Help and emergencies in Persian
The words you hope to never need. Play the ten Persian words against the clock, with a note on how locals really use each one after every answer. All ten are written out below.
All 10 Persian phrases in this lesson
- کمک!ko-MAK
- Help!
- پزشک صدا کنpez-SHEK sa-DA kon
- Call a doctor
- پلیسpo-LEES
- Police
- داروخانهda-roo-KHA-neh
- Pharmacy
- بیمارستانbee-ma-res-TAN
- Hospital
- گم شدمgom sha-DAM
- I'm lost
- احساس خوب ندارمeh-sos khub NAH-da-ram
- I don't feel well
- دزدیده شدduz-DEE-deh shod
- It was stolen
- اورژانسی استur-zhaan-SEE ast
- It's an emergency
- مرا تنها بگذاریدma-RAA tan-HAA be-goz-zaa-REED
- Leave me alone
Clear and direct emergency cry. "کمک کن!" (help me!) is more emphatic. Iranian bystanders respond quickly to visible distress. Emergency number is 110 for police, 115 for ambulance.
Ambulance: call 115. In Tehran hospitals are excellent and accustomed to treating visitors. Private hospitals (like Bahman, Zibanejad) are high-quality. Travel insurance is strongly recommended.
Emergency: 110. Tourist police in Isfahan and other tourist cities speak English. Iranian police are generally professional and approachable.
Pharmacies are well-stocked and pharmacists speak some English in cities. Many medications available by prescription elsewhere are sold over the counter. Look for the "داروخانه" sign.
Persian word: "درمانگاه" (clinic, smaller), "بیمارستان" (hospital, larger). Tehran hospitals are modern and comparable to international standards. Outside major cities, capability varies.
Literally "I am lost". Feminine: "گم شدم" (women also say this; gender is not always marked). Showing a phone map with your destination is usually more effective. Iranian generosity toward confused strangers is consistent.
At a pharmacy or doctor: "دردم میرود" (I have pain), "تب دارم" (I have a fever), "معدهام خراب است" (my stomach is bad). Direct and specific symptoms work best.
دزدیده شد (doz-DEE-deh shod) is the passive form, used when reporting a theft.
The ambulance number is 115, police 110.
Literally "leave me alone".