How to Say "Grandmother" in Persian

مادربزرگ

madarbozorg

The Persian word for grandmother is مادربزرگ (madarbozorg).

مادربزرگ is the standard noun used to refer to the mother of one's parent.

Meaning: mother of someone's parent (noun)

What does it mean word for word?

The word is a compound consisting of madar, meaning mother and bozorg, meaning big or great.

While madarbozorg is the standard term, many families use more affectionate terms such as maman bozorg (big mom).

To say 'my grandmother', you add the possessive suffix -am to the end of the word, resulting in مادربزرگم.

madarbozorg

In many families, speakers often opt for the more affectionate term maman bozorg instead of madarbozorg.

While مادربزرگ is the formal word, many Persians use the term naneh as a colloquial or regional way to address their grandmother.
The word مادر (mādar) shares a distant linguistic ancestor with the English word 'mother', both tracing back to Proto-Indo-European roots.
In some Iranian dialects, you might hear the term maman-bozorg used not just for a biological grandmother but as a term of respect for any elderly woman in the community.

او مهارت سبدبافی را از مادربزرگش یادگرفت.
She learned the craft of basket weaving from her grandmother.
This sentence shows how to use مادربزرگ to describe learning a skill from a grandmother.
Tatoeba #12186641 by manelie, translation #315499 by CK
مادربزرگ من هیچ گاه مدل زندگی اش را عوض نکرد.
My grandmother never changed her style of living.
This sentence demonstrates the use of مادربزرگ when discussing a grandmother's lifestyle.
Tatoeba #822590 by mahdiye, translation #273914 by CM
مادربزرگم به تدریج فراموشکار و نحیف می شد.
My grandmother was gradually becoming forgetful and frail.
This sentence illustrates the use of مادربزرگ when describing a grandmother's physical or mental state.
Tatoeba #1486337 by AsliAbbasi, translation #273899 by CM

Reza and Sara are looking at an old family photo.

رضا Reza

این عکس مادربزرگ من است.
In aks-e madarbozorg-e man ast.
This is a photo of my grandmother.
سارا Sara

او خیلی مهربان به نظر می‌رسد.
Ou kheyli mehraban be nazar mi-rasad.
She looks very kind.
رضا Reza

بله، مادربزرگ همیشه برای ما شیرینی می‌پخت.
Bale, madarbozorg hamisheh baraye ma shirini mi-pokht.
Yes, grandmother always baked sweets for us.
سارا Sara

چه خاطرات زیبایی دارید!
Che khaterat-e zibayi darid!
What beautiful memories you have!

Sources

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