Composition and Letter/Application Writing in Persian
Letter and application format
A formal Persian letter uses:
- تاریخ and place or address at the top or bottom;
- مخاطب with a respectful title: حضور محترم مدیر, جناب آقای ...;
- سلام and a polite opening: با سلام و احترام;
- موضوع in one line;
- body: purpose in the first sentence, details in the middle, request in the last;
- closing: با تشکر و احترام, then signature and name.
Application language
Use formal pronouns and phrases: اینجانب, خواهشمند است, لطفاً, مزاحم نمی‌شوم. State the request early and give a reason. Avoid colloquial forms such as می‌خوام, نمی‌تونم.
Composition structure
A short composition needs a clear thesis, two or three paragraphs, and a conclusion. Use connectors: نخست, سپس, علاوه بر این, از این رو, در نتیجه. Keep one idea per paragraph.
Worked example
Reorder: (a) با تشکر و احترام، (b) اینجانب علی رضایی، (c) خواهشمند است به من سه روز مرخصی بدهید، (d) به: مدیر محترم مدرسه. Reasoning: Address first (d), then self-identification (b), then request (c), then closing (a). The request comes after the writer is identified; the closing always comes last. A date belongs at the top or under the signature.
Traps
- Mixing informal speech with formal writing.
- Omitting the subject or request, or burying it in the last line.
- Forgetting the closing formula and signature.
- Using English paragraph order translated word-for-word.
- Writing one long paragraph with no connectors.