هرگز

Persian

Etymology

Through the common Modern Persian metathesis of Middle Persian 𐭧𐭪𐭫𐭰 (ḥklc /⁠hagriz⁠/, “ever, never”), from Old Persian 𐏃𐎣𐎼𐎶𐎨𐎡𐎹 (hakara-mciy, “once”), from earlier [script needed] (*ha-k(a)r), from Proto-Indo-European *sm̥-kr̥t (“one time”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Persian) IPA^(key): [haɾ.ˈɡiz]

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [häɾ.ɡɪ́z]

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [häɾ.ɡɪ́z]
  • (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [ʔäɾ.ɡɪ́z]
  • (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [ʔäɾ.ɡíz]

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [hæɹ.ɡʲéz]

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [häɾ.ɡíz]

Readings
Classical reading?	hargiz
Dari reading?	hargiz
Iranian reading?	hargez
Tajik reading?	hargiz

Adverb

هَرگِز • (hargez)

Dari	هرگز
Iranian Persian
Tajik	ҳаргиз

1. (in positive constructions) ever

   Synonym: هیچ‌وقت (hič-vaqt)

   آیا هرگز به پاریس رفته‌اید؟ (more literary)

   âyâ hargez be pâris rafte-id?

   Have you ever gone to Paris?

   • c. 1260s, Jalāl ad-Dīn Mohammad Rūmī, translated by Reynold A. Nicholson, مثنوی معنوی [Masnavi-ye-Ma'navi], volume II, verse 422:

     بانگ سگ هرگز رسد در گوش ماه
     خاصه ماهی کاو بود خاص اله

     bâng-e sag hargez resad dar guš-e mâh
     xâsse mâhi k-u bud xâss-e elâh

     Does the dog's bark ever reach the moon's ear, especially that Moon who is the chosen of God?

2. (in negative constructions) ever; never

   Synonym: هیچ‌وقت (hič-vaqt)

   او هرگز سفر نکرده است. (more literary)

   u hargez safar na-karde-ast.

   اون هرگز سفر نکرده. (more colloquial)

   un hargez safar na-karde.

   He has never travelled.

   • c. 1260s, Jalāl ad-Dīn Mohammad Rūmī, translated by Reynold A. Nicholson, مثنوی معنوی [Masnavi-ye-Ma'navi], volume I, verse 826:

     هرگز ای آتش تو صابر نیستی
     چون نسوزی چیست قادر نیستی

     hargez ey âtaš to sâber nisti
     čon na-suzi či-st qâder nisti

     Never, o fire, art thou patient: how burnest thou not? What is it? Hast thou not the power?

   • 1500s, ʿUrfī Shīrāzī, “Ghazal 28”, in دیوان:

     زخم ها برداشتیم و فتح ها کردیم، لیک
     هرگز از خون کسی رنگین نشد میدان ما

     zaxm-hâ bardâštim o fath-hâ kardim, lik
     hargez az xun-e kasi rangin na-šod meydân-e mâ

     We suffered wounds, we scored victories, but our fields were never stained by anybody's blood.

3. perpetually (with negative meaning)

Descendants

• → Azerbaijani: hərgiz
• → Bengali: হরগিজ (horgij), হরগেজ (horgej)
• → Central Kurdish: ھەرگیز (hergîz)
• → Gujarati: હરગિજ (hargij)
• → Hindustani: hargiz

  Hindi: हरगिज़

  Urdu: ہَرْگِز (hargiz)

• → Maithili: hargij

  Devanagari script: हरगिज

  Tirhuta script: 𑒯𑒩𑒑𑒱𑒖

• → Marwari: हरगिज (hargij)
• → Punjabi: hargiz

  Gurmukhi script: ਹਰਗਿਜ਼

  Shahmukhi script: ہَرْگِز

• → Sindhi: هَرِگِزِ
• → Uyghur: ھەرگىز (hergiz)

References

• Steingass, Francis Joseph (1892) “هرگز”, in A Comprehensive Persian–English dictionary, London: Routledge & K. Paul