Persian به عبارت دیگر means “in other words.” It tells the reader that the next expression is a reformulation of the same underlying claim—not a new reason, result, or contrasting opinion. The reformulation may make terminology more accessible, state an equivalent consequence already contained in the first claim, or correct the level of precision.
The reformulation relation
| Use | What the second part does | Typical register |
|---|---|---|
| equivalence | states the same proposition in another form | formal-neutral |
| clarification | makes an implication or boundary explicit | formal and academic |
| simplification | replaces technical language with accessible wording | explanation and teaching |
| precision repair | narrows an earlier loose formulation | careful speech and writing |
The central test is commitment preservation. If a speaker accepts the first sentence, the reformulation should not require them to accept a genuinely new piece of evidence. It may unpack what was implicit, but it cannot quietly change the thesis.
State an equivalent more explicitly
In formal prose, به عبارت دیگر often follows a semicolon or full stop and begins a new independent clause.
این مجوز فقط برای ساکنان منطقه صادر میشود؛ به عبارت دیگر، افراد غیرساکن واجد شرایط نیستند.
in mojavvez faqat barâ-ye sâkenân-e manteqe sâder mi-shavad; be ebârat-e digar, afrâd-e gheyr-e-sâken vâjed-e sharâyet nistand.
This permit is issued only to residents of the area; in other words, nonresidents are not eligible. (formal clarification)
قرارداد در پایان سال خودبهخود تمدید نمیشود. به عبارت دیگر، ادامهی همکاری به توافق تازه نیاز دارد.
qarârdâd dar pâyân-e sâl khod-be-khod tamdid nemi-shavad. be ebârat-e digar, edâme-ye hamkâri be tavâfoq-e tâze niyâz dârad.
The contract is not renewed automatically at year’s end. In other words, continued cooperation requires a new agreement. (formal)
The second sentence in each pair does not report a later event. It exposes the practical content of a restriction already stated.
Replace technical wording with accessible wording
Academic and professional explanations often introduce a term, then reformulate it for a broader audience.
این ماده زیستتخریبپذیر است؛ به عبارت دیگر، در طبیعت بهتدریج تجزیه میشود.
in mâdde zist-takhrib-pazir ast; be ebârat-e digar, dar tabi'at be-tadrij tajziye mi-shavad.
This material is biodegradable; in other words, it gradually decomposes in nature. (academic explanation)
سامانه با تأخیر زمانی کار میکند؛ به عبارت دیگر، تغییر امروز فردا در نمودار دیده میشود.
sâmâne bâ ta'khir-e zamâni kâr mi-konad; be ebârat-e digar, taghyir-e emruz fardâ dar nemudâr dide mi-shavad.
The system operates with a time lag; in other words, today’s change appears on the chart tomorrow. (formal technical clarification)
For deliberate simplification, به زبان سادهتر “in simpler language” is even more explicit. به بیان دیگر is a close formal synonym of به عبارت دیگر and is especially common in academic prose.
به زبان سادهتر، این دارو سرعت واکنش بدن را کم میکند.
be zabân-e sâde-tar, in dâru sor'at-e vâkon-esh-e badan râ kam mi-konad.
Put more simply, this medicine slows the body’s response. (clear explanatory register)
Do not use “simpler” if the restatement is merely more precise or equally technical. The marker should honestly describe the editing operation.
Clarification is not consequence
Compare a reformulation with a result connector:
دسترسی مهمانان محدود است؛ به عبارت دیگر، آنان فقط بخش عمومی را میبینند.
dastresi-ye mehmânân mahdud ast; be ebârat-e digar, ânân faqat bakhsh-e omumi râ mi-binand.
Guest access is restricted; in other words, they can view only the public section. (equivalent specification)
دسترسی مهمانان محدود شد؛ در نتیجه، تعداد درخواستهای پشتیبانی افزایش یافت.
dastresi-ye mehmânân mahdud shod; dar natije, te'dâd-e darkhâst-hâ-ye poshtibâni afzâyesh yâft.
Guest access was restricted; as a result, the number of support requests increased. (new consequence)
Only the first second clause defines what “restricted” means. The second reports an event caused by the restriction. Review در نتیجه and بنابراین for that causal and inferential relation.
Repair a loose formulation
In careful speech, the marker can signal that the speaker wants to replace an imprecise phrase with a better one. The correction normally follows immediately.
این تصمیم همه را راضی نکرد؛ به عبارت دیگر، فقط بخش مالی با آن موافق بود.
in tasmim hame râ râzi na-kard; be ebârat-e digar, faqat bakhsh-e mâli bâ ân movâfeq bud.
This decision did not satisfy everyone; more precisely, only the finance department supported it. (careful reformulation)
Strictly speaking, “not everyone” permits more than one supporter, while “only finance” is narrower. The discourse remains responsible because the second part is explicitly offered as a precision repair. In academic writing, if that narrowing matters evidentially, use دقیقتر بگوییم “to be more precise” rather than present the two statements as exact logical equivalents.
Formal marker versus conversational یعنی
یعنی performs many of the same reformulation tasks and is the ordinary conversational choice. به عبارت دیگر is longer, more explicit, and more formal. It organizes a presentation or written argument well, but repeated use in casual talk can sound like a lecture.
— یعنی باید دوباره ثبتنام کنم؟ — بله؛ به عبارت دیگر، حساب قبلی دیگر فعال نیست.
— ya'ni bâyad dobâre sabt-nâm konam? — bale; be ebârat-e digar, hesâb-e qabli digar fa'âl nist.
— You mean I have to register again? — Yes; in other words, the previous account is no longer active. (customer-service exchange; informal question, formal clarification)
The question uses conversational یعنی to check an implication. The answer uses به عبارت دیگر to formulate policy explicitly. See the dedicated page on یعنی for definition, repair, and turn-management uses.
Position and punctuation
In careful writing, به عبارت دیگر stands at the beginning of the reformulating clause and is followed by a Persian comma. A semicolon or full stop before it clearly separates the first formulation from the second. A colon can introduce the reformulation directly, but do not stack colon, marker, and another colon.
Within a long sentence, parenthetical به عبارت دیگر is possible, but clause-initial placement minimizes ambiguity about its scope. It cannot normally sit sentence-final like English conversational “in other words?”
Common Mistakes
1. Translating “in other words” word for word
❌ در کلمات دیگر باید قرارداد تازهای بنویسیم.
Incorrect calque — Persian uses the fixed phrase به عبارت دیگر.
✅ به عبارت دیگر، باید قرارداد تازهای تنظیم کنیم.
be ebârat-e digar, bâyad qarârdâd-e tâze-i tanzim konim.
In other words, we must draw up a new contract.
2. Using reformulation for a new consequence
⚠️ باران شدید بود؛ به عبارت دیگر، مسابقه لغو شد.
bârân shadid bud; be ebârat-e digar, mosâbeqe laghv shod.
The sentences are grammatical, but the connector mislabels cancellation as a restatement rather than a consequence of the rain.
✅ باران شدید بود؛ در نتیجه، مسابقه را لغو کردند.
bârân shadid bud; dar natije, mosâbeqe râ laghv kardand.
The rain was heavy; as a result, they canceled the match.
3. Adding an unnecessary complementizer
❌ به عبارت دیگر که این روش امن نیست.
Incorrect as an independent reformulation — the detached marker is followed directly by the new clause, not by که.
✅ به عبارت دیگر، این روش امنیت کافی ندارد.
be ebârat-e digar, in ravesh amniyyat-e kâfi na-dârad.
In other words, this method is not sufficiently secure.
4. Calling a contradiction a restatement
⚠️ استفاده از سالن رایگان است؛ به عبارت دیگر، باید هزینهی ورودی بدهید.
estefâde az sâlon râyegân ast; be ebârat-e digar, bâyad hazine-ye vorudi be-dahid.
The sentence is grammatical, but paying admission contradicts ‘free’ rather than reformulating it.
✅ استفاده از سالن رایگان است؛ به عبارت دیگر، هزینهی ورودی ندارد.
estefâde az sâlon râyegân ast; be ebârat-e digar, hazine-ye vorudi na-dârad.
Use of the hall is free; in other words, there is no admission charge.
5. Overformalizing casual clarification
⚠️ چای میخواهی؛ به عبارت دیگر، قهوه نمیخواهی؟
chây mi-khâhi; be ebârat-e digar, qahve nemi-khâhi?
Grammatical but comically formal for checking a simple drink choice.
✅ یعنی چای میخواهی، نه قهوه؟
ya'ni chây mi-khâhi, na qahve?
You mean you want tea, not coffee? (neutral conversation)
Key Takeaways
- به عبارت دیگر promises reformulation, equivalence, clarification, or transparent precision repair.
- It does not introduce a new cause, result, contrast, or independent supporting argument.
- Formal prose favors clause-initial placement followed by a comma.
- Use به زبان سادهتر for explicit simplification and دقیقتر بگوییم for narrowing.
- Conversational Persian normally prefers یعنی.
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Start learning Farsi →Related Topics
- یعنیA2 — Use یعنی to define, reformulate, repair, interpret another speaker’s words, and manage hesitation without confusing these discourse functions.
- در نتیجه and بنابراینB1 — Choose در نتیجه for an ensuing outcome and بنابراین for a warranted conclusion, with appropriate causal strength and register.
- Noun Apposition and Explanatory EzâfeB2 — How Persian links titles, place types, classifications, and explanatory noun phrases—with or without ezâfe and commas.
- Expressing Opinions and StanceB1 — State, soften, support, agree with, and disagree with opinions naturally in spoken and written Iranian Persian.
- Packaging Information in Formal ProseB2 — Package actors, processes, evidence, and conclusions into readable formal Persian without burying the sentence under nominalization and ezâfe.