Iranien
/i.ʁa.njɛ̃/
The English phrase "iranian" is translated into French as Iranien.
Iranien is used to refer to a person from Iran. It can also function as an adjective to describe things of or relating to Iran, such as its people or its culture.
Meaning: person from Iran (noun)
Which one should you use?
In French, a distinction is made between the noun used for a person and the adjective. When you are referring to a person's nationality as a noun, such as "an Iranian", the word should be capitalized (e.g., un Iranien or une Iranienne). When using the word as an adjective, such as "an Iranian carpet", it is not capitalized (e.g., un tapis iranien).
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The word changes based on gender and number. The masculine singular form is Iranien and the masculine plural is iraniens. The feminine form is Iranienne, which can be used as both a noun and an adjective.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 3 syllables and is pronounced /i.ʁa.njɛ̃/.
Did you know?
- While Iranien describes the nationality, French uses the word persan to describe the Iranian language, which is why a student of the language would study le persan and not le iranien.
- French speakers often use the word perse (Persian) as a more prestigious or poetic adjective for things related to Iran, especially when discussing art, history or cats.
- In French, the spelling of the feminine form Iranienne requires doubling the 'n' before adding the silent 'e', a common way French creates feminine endings from words ending in '-ien'.
Examples in context
- Le programme nucléaire iranien vient de faire l'objet d'une attaque par un maliciel.The Iranian nuclear program has just been attacked by malware.This sentence uses the adjective form of Iranien to describe a nuclear program.Tatoeba #537414 by sacredceltic, translation #537496 by Scott
- Layla s'est acheté un tapis iranien au marché.Layla bought an Iranian carpet from the market.This sentence uses the adjective form of Iranien to describe a carpet.Tatoeba #7100813 by samir_t, translation #6067550 by OsoHombre
- Je suis iranien.I am Iranian.This sentence uses the noun form of Iranien to state a person's nationality.Tatoeba #3217535 by Dreamk33, translation #3008599 by Sasan44
- Je connais un Iranien qui travaille dans mon entreprise depuis deux ans.I know an Iranian who has been working in my company for two years.
- J'ai rencontré une Iranienne lors de mon voyage à Téhéran.I met an Iranian woman during my trip to Tehran.
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel and Emma are discussing their new neighbor.
- GabrielEst-ce que ton nouveau voisin est iranien ?Is your new neighbor Iranian?
- EmmaOui, il est iranien et il est très gentil.Yes, he is Iranian and he is very kind.
- GabrielC'est super, il habite au troisième étage ?That's great, does he live on the third floor?
- EmmaNon, il habite juste en face de chez moi.No, he lives just across from me.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “iranian” translations and entries Iranien, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
