An Iranian refugee, whose estranged boyfriend used her hijab to strangle her until she passed out, has told Adelaide's Supreme Court she is "confused" by his actions and was urged by others to drop the charges.

Qasem Gardi, an Afghani refugee, was found guilty by a judge of attempting to murder the then 18-year-old woman in October last year and will be sentenced next week.

The court heard how Gardi, 20, drove the girl to Para Vista and strangled her with her hijab and his hands.

The teenager, whom the ABC has chosen not to name at her request, said the relationship was against her family's cultural beliefs and she felt she had lost their trust.

She arrived in Australia as a refugee from Iran in 2011 and said she also struggled to trust others and was overwhelmed with fear and nightmares.

"I'm still greatly confused by his actions," she told the court.

"I found it very difficult to get my life back to normal, as I felt an outcast amongst my peers.

"I feel numb, disconnected and unable to trust people."

She said some people urged her to drop the charges.

"I have been under great pressure to keep my experience unknown," she said.

"Your actions and behaviours are unforgivable."

Gardi's lawyer, Ahura Kalali, said the relationship had to be kept a secret because of the couple's cultural backgrounds.

"It was due to their culture that the relationship had to be kept a secret and that was divisive," he said.

"In my submission, it was divisive for both of them.

"They were young 17-year-olds in a free society bound by their own cultural difficulties."

He said his client was separated from his immediate family at about the age of 10, and lived in Iran and Pakistan before coming to Australia alone as a 16-year-old.

Mr Kalali said Gardi was emotionally immature and formed a strong emotional bond with the girl.

"The relationship went well to begin with but it began to fracture and it appears that Mr Gardi found it very difficult to accept," he said.

"It also appears that at the time he had put all of his emotional bond into the complainant given that he had been separated from his family.

"He believed he was trying to do the right thing culturally to stand by her."

'Garden variety domestic violence'

But prosecutor Lucy Boord said Gardi's actions amounted to a "garden variety example of domestic violence".

"It wasn't an act that took place in a matter of mere seconds," she said.

"This was an act where Mr Gardi had a box cutter to restrain [the victim] to then take her away to a different location."

She said the girl was strangled three different times in three ways — the first two times whilst the car was stopped and then when he was driving.

It is not known why Gardi eventually stopped the attack and called an ambulance.

Audio of the triple-0 call included Gardi saying he tried to kill her.

Gardi will be sentenced on December 18.