عرض کردن arz kardan: to Say Humbly | Farsi Grammar

عرض کردن is a self-lowering counterpart of neutral گفتن “say.” A speaker uses it for their own act of speaking upward or deferentially: می‌خواستم عرض کنم... “I wanted to say...” The expression does not make the information humble; it presents the speaker's contribution as modest in relation to the addressee.

This direction matters. استاد فرمودند raises the professor, whereas به استاد عرض کردم lowers the person speaking to the professor. Both belong to the Iranian politeness system often called تعارف, but they point in opposite social directions. In relaxed talk among close friends, ordinary گفتم is normally preferable.

Principal parts and the کردن paradigm

Form	Persian	Romanization	Typical value
infinitive	عرض کردن	arz kardan	to say/submit humbly
past base	عرض کرد	arz kard	عرض کردم
present base	عرض کن	arz kon	عرض می‌کنم
past participle	عرض کرده	arz karde	عرض کرده‌ام
subjunctive	عرض کنم	arz konam	that I say respectfully
negative	عرض نمی‌کنم / عرض نکردم	arz nemi-konam / arz na-kardam	do not say / did not say

Only کردن inflects; عرض stays fixed and remains a separate word. As with many compounds, affirmative subjunctives normally lack بـ: عرض کنم, not عرض بکنم in careful standard prose. The present, past, perfect, and subjunctive forms are morphologically regular.

Person	Present indicative	Simple past	Present perfect	Present subjunctive
I	عرض می‌کنم	عرض کردم	عرض کرده‌ام	عرض کنم
you (sg.)	عرض می‌کنی	عرض کردی	عرض کرده‌ای	عرض کنی
he/she/it	عرض می‌کند	عرض کرد	عرض کرده است	عرض کند
we	عرض می‌کنیم	عرض کردیم	عرض کرده‌ایم	عرض کنیم
you (pl./polite)	عرض می‌کنید	عرض کردید	عرض کرده‌اید	عرض کنید
they	عرض می‌کنند	عرض کردند	عرض کرده‌اند	عرض کنند

The whole table describes grammatical possibility, not equal frequency. First-person عرض می‌کنم، عرض کردم، عرض کنیم dominate because the predicate conventionally lowers the current speaker or the group represented by that speaker. Third-person او عرض کرد is possible when reporting that someone else spoke deferentially to a socially higher person. A second-person form can describe such an earlier act, but directly telling a respected person شما عرض کنید reverses the expected direction.

پیش از شروع جلسه عرض کردم که گزارش هنوز کامل نیست.

pish az shoru'-e jalse arz kardam ke gozâresh hanuz kâmel nist.

Before the meeting began, I respectfully said that the report was not yet complete. (formal/deferential)

این نکته را قبلا هم خدمت شما عرض کرده‌ام.

in nokte râ qablan ham khedmat-e shomâ arz karde-am.

I have mentioned this point to you before as well. (polite careful speech)

نماینده عرض کرد که برای پاسخ دقیق‌تر به زمان بیشتری نیاز دارد.

namâyande arz kard ke barâ-ye pâsokh-e daqiq-tar be zamân-e bishtari niyâz dârad.

The representative respectfully stated that he needed more time for a precise answer. (formal report of upward speech)

First-person humility and خدمت شما

The optional phrase خدمت شما literally evokes being “at your service,” but inside خدمت شما عرض کنم it marks the respected addressee: “let me say to you.” It is not a direct object and therefore does not take را. The content follows as a که clause, a quotation, or a noun phrase marked with را when definite.

خدمت شما عرض کنم که این تصمیم هنوز قطعی نشده است.

khedmat-e shomâ arz konam ke in tasmim hanuz qat'i na-shode ast.

Let me tell you that this decision has not yet been finalized. (polite/formal)

موضوع اصلی را در پایان عرایضم خدمتتان عرض می‌کنم.

mozhu'-e asli râ dar pâyân-e arâyez-am khedmat-etân arz mi-konam.

I will present the main point to you at the end of my remarks. (highly formal; عرایض is a self-lowering plural)

Possessive خدمتتان is a compact alternative to خدمت شما. Tehran conversation often has خدمتتون عرض کنم (informal, regional: Tehran). Although its pronunciation is colloquial, the formula still signals deference and often precedes an explanation, objection, or correction.

خدمتتون عرض کنم، ما این مبلغ رو همون روز واریز کردیم.

khedmat-etun arz konam, mâ in mablagh ro hamun ruz vâriz kardim.

Let me tell you, we transferred this amount that same day. (informal, regional: Tehran; deferential explanation)

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Track whose status the verb encodes. عرض کردم lowers “I,” while فرمودید raises “you.” English often translates both simply as “said,” so the Persian social geometry disappears in translation.

Softening requests, objections, and corrections

The past progressive formula می‌خواستم عرض کنم... literally means “I wanted to say...” and softens an intervention by placing the wish at one remove. Its past morphology does not necessarily locate the speaking in past time. خواستم عرض کنم... is also current, somewhat more direct, and frequent in calls and meetings.

می‌خواستم عرض کنم که صورت‌حساب برای من ارسال نشده است.

mi-khâstam arz konam ke surat-hesâb barâ-ye man ersâl na-shode ast.

I wanted to mention that the invoice has not been sent to me. (polite/formal complaint)

اگر اجازه بدهید، نکته‌ای درباره‌ی روش پژوهش عرض کنم.

agar ejâze be-dehid, nokte-i darbâre-ye ravesh-e pazhuhesh arz konam.

If you permit me, let me make a point about the research method. (academic/deferential)

با احترام عرض می‌کنم که این برداشت با متن قرارداد سازگار نیست.

bâ ehterâm arz mi-konam ke in bardâsht bâ matn-e qarârdâd sâzgâr nist.

With respect, I submit that this interpretation is not consistent with the contract. (formal disagreement)

These formulas mitigate the social act; they do not erase disagreement. Tone and context still matter. A long preface of humility before a blunt accusation can sound strategic or sarcastic rather than polite.

Greeting and turn-opening formulas

سلام عرض می‌کنم is a respectful “hello,” especially in broadcasting, speeches, customer contact, and calls (formal/polite). Short عرض می‌کنم may acknowledge that the speaker is listening or is about to respond, but it is less semantically empty than بفرمایید.

سلام عرض می‌کنم؛ از دفتر دکتر نادری تماس می‌گیرم.

salâm arz mi-konam; az daftar-e doktor-e nâderi tamâs mi-giram.

Hello; I’m calling from Dr. Naderi’s office. (polite telephone opening)

— بفرمایید، صدایتان را می‌شنوم. — عرض می‌کنم که پرونده پیدا شد.

— be-farmâyid, sedâ-yetân râ mi-shenavam. — arz mi-konam ke parvande peydâ shod.

‘Go ahead, I can hear you.’ ‘I’m calling to say that the file has been found.’ (polite phone exchange)

The contrast with فرمودن is clearest here: the listener invites the caller to speak with بفرمایید; the caller self-lowers with عرض می‌کنم.

Institutional formulas and bureaucratic overuse

Official letters conventionally contain impersonal third-person formulas such as به عرض می‌رساند که... “it is hereby submitted that...” or به استحضار می‌رساند که... “it is hereby brought to your attention...” (formal/administrative). Here رساندن replaces کردن, and the omitted institutional sender is understood.

به عرض می‌رساند که مهلت ثبت‌نام تا پایان هفته تمدید شده است.

be arz mi-rasânad ke mohlat-e sabt-nâm tâ pâyân-e hafte tamdid shode ast.

Please be advised that the registration deadline has been extended through the end of the week. (formal/administrative)

This is an established written formula, not a model for every email. To a colleague, می‌خواستم یادآوری کنم که... “I wanted to remind you...” is usually clearer. Repeated عرض می‌کنم، به عرض می‌رسانم، عرایض بنده can make ordinary correspondence needlessly ceremonial and may create unwanted social distance.

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Politeness is not proportional to the number of deferential formulas. Choose عرض کردن when the relationship or speech event licenses self-lowering; use neutral گفتن، توضیح دادن، یادآوری کردن when clarity and collegial equality matter more.

The unrelated noun عرض

The Arabic-derived noun عرض also means “width,” as in طول و عرض اتاق “the length and width of the room.” That sense forms other predicates, including عرض داشتن “to have a width.” It is not an honorific speech act. Context and the light verb keep the meanings apart.

این میز یک متر عرض دارد و از در رد نمی‌شود.

in miz yek metr arz dârad va az dar rad nemi-shavad.

This table is one meter wide and will not fit through the door. (neutral; عرض means ‘width’)

Common Mistakes

1. Using self-lowering عرض کردن for the respected addressee

When directly asking a professor what they said to you, چه عرض کردید؟ points in the wrong social direction. It is grammatical only when describing the professor’s own deferential speech upward, not as honorification of the professor. In the intended exchange, use:

✅ استاد، شما چه فرمودید؟

ostâd, shomâ che farmudid?

Professor, what did you say? (respectful)

2. Marking خدمت شما as a direct object

❌ خدمت شما را عرض کنم که جلسه لغو شده.

Incorrect — خدمت شما marks the respected recipient and does not take را here.

✅ خدمت شما عرض کنم که زمان جلسه تغییر کرده است.

khedmat-e shomâ arz konam ke zamân-e jalse taghyir karde ast.

Let me tell you that the meeting time has changed. (polite/formal)

3. Attaching the imperfective prefix to عرض

❌ این نکته را می‌عرض کنم.

Incorrect — only the light verb کردن carries tense and aspect.

✅ این نکته را با اجازه عرض می‌کنم.

in nokte râ bâ ejâze arz mi-konam.

With your permission, I make this point. (formal/deferential)

4. Using a first-person honorific verb instead of a humble one

به مدیر فرمودم... can literally mean “I ordered the manager...” or sound mock-grandiose. It is not the self-lowering report intended here. Use:

✅ به مدیر عرض کردم که گزارش آماده است.

be modir arz kardam ke gozâresh âmâde ast.

I respectfully told the manager that the report was ready.

5. Joining the compound as one written word

❌ مطلب را عرض‌کردم.

Incorrect standard spacing — the noun and light verb are separate words.

✅ مطلب را کوتاه عرض کردم و نشستم.

matlab râ kutâh arz kardam va neshastam.

I stated the point briefly and sat down. (formal/deferential)

Key Takeaways

عرض کردن normally lowers the speaker; فرمودن raises a respected speaker.
First-person forms predominate socially even though the کردن paradigm is complete.
خدمت شما عرض کنم که... introduces respectful speech; خدمت شما never takes را in this frame.
می‌خواستم عرض کنم... softens requests, objections, and corrections.
Institutional به عرض می‌رساند is valid administrative prose, but it is too ceremonial for many ordinary messages.

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