دروغ گفتن
doruġ goftan/du.roːɣ ɡuf.ˈtan/
To lie in Persian is دروغ گفتن (doruġ goftan).
The primary way to express the act of telling an intentional untruth is through the compound verb دروغ گفتن. You may also use the noun دُروغ to refer to the false statement itself. For describing something as false or lying, the adjective دروغین is used. Additionally, the term کذاب can be used to express strong disapproval or to directly accuse someone of lying.
Meaning: tell an intentional untruth (verb)
What does it mean word for word?
The verb دروغ گفتن is a compound consisting of the noun دروغ, meaning 'lie' and the verb گفتن, meaning 'to say'. Literally, it means 'to say a lie'.
Which one should you use?
While دروغ گفتن is the standard way to say 'to lie', because it is a compound verb, it behaves differently in formal written Persian compared to a single-root verb.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The simple past tense of the phrase is دروغ گفت (lied), and the third-person singular present tense is دروغ می‌گوید (he/she lies).
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is doruġ goftan. The IPA is /du.roːɣ ɡuf.ˈtan/. It has 3 syllables, with the stress on the 3rd syllable.
Did you know?
- The word دروغ originates from the Old Persian word drauga, which was used to describe not just untruths but also treason and rebellion against the king.
- In Persian culture, there is a concept called دروغ مصلحتی, which translates to 'expedient lie' or a 'white lie' told to maintain peace or avoid unnecessary conflict.
- The word for 'lie', دروغ, shares an ancient ancestral root with the English word 'dream'.
Examples in context
- یک سفیر یک فرد درستکار است که برای دروغ گفتن به خاطر مصلحت کشورش، به خارج فرستاده می‌شود.An ambassador is an honest man sent to lie abroad for the good of his country.This sentence shows how to use دروغ گفتن in a complex clause.Tatoeba #7523412 by cojiluc, translation #21964 by Swift
- دروغ گفتن کار درستی نیست.dorugh goftan kar-e dorosti nist.Lying is not a good thing to do.
Example conversation
Mohammad and Zahra are discussing a mistake at work.
- محمد Mohammadمحمد، آیا تو دروغ گفتی؟Mohammad, aya to dorugh gofti?Mohammad, did you lie?
- زهرا Zahraنه، من هرگز دروغ نمی‌گویم.Na, man hargez dorugh nemiguyam.No, I never lie.
- محمد Mohammadپس چرا دروغ گفتن را ادامه دادی؟Pas chera dorugh goftan ra edame dadi?Then why did you continue lying?
- زهرا Zahraمن واقعاً نمی‌دانم چه می‌گویی، زهرا.Man vaghean nemidanam che miguyi, Zahra.I really don't know what you're saying, Zahra.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “lie” translations and entries دروغ گفتن, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries دروغ, گفتن, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
