیارد

میلیاردها تومان

میلیاردها دلار

بودجه میلیاردی

اختلاس میلیاردی

سود میلیاردی

ضرر میلیاردی

پروژه میلیاردی

هزینه میلیاردی

Common Phrases

یک میلیارد و نیم (One and a half billion)

چند میلیارد (Several billion)

میلیاردها بار (Billions of times)

ارزش میلیاردی (Billion-value)

قرارداد میلیاردی (Billion-contract)

وام میلیاردی (Billion-loan)

ثروت میلیاردی (Billion-wealth)

بدهی میلیاردی (Billion-debt)

سرمایه گذاری میلیاردی (Billion-investment)

درآمد میلیاردی (Billion-income)

Often Confused With

میلیارد vs میلیون (Million - 10^6)

میلیارد vs تریلیون (Trillion - 10^12)

میلیارد vs بند (Band - slang for 10 million Tomans, sometimes confused in money talk)

Idioms & Expressions

Easily Confused

میلیارد vs

Sentence Patterns

How to Use It

note

While technically a noun, it functions as a numeral modifier. It is essential for advanced fluency in Persian due to the economic reality of Iran.

Common Mistakes

Saying دو میلیارد دلارها instead of دو میلیارد دلار.
Confusing it with million (میلیون) due to fast speech.
Assuming 'yek milyārd' means a billion Rials when buying a car (it means Tomans).
Thinking it means a trillion (long scale) instead of a billion (short scale).
Forgetting to use the connector 'و' between billions and millions when reading numbers.

Tips

Singular Nouns

Never pluralize the noun after 'milyārd'. 5 billion dollars is پنج میلیارد دلار, not دلارها.

Tomans vs Rials

Always assume Tomans in casual speech when hearing 'milyārd' regarding prices.

Clear 'Y'

Enunciate the 'y' in mil-yārd so it doesn't get confused with mil-yun (million).

Writing Zeros

Persian uses commas or spaces every three digits: ۱,۰۰۰,۰۰۰,۰۰۰.

Milyārder

Add '-er' to make it 'billionaire' (میلیاردر), just like in French/English.

News Context

Listen to BBC Persian or Iran Int. economic news to hear this word used frequently.

Using 'Nim'

Use نیم (nim) for half. 1.5 billion is یک و نیم میلیارد.

Indefinite Plural

Use میلیاردها (milyārd-hā) when you mean 'billions of' without an exact number.

Scale

Remember: 1,000 میلیون = 1 میلیارد.

Connecting Numbers

Read compound numbers with 'o' (and): yek milyārd-o-devist milyun.

Memorize It

Word Origin

French

Cultural Context

Sometimes abbreviated in speech to 'mil' when context makes it obvious they mean billion and not million, though this can be risky.

The devaluation of the Rial means 'billion' is an everyday unit for large purchases like cars and homes.

Practice in Real Life

Real-World Contexts

Conversation Starters

"فکر می کنی قیمت یک خانه معمولی در تهران چند میلیارد است؟"

"اگر یک میلیارد تومان پول داشتی، با آن چه کار می کردی؟"

"چرا بودجه این پروژه چند میلیارد دلار است؟"

"جمعیت جهان به هشت میلیارد نفر رسیده است، نظر شما چیست؟"

"آیا تا به حال یک میلیارد پول نقد از نزدیک دیده ای؟"

Journal Prompts

Write about what you would do if you won a lottery of ten billion Tomans.

Describe the economic impact of inflation making everyday items cost billions.

Research and write down the population of five different countries in billions/millions in Persian.

Explain the difference between a 'milyārder' in Iran versus one in the US.

Write a short sci-fi story mentioning billions of stars and billions of years.

Frequently Asked Questions

10 questions

It means billion (1,000,000,000). Although it sounds like the long-scale 'milliard', in modern Persian it is equivalent to the short-scale 'billion'.

No. In Persian, nouns following a specific number always remain singular. Say 'do milyārd nafar' (two billion people), not 'nafar-hā'.

میلیون (milyun) is one million (6 zeros). میلیارد (milyārd) is one billion (9 zeros). A milyārd is a thousand times larger than a milyun.

You add the plural suffix 'ها' (hā) to the word: میلیاردها ستاره (milyārd-hā setāre).

In everyday conversation in Iran, it almost certainly means one billion Tomans. In official government documents, it might be Rials, but context usually makes it clear.

It is pronounced mil-yārd. Stress is on the second syllable. Make sure to pronounce the 'y' clearly.

No, it is a loanword from French ('milliard'). Persian adopted many administrative and scientific terms from French in the 19th and 20th centuries.

You say یک و نیم میلیارد (yek o nim milyārd) or یک میلیارد و پانصد میلیون (yek milyārd o pān-sad milyun).

A 'milyārder' is a billionaire. However, because it usually refers to Tomans, an Iranian 'milyārder' might only have the equivalent of tens of thousands of US dollars, not a billion US dollars.

Absolutely. It is used for population (هشت میلیارد نفر), age of the earth (چهار میلیارد سال), and anything else that requires counting to a billion.