سیب‌زمینی
The English word 'potato' is translated into Persian as سیب‌زمینی.
سیب‌زمینی refers to the plant tuber eaten as a starchy vegetable.
Meaning: plant tuber eaten as starchy vegetable (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is a compound of سیب (apple) and زمینی (of the earth/ground), literally meaning 'earth apple'.
How does it change in a sentence?
To form the plural 'potatoes', add the suffix '-ها' to the end of the word to get سیب‌زمینی‌ها.
Did you know?
- The term is a direct 'loan translation' from the French pomme de terre, meaning Persian speakers used a French conceptual model to name a vegetable that is not native to Iran.
- In Persian, the word سیب refers not only to the 'apple' in سیب‌زمینی but can also be used for other round fruits like pomegranates in specific traditional phrases.
- Persian uses the same logic for 'potato' that is found in other languages, such as the German 'Erdapfel' or the Dutch 'aardappel'.
Examples in context
- می‌خواهم یک سیب‌زمینی بپزم.I want to cook a potato.
- من سیب‌زمینی دوست دارم.man sibzamini dust dāram.I like potatoes.
- چند تا سیب‌زمینی بخریم؟chand tā sibzamini bekharim?How many potatoes should we buy?
- این سیب‌زمینی‌ها خیلی تازه هستند.in sibzamini-hā kheyli tāze hastand.These potatoes are very fresh.
Example conversation
Niloufar and Reza are planning dinner in the kitchen.
- نیلوفر Niloufarرضا، سیب‌زمینی داریم؟Reza, sib-zamini darim?Reza, do we have potatoes?
- رضا Rezaنه، هیچ سیب‌زمینی نداریم.Na, hich sib-zamini nadarim.No, we don't have any potatoes.
- نیلوفر Niloufarپس برو خرید کن.Pas boro kharid kon.Then go shopping.
- رضا Rezaباشه، الان می‌روم.Bashe, alan miravam.Okay, I'm going now.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries سیب‌زمینی, CC BY-SA 4.0.
