SACE Stage 2 Persian (continuers) key terms

A Persian politeness system of ritual courtesy phrases used to offer, decline, insist, or defer. Learners must recognise when words are ceremonial rather than literal, for example repeated offers of food or payment that are not meant to be accepted immediately.

The habit of avoiding direct refusal or bluntness so the other person does not lose face. It shapes how speakers disagree, decline invitations, or ask for favours, and it explains why Persian refusals are often indirect and softened.

Protecting public reputation and dignity, both one's own and others'. It motivates indirect criticism, careful wording in front of guests, and reluctance to expose family problems openly, and it appears often in discussion of social behaviour.

Talking about an absent person in a way that would displease them. It is a frequent topic in Persian moral and family discussion, and texts often evaluate it negatively while acknowledging how common it is in everyday conversation.

Hospitality, a strongly valued cultural ideal in which hosts offer abundant food and comfort and insist guests accept. It appears in texts about family life, travel, and Iranian self-description, and it explains behaviour that can puzzle visitors.

Literally a cloth spread on the floor for eating, and by extension the meal itself or the shared table. Compounds such as سفرهٔ هفت‌سین and سفرهٔ افطار show how the word carries ritual and family meaning beyond food.

The Persian New Year at the spring equinox, celebrated with spring cleaning, new clothes, visits, and the هفت‌سین table. Texts about identity, calendar, and family ritual frequently refer to it, so its customs and vocabulary are essential.

The New Year display of seven items whose names begin with the letter س, such as سبزه, سمنو, and سیر. Each item carries symbolic meaning, and explanations of نوروز commonly describe and interpret them.

The thirteenth day of نوروز, spent outdoors picnicking and throwing away سبزه. It closes the New Year holidays and appears in personal accounts of family traditions and in descriptive texts about Iranian customs.

Sprouted wheat or lentils grown for the New Year table, symbolising renewal. It is thrown into running water on سیزده‌بدر, and the word appears in both descriptive and symbolic discussion of نوروز customs.

Persian poetry, especially the classical tradition of فردوسی, حافظ, سعدی, and مولانا. Quotations and allusions appear in speeches, advertisements, and everyday speech, so recognising famous lines helps interpret tone and cultural reference.

A fourteenth-century Persian poet whose ghazals are widely memorised and consulted for guidance. Allusions to his verses appear in modern texts, and knowing his name and status helps readers catch cultural references and tone.

A fixed popular saying expressing common wisdom, used to comment on situations briefly. Persian conversation and journalism use them heavily, so learners must infer meaning from context rather than translate literally.

Indirect speech in which the intended meaning differs from the literal words, often with mild sarcasm or criticism. Recognising it is essential in analysing tone, humour, and interpersonal tension in dialogues and stories.

Humour or satire that comments on people and society, ranging from gentle teasing to sharp political criticism. Questions often ask learners to identify the target of the humour and the writer's attitude toward it.

The tone or attitude conveyed by word choice, sentence rhythm, and punctuation, such as warm, impatient, formal, or ironic. Identifying it supports questions about the speaker's feelings and the purpose of a text.

A written or spoken text studied as a whole, including its purpose, audience, structure, and register. Exam tasks ask learners to locate information, infer meaning, and comment on how the text is organised.

The main purpose a text serves, such as informing, persuading, entertaining, or instructing. Naming it correctly is a common comprehension task and helps learners judge which details are central and which are decorative.

The intended reader or listener of a text. Register, pronoun choice, and amount of explanation all shift with the audience, so identifying it helps explain why a text is formal, casual, or simplified.

The central point a paragraph or whole text conveys, which remaining details support. Learners are frequently asked to distinguish it from examples and side remarks, and to summarise it in their own words.

Condensing a text into its essential points while keeping the original meaning and removing repetition. It tests both comprehension and writing control, and it requires selecting main ideas rather than copying sentences.

Drawing a conclusion from evidence in a text rather than from a stated fact. Questions using this skill ask what can reasonably be inferred about a person's motives, feelings, or the likely outcome of events.

Inferring unstated meaning from clues such as word choice, tone, and context. It is central to analysing dialogue, where speakers often imply criticism, affection, or reluctance without saying so directly.

Expressing an opinion with appropriate hedging, reasons, and polite framing. In interaction tasks learners must state a view, support it, and acknowledge other positions without sounding abrupt or rude.

Agreeing with an interlocutor, often signalled by phrases such as کاملاً موافقم or حق با شماست. Learners should vary agreement expressions and add a brief reason rather than repeating a single formula.

Disagreeing while preserving the relationship, typically through softening phrases such as تا حدی موافقم اما... or به نظرم شاید. Direct contradiction can sound harsh, so learners must choose polite strategies.

Offering a suggestion or proposal, using forms such as پیشنهاد می‌کنم که... or چطور است... . It appears in interactive tasks about planning, problem solving, and negotiating arrangements with others.

Inviting someone to an event or activity, usually with polite formulas and often repeated insistence. Accepting and declining invitations politely, including giving a reason for refusal, is a common interaction task.

Reporting information clearly and in sequence, for example about an event, a problem, or a piece of news. It requires past-tense narration, time markers, and a logical order that a listener can follow easily.

Narrating a story or personal experience with setting, sequence of events, and reaction. Learners should use appropriate past forms, connectors such as بعد از آن, and evaluative comments that convey feelings.

A formal letter following conventions such as a greeting, statement of purpose, body paragraphs, and closing formula. Register, pronoun choice, and titles differ markedly from informal messages, and exams often test this contrast.

An informal letter or message to a friend, using colloquial vocabulary, contractions, and direct address. Comparing it with formal writing reveals how relationship and audience shape register in Persian.

Colloquial spoken Persian, which shortens and reshapes written forms, for example میرَم for می‌روم and کتابو for کتاب را. Recognising it is essential for understanding dialogues, messages, and film-style texts.

Formal written Persian, marked by full verb endings, literary vocabulary, and careful sentence structure. It dominates news, essays, and official documents, and contrasting it with colloquial speech supports register analysis.

The way a speaker addresses someone, including pronouns like تو and شما, titles, and kinship terms. Choice of address form signals respect, distance, or intimacy, so it is a key clue in analysing relationships.

A sense of self shaped by language, family, nationality, religion, and migration experience. Texts on this theme ask learners to discuss how Persian speakers describe belonging and how culture influences self-presentation.

Moving to live in another country, often raising questions of language maintenance, belonging, and generational difference. It is a common theme in texts about identity, and learners should handle vocabulary for adaptation and loss.

Using two languages in daily life, which can affect identity, family communication, and school experience. Discussions often explore whether children keep Persian at home and how language choice signals belonging.

The shared customs, values, beliefs, and behaviours of a group, transmitted through language and family. In this exam it frames questions about how cultural norms shape what people say, avoid saying, and expect others to understand.