Learning Persian Language from Scratch

Update Date: July 18, 2024

What do you think about learning Persian language? Do you know authentic sources for productive learning? Do you know how to start learning Persian language? The following parts answer your questions, so keep reading.

Learning a new language is an exciting journey, and starting from scratch can be both fun and rewarding. If you’ve been curious about Persian culture, poetry, learning Persian language might be the perfect adventure for you. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the basics of learning Persian from scratch. We’ll start with simple words and phrases, and gradually build up your skills. So, are you ready to dive into the world of Persian? Keep reading to discover how you can start learning Persian today.

Persian or Farsi?

Have you ever heard or read something in Persian? Have you ever seen a text written in Persian? If yes, you may discover two different words to call this beautiful language, i.e., Persian and Farsi. First, we should answer Yes! In truth, Persian and Farsi are correct words when learning the Persian language, but they have some historical differences.

Generally speaking, Persian was for Persia’s people (the name used for ancient Iranian until the early 20^th century) that they used natively. After many years this name (or calling) changed, so in modern-day Iran, native speakers speak Farsi. Hence, People around the world know both names, Persian or Farsi, as the official language of Iran.

Persian Alphabets for Learning Persian Language

People use them interchangeably with no difference; in this case, we use both words alternatively, too. At the present time, if you are eager to learn Persian (Farsi), like other languages, you’ll definitely need to start with Persian Alphabet.

The first thing to remember is to start learning Persian language; first, we need to know its letters and sounds and then practice some examples to use in everyday conversation. For this purpose, you must know that there are 32 letters in Farsi but before this, pay attention to these points:

In general, Iranian people write Farsi (or Persian) from right to left (the opposite of English);
Honestly, there are vowels and consonants in every language. For example, there are five vowels in English (a – e – u – o – I). This is true for other languages like Persian, French, German, etc. Farsi vowels are essential in writing and speaking to understand the meaning of words (except on chatting!).

Take the case of some examples to illustrate the Persian alphabet and its sounds clearly. Subsequently, we describe them in words with English equivalents for ease of reading and understanding.

Persian Alphabet Letters

As I have shown, Farsi Alphabet consists of 32 letters:

*آ / ا : is written ” آ ” and ” ا ” ( 2 forms). ” آ ” is “alef” and it sounds “a:” or “a”; while ” ا ” has more sounds: ‘ e,o, a ’ and ‘ae’ like آبادی ( /a:badi/) (means “village”) ” آ ” sounds /a:/ and ” ا ” sound “a” here.

پ *: As I have said, Iranian letters and Arabic are the same, although there are four more letters in Farsi, including:

پ : /p/
گ : /g/
ژ : /zh/
چ : /ch/

Learning Persian language for beginners — Learn the Persian alphabet to be able to make words and sentences.

اورژانس*:Obviously, if “و” or “ی” come at the beginning of a word (and it sounds “o” not “v,” you will learn more new words with their proper pronunciation further), you must add “ا” before it (او، ای).

Two Essential Lessons about Learning Persian Language

As I have noted above, some letters stick to specific parts of letters and get a different small shape on their length. Those are: “ب، پ، ت، ث، ج، چ، ح، خ، س، ش، ص، ض، ط، ظ، ع، غ، ف، ق، ک، ل، م، ن، ه، ی”. Consequently, their shape will change (in one extended example!): “بپتثجچحخسشصضطظعغفقکگلمنهیه…”
With attention to the table, remember that vowels won’t be written. For example (in English): ‘wndrfl’; immediately, you fail to guess what it means. Because they are just some meaningless consonants; however, if you write ‘wonderful,’ you can understand what it means. In other words, by adding some vowels to these consonants, we make a particular, meaningful word. Though, in Persian, there is a different construction, and words include consonants, not vowels. Another key point is that the only difference between some words is having different vowels (like the cases in the table). Even though it might have been confusing, practicing and habiting eyes will be too easy for you!

Similarities between Learning Persian Language and Arabic

As a matter of fact, keep in mind that Persian has many words equal to Arabic that can help learn Farsi easier (also, their writing is the same), for example, ادب (propriety – decorum), دین (religion), ورقه (sheet);
In contrast, in English, singular words are potentially changed to plural by adding ‘s’ or ‘es’ to the end of nouns (some exceptions have different rules ). Pluralizing in Persian, “ها” (/ha/) have to be added to the noun. For example: کتاب (book) : کتاب ها (کتابها) (books), کلاه (hat) : کلاه ها (hats). It is important to realize that there are some exceptions, like English (these are the same as Arabic). As a result, pay attention carefully to this table:

singular and plural rules in learning Persian language — singular and plural rules in learning the Persian language

کرات*: for pluralizing, if we have “ه” at the end of a word, it will be deleted. Indeed, there is a long list of these exceptions, which don’t have any specific rule like Irregular Verbs in English. In fact, they have to be memorized. Up to the present time, many new words have been invented and used for technology, new science, new inventions, etc., and there aren’t any particular equivalent words in Farsi. Therefore, they’ll be used the same. Honestly, this is a good chance for new Farsi learners!

Some examples of English Words in Farsi

Without a doubt, it’s a good time to read a short Farsi text to understand and learn a little more:

“من یک ایرانی هستم. اهل تهران، پایتخت ایران

/maen/ /yek/ /Irani/ /haestaem/ /aehl-e/ /Tehran/ /paytaekht-e/ /Iran/

I’m Iranian. I’m from Tehran, the capital of Iran.

.دانش آموزهستم و 12 سال دارم

/danesh amu:z//haestaem//va//daeva:zdaeh//sa:l//daraem/.

I’m a student, and I’m 12 years old.

.من هرروز به جز پنجشنبه ها به مدرسه می روم

/maen//haer-ru:z//be-joz//paenj-shaenbe-ha//be//maedreseh/ /miraevaem/

I go to school every day except Thursdays.

چند سالی هست که مدرسه ها، پنجشنبه ها را مثل بسیاری از کشورها تعطیل هستند اما در ادارات، قانون متفاوت است

/chaend//sali//haest//ke//maedreseh-ha//paenjshaenbeh-ha/ /mesl-e/ /besyari/ /az/ /keshvaerha/ /ta`til/ /haestaend/ /aemma/ /daer/ /edara:t/ /gha:nun/ /motaefavet/ /aest/.

It’s several years that schools are closed on Thursday like many other countries, but there some different rules on offices.

ساعات کاری ادارات به طور معمول، 8 صبح تا 2 بعدازظهر است درحالی که پنجشنبه ها کمتر و از 8 صبح تا 12 ظهر می باشد

/saa`t-e/ /kari-e/ /eda:ra:t/ /be/ /tor-e/ /mamu:l/ /haesht-e/ /sobh/ /ta:/ /do-e/ /bae`d-aez-zohr/ /aest/ /daer-ha:li-ke/ /paenjshaenbeh-ha/ /kaemtaer/ /vae/ /aez/ /haesht-e/ /sobh/ /ta:/ /daeva:zdaeh-e/ /zohr/ /miba:shaed/.

They generally work between 8 a.m and 14 p.m, while on Thursdays, they work less, 8 a.m to 12 p.m.

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