بد
bad/ˈbad/
The Persian word for bad is بد.
بد is an adjective used to describe something as unfavorable or negative. For instance, you can use the phrase رفتار بد to describe bad behavior. In colloquial speech, if you want to describe something as worthless or rubbish, the term چرت is used.
Meaning: unfavorable, negative (adj)
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Persian-speaking regions of Iran, the term بدبخت is used to describe someone as unfortunate or unlucky.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective بد can be modified into different forms: بدتر is the comparative form used for worse, بدترین is the superlative form used for worst and the noun form بدی is used to express badness.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈbad/
Did you know?
- There is a cultural habit of saying بد نیست ('it is not bad') to mean that something is actually quite good or satisfactory.
- Although the English word 'bad' and the Persian word بد sound nearly identical, they are completely unrelated and share no common linguistic ancestor.
- The word بد can be used as a prefix to create opposites, such as بدبین for 'pessimist', which literally translates to 'bad-seeing'.
Examples in context
- تام بد خو است.Tom is bad-tempered.This sentence uses بد to describe someone as bad-tempered.Tatoeba #13135334 by cojiluc, translation #6738289 by CK
- تو پسر بدی بوده ای.You've been a very bad boy.This sentence uses a form of بد to describe a bad boy.Tatoeba #9955947 by Fateme, translation #3358971 by CK
- خبر بد زود پخش می‌شود.Bad news travels fast.This sentence uses بد to describe bad news.Tatoeba #10807099 by cojiluc, translation #28625 by CK
- وضعیت اقتصادی بسیار بد است.The economic situation is very bad.
- این فیلم چرت بود!This movie was rubbish!
- حالتم خیلی خرابه.I'm feeling really bad.
- 12 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Amir and Niloufar are discussing a movie they just watched.
- امیر Amirبه نظر من فیلم خیلی بد بود.Be nazar-e man film kheyli bad bud.In my opinion, the movie was very bad.
- نیلوفر Niloufarواقعاً؟ من خوشم آمد.Vaghean? Man khosham amad.Really? I liked it.
- امیر Amirداستانش بد بود و طولانی بود.Dastaneshash bad bud va tulani bud.The story was bad and it was long.
- نیلوفر Niloufarشاید حق با تو باشد، امیر.Shayad hag bah tu bashad, Amir.Maybe you are right, Amir.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bad” translations and entries بد, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries بد, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
