Tajik, a variety of Persian spoken in Tajikistan, is written in the Cyrillic script and shares many similarities with Persian spoken in Iran and Dari in Afghanistan. Learning Tajik can enhance your experience in Central Asia, allowing for deeper cultural connections and understanding. This lesson covers essential conversational phrases and questions in Tajik, including transliterations for pronunciation help, to navigate various social interactions.

Greetings

• Hello/Hi – “Салом” (Salom)
• Good morning – “Субҳ ба хайр” (Subh ba khair)
• Good afternoon – “Рӯз ба хайр” (Rūz ba khair)
• Good evening – “Шом ба хайр” (Shom ba khair)
• Goodbye – “Хайр” (Khair) / “Худо ҳофиз” (Khudo hofiz)

Introducing Yourself or Others

• My name is [name]. – “Номи ман [name] аст.” (Nomi man [name] ast.)
• This is [name]. – “Ин [name] аст.” (In [name] ast.)
• I am from [country]. – “Ман аз [country] ҳастам.” (Man az [country] hastam.)
• I live in [city/place]. – “Ман дар [city/place] зиндагӣ мекунам.” (Man dar [city/place] zindagī mekunam.)

Asking for Directions or People

• Where is the [place]? – “[Place] куҷост?” ([Place] kujost?)
• How do I get to [place]? – “Чӣ тавр метавонам ба [place] бирасам?” (Chī tavr metavonam ba [place] birasam?)
• Is this the way to [place]? – “Оё ин роҳ ба [place] аст?” (Oyo in rah ba [place] ast?)
• Can you show me on the map? – “Метавонед дар харита нишон диҳед?” (Metavoned dar kharita nishon dihed?)

Solving a Misunderstanding

• Sorry, I don’t understand. – “Бубахшед, ман намефаҳмам.” (Bubakhshed, man namefahmam.)
• Can you please repeat that? – “Лутфан, онро такрор кунед?” (Lutfan, onro takror kuned?)
• I mean… – “Ман мурод доштам…” (Man murād doshtam…)
• What does [word] mean? – “[Word] чӣ маъно дорад?” ([Word] chī ma’no dorad?)

Farewell Expressions

• See you later – “Баъдтар мебинем” (Ba’dtar mebinem)
• Take care – “Эҳтиёт кунед” (Ehtiyot kuned)
• Have a good day – “Рӯзи хубе дошта бошед” (Rūzi khube doshta boshed)

Travel and Dining

• I would like to book a room. – “Мехоҳам як ҳуҷра резерв кунам.” (Mekhoham yak hujra rezerv kunam.)
• Can I see the menu, please? – “Метавонам менюро бинам, лутфан?” (Metavonam menyu-ro binam, lutfan?)
• I am vegetarian. – “Ман гиёҳхор ҳастам.” (Man giyohkhor hastam.)
• The bill, please. – “Ҳисоб, лутфан.” (Hisob, lutfan.)

Shopping

• How much does this cost? – “Ин чанд пул аст?” (In chand pul ast?)
• Do you have this in another size? – “Инро дар андозаи дигар доред?” (Inro dar andozai digar dored?)
• I’m just looking, thanks. – “Танҳо нигаристам, ташаккур.” (Tanho nigaristam, tashakkur.)
• Can I pay by card? – “Метавонам бо корт пардохт кунам?” (Metavonam bo kort pardokht kunam?)

Dating and Love

• You look beautiful. (to a woman) / You look handsome. (to a man) – “Ту зебоӣ.” (To zeboi.) / “Ту ҷавонмардӣ.” (To javonmardi.)
• I miss you. – “Туро дилам танг шудааст.” (Turo dilam tang shudaast.)
• I love you. – “Ман туро дӯст медорам.” (Man turo dūst medoram.)
• Would you like to go out with me? – “Мехоҳӣ бо ман берун равӣ?” (Mekhoҳi bo man berun ravi?)

Emergencies

• Help! – “Кӯмак!” (Kumak!)
• Call the police! – “Пулисро занг занед!” (Pulisro zang zaned!)
• I need a doctor. – “Ба табиб ниёз дорам.” (Ba tabib niyoz doram.)
• Where is the nearest hospital? – “Наздиктарин беморхона куҷост?” (Nazdiktarin bemorxona kujost?)

These phrases offer a solid foundation for basic communication in Tajik. Practice speaking and listening regularly, engage with Tajik media, and don’t hesitate to converse with native speakers. Remember, language learning is a journey—embrace mistakes as learning opportunities and continue to explore the rich linguistic and cultural nuances of the Tajik language.