فروشنده گفت که امروز گوشت گران است، اما مرغ ارزان است.

A very close breakdown is:

• فروشنده = seller / shopkeeper / vendor
• گفت = said
• که = that
• امروز = today
• گوشت = meat
• گران است = is expensive
• اما = but
• مرغ = chicken
• ارزان است = is cheap

So the structure is basically:

The seller said that today meat is expensive, but chicken is cheap.

که here means that and introduces what was said.

So:

• فروشنده گفت = the seller said
• فروشنده گفت که... = the seller said that...

This is very common in Persian after verbs like:

• گفتن = to say
• فکر کردن = to think
• دانستن = to know

In everyday English, we often omit that:

• The seller said meat is expensive today.

Persian often keeps که, especially in clear, standard sentences.

Persian word order is often different from English. In this sentence:

• امروز = today
• گوشت = meat
• گران است = is expensive

So literally it is:

Today meat expensive is.

That is normal Persian structure. Time words like امروز often come early in the sentence.

A useful pattern is:

[time] + [subject] + [adjective/noun] + [است]

For example:

• امروز هوا سرد است. = Today the weather is cold.
• این کتاب خوب است. = This book is good.

Because there are two separate clauses:

1. امروز گوشت گران است = today meat is expensive
2. مرغ ارزان است = chicken is cheap

Each clause needs its own is, which in Persian is است.

So:

• گوشت گران است
• مرغ ارزان است

Just like in English, you cannot normally say:

• meat is expensive, but chicken cheap

in a fully standard form. Persian also repeats the copula.

Yes, in this sentence است means is.

It is the 3rd person singular form of to be in formal Persian.

Examples:

• او خسته است. = He/She is tired.
• کتاب خوب است. = The book is good.
• گوشت گران است. = Meat is expensive.

In spoken Persian, است often changes in pronunciation or style. For example:

• formal: گران است
• spoken: گرونه

So learners will often see است in writing but hear a different spoken form.

Because they are predicate adjectives.

In Persian, when you say X is expensive/cheap/good/bad, the usual order is:

noun + adjective + است

So:

• گوشت گران است = meat is expensive
• مرغ ارزان است = chicken is cheap

This is different from English, where the adjective comes after is:

• meat is expensive
• chicken is cheap

But in Persian, it is:

• meat expensive is
• chicken cheap is

Persian usually does not require articles in the same way English does.

So:

• فروشنده can mean the seller, a seller, or just seller, depending on context.
• گوشت can mean meat in a general sense.
• مرغ can mean chicken in a general sense.

In this sentence, English naturally translates them with:

• The seller
• meat
• chicken

Persian often leaves definiteness and indefiniteness to context.

Yes, that is the most natural understanding here.

• گوشت = meat, usually meat in general
• مرغ = chicken

A learner should note that گوشت is broad, while مرغ is more specific.

Depending on context:

• گوشت may suggest red meat or meat generally
• مرغ usually means chicken, especially as food

So the contrast is natural:

• meat is expensive
• but chicken is cheap

اما means but.

It is a standard, written, and perfectly correct connector.

So:

• اما مرغ ارزان است = but chicken is cheap

Another very common word is ولی (also pronounced وَلی or وَلی/ولی depending on accent and style).

So you could also say:

• فروشنده گفت که امروز گوشت گران است، ولی مرغ ارزان است.

Both are correct.
Very roughly:

• اما can sound a bit more formal or written
• ولی is extremely common in speech

Sometimes yes, especially in less formal or more conversational Persian.

For example, you may hear something like:

• فروشنده گفت امروز گوشت گران است...

That can still be understood as:

• The seller said (that) meat is expensive today...

But using که is very standard and often clearer, especially for learners and in careful writing.

So for now, it is a good idea to learn:

• گفت که... = said that...

A spoken version would often be closer to:

فروشنده گفت که امروز گوشت گرونه، اما مرغ ارزونه.

Changes:

• گران است → گرونه
• ارزان است → ارزونه

This is very common in speech.

So you may see:

• written/formal: گران است
• spoken: گرونه

and:

• written/formal: ارزان است
• spoken: ارزونه

If you are learning to read, the written version is important.
If you are learning to speak, the spoken forms are also very useful.

A simple transliteration is:

forushande goft ke emruz gusht gerān ast, ammā morgh arizān ast

A more natural spoken-style pronunciation might be closer to:

forushande goft ke emruz gusht gerune, ammā morgh arzune

A few notes:

• فروشنده = forushande or forooshande
• گوشت = gusht
• مرغ = morgh
• ق/غ in words like گران and مرغ are pronounced with a Persian throat/back sound, not like English g

Yes, امروز can move, because Persian time expressions are somewhat flexible.

In your sentence:

• امروز گوشت گران است = today meat is expensive

This is very natural.

You could also hear:

• گوشت امروز گران است

But that can sometimes sound like today's meat or place more focus on today in relation to meat, so it is not always exactly the same in nuance.

For learners, امروز گوشت گران است is the safest and most natural pattern.

گفت is the simple past of گفتن = to say.

So:

• گفت = said

That means the reporting verb is in the past:

• The seller said...

But the content of what was said is in the present:

• گوشت گران است
• مرغ ارزان است

That combination is normal in both Persian and English:

• He said that it is expensive.
• He said that meat is expensive.

The comma helps separate the two parts of the sentence:

• فروشنده گفت که امروز گوشت گران است
• اما مرغ ارزان است

It makes the contrast clearer, just like in English:

• ..., but ...

Persian punctuation in modern writing is broadly similar to English punctuation, especially in edited text. The comma is helpful, though in informal writing people may be less strict about punctuation.