If you’re currently thinking ‘how can I learn Farsi fast?’ then this is the post for you.
In this post, I reveal the fastest way to learn Farsi including the exact resources you should use and a step-by-step plan to keep you on track.
Table of Contents
Best Way To Learn Farsi Quickly
Here are the best ways to learn Farsi quickly:
- Take a Farsi class. Try contacting local universities to see what they offer.
- Learn Farsi online using a language course. There are tons of online courses and apps that will teach you Farsi.
- Teach yourself Farsi using online resources. This is the cheapest way to learn Farsi, but also one of the best.
- Immerse yourself in Farsi culture. The best way to do this is to travel to a Farsi speaking country or to spend time with Farsi speakers in your own country.
Keep reading to find out the best online Farsi courses and how you can teach yourself Farsi using online resources.
In this post, I’ll share the exact resources you should use to learn Farsi and I’ll give you a roadmap to help you learn Farsi quickly.
How To Teach Yourself Farsi – Exact Resources & Plan
If you’re brand new to learning Farsi then here’s my exact plan on how you can get yourself from a complete beginner to an advanced speaker FAST.
This method doesn’t cost a lot of money as most of the resources can be found for free online.
All you need to do is commit to learning Farsi and follow this step by step plan to learn Farsi fast.
Here’s a quick overview of my method:
- Learn the Farsi alphabet.
- Learn the 1,000 most common Farsi words.
- Immerse yourself in the Farsi Language.
- Study Farsi grammar.
I cover each of these steps below in more detail, providing you with the exact resources you should use and more.
1. Learn the Alphabet
Before you start anything else, spend a few days learning the Persian script.
Farsi uses a modified version of the Arabic alphabet. It contains 4 extra letters that represent sounds that Farsi has but Arabic doesn’t.
Even if you only want to be able to speak the language, it’s still worth learning the Persian script for a variety of reasons.
The main reason is that you open yourself up to a wider variety of learning materials.
For example, there are lots of engaging and fun books written in Farsi which serve as a great resource for improving your comprehension of Farsi.
This may seem like a daunting task but it’s actually much easier than you think.
How To Learn The Farsi Alphabet Fast
If you do it right, you only need to spend a day or two learning the Farsi script.
Yes, it’s that easy.
To be completely honest, as long as you’re familiar with each letter and the sound it makes, you can start on the next step straight away.
Over time, as you listen and read more of the language, you’ll consolidate what you’ve learnt and you’ll be able to read Farsi with ease.
To learn the Farsi alphabet, I’d recommend you use this Quizlet set.
This set contains all 32 letters and shows both the singular letter and how the letter looks in a word.
As letters become joined together when they form a word in Farsi, they often look slightly different and it can be hard to recognize them so it’s great that this Quizlet set includes both forms.
For example, the letter ج looks like this is a word ججج.
Additionally, it also has audio so you can hear the sound of each letter.
Quizlet features lots of fun games and exercises that you can use to practice the letters like matching games.
I’d recommend doing the games until you feel like you can recognize most of the letters then move onto the next step.
2. Learn the Most Common 1,000 Farsi Words
After learning the alphabet, the next thing you should do if you want to learn Farsi fast is learn the most common 1,000 Farsi words.
Did you know that the most common 1,000 Farsi words account for about 80% of spoken Farsi?
That’s crazy!
This means that if you commit to learning these first 1,000 words, you’ll already be able to understand 80% of what you hear.
The time it takes to learn these words completely depends on how much time you can give to learning each day.
If you learn 50 new words each day, it will only take you 20 days to learn all 1,000.
However, if you only learn 10 words a day, it will take you 100 days.
I’d recommend putting as much time as you can towards learning these words.
Remember the more words you learn each day, the faster your progress.
How Can I Learn 1,000 Farsi Words Fast?
First you’ll need to find the most common 1,000 words in Farsi.
To make this super easy, I’ve done all the hard work for you and put together a list of the 1,000 most common words.
My 1,000 Farsi Most Common Words PDF
Alternatively, if you’d prefer to start with the most common 100 words, grab my free PDF below…
The easiest and fastest way to learn this many words in the most efficient way possible is by using a spaced repetition flashcard app.
My personal favorite is Anki but there are many other apps available that do the same thing (just search on your phone’s app store).
Spaced repetition is a scientifically proven learning technique where new flashcards and more difficult flashcards are shown more frequently and less difficult and older flashcards are shown less frequently.
This ensures you’re not wasting any time studying flashcards you already know well.
It is the most effective way to learn new vocabulary fast. I always use it when I need to learn lots of vocabulary.
3. Start Immersing Yourself in Farsi
After you’ve learned the most common 1,000 words in Farsi, it’s time to start absorbing the Farsi language by enjoying as much Farsi content as possible.
This can range from books, to films or even music. There’s so much choice.
The idea here is to watch, read or listen to as much Farsi as you can.
As you’ve already learnt the most common 1,000 words, you’ll understand a lot already.
Even if you don’t always know every word in a sentence, you’ll know enough to figure out the general meaning.
Keep Learning New Words
Don’t forget to keep learning new words.
When you come across a new word that you think will be useful, add it to your flashcard app and learn it.
Remember to keep using a spaced repetition flashcard app like Anki so you don’t waste any time.
You don’t have to add every single new word that you come across as you’d end up spending more time adding flashcards than actually absorbing the language.
As a general rule, if you’ve noticed a new word come up at least twice, it’s worth learning it.
I generally set a specific time each day to do my flashcards – 20 minutes a day is plenty.
Why not do them whilst you eat your breakfast, commute to work or walk the dog?
How To Immerse Yourself in Farsi
Here’s some resources to get you started with this immersion technique:
Books
If you like reading then Farsi books are a great way to immerse yourself in the language.
One benefit of books is that you can drastically increase your vocabulary and it’s easy to look up new words.
Here’s a few of my favorites:
This book features a collection of 30 children’s bedtime stories in Farsi.
The stories included are traditional Iranian stories so you also get an insight into Iranian culture.
It’s a great place to start as the language used here is fairly simple (it’s written for kids after all).
They also include an English translation so you can easily look up any words you don’t know.
This book features 12 short stories in Farsi followed by a series of exercises to test your comprehension of the story.
The stories are simple and perfectly suited to someone just starting out with Farsi.
This book features 100 fun, interesting stories in Farsi.
The book covers a diverse range of grammar structures and vocabulary to help you improve your Farsi.
It’s specifically designed for learners of Farsi so it won’t be too advanced for you.
Movies
One benefit of watching movies in Farsi is that it is a fun and engaging activity. You’re unlikely to get bored so it’s easy to absorb a lot of content.
You can often find great Farsi films on Netflix, Amazon Prime and other streaming services.
Many Farsi movies can also be found on YouTube.
Here’s a few of the best:
- A Separation
- Children of Heaven
- The Past
- Fireworks Wednesday
- The Lizard
- About Elly
- The Cow
- So Close, So Far
Many of these films are available on Netflix and Amazon Prime however it does depend on which country you’re in. Unfortunately they are not available in all locations.
I did find that many of these films have been uploaded to YouTube too, so check there if you can’t find them on your streaming services.
Iranian films are actually world-renowned and have been recognized at many international film festivals including the Oscars and the Golden Globes.
YouTube
YouTube is by far the best free place to find tons of Farsi content.
From kids shows to Iranian vloggers and more, you’ll definitely find something you enjoy here.
The best tip I can give is to find a YouTube channel that is about a topic you’re already passionate about.
For example, if you love cooking then find a Farsi speaking channel about cooking! It’s as simple as that.
If you’re struggling to find any then I’d recommend going to Google Translate and inputting the topic you’re interested in.
Copy and paste the Farsi into YouTube and, voila, tons of interesting Farsi language videos.
Here’s a few great Farsi YouTube channels to get you started:
This YouTube channel has lots of short animated videos in Farsi. These all focus on various fairy tales.
This YouTube channel aims to show what life is really like in Iran.
They go out and about in Iran and ask local Iranians what they think about various topics e.g. what countries do Iranians like the most?
As the videos feature actual Iranian people in Iran, they use language that is actually spoken every single day so it’s ideal for learners.
Here’s one of their most popular videos:
Khotan is an Iranian YouTuber who currently lives in Turkey but is originally from Tehran, Iran.
She uploads daily videos in Farsi covering a range of topics including challenges, reaction videos, pranks and more.
These super fun videos are really engaging and are a great way to improve your Farsi skills.
Here’s one of Khotan’s most famous videos:
4. Study Farsi Grammar
Alongside immersing yourself in Farsi by reading and listening to as much Farsi content as possible, it’s definitely worth your time to study basic grammar.
This will help speed along your progress as it will take longer to become fluent if you just try to figure it out on your own.
Luckily for you, Farsi grammar is actually fairly simple. There’s no gender and there are few exceptions to grammar rules.
This doesn’t have to take a huge amount of time, all you need to do is understand the basic grammar concepts.
I’d recommend either purchasing a book which covers Farsi grammar or alternatively you can find lots of informative videos on YouTube.
If you want to purchase a book, I’d recommend Persian in Use: An Elementary Textbook of Language and Culture.
This book will teach you all of the grammar that you’ll need to know and has really simple, easy-to-understand explanations.
If you prefer to learn from YouTube then I’d recommend the Persian Learning channel.
This channel is run by Majid who has a variety of videos covering grammar, useful vocabulary, conversation practice and more.
He also has a short stories in Farsi series which is great for immersing yourself in the language.
Here’s one of his best videos:
Best Online Farsi Courses
If you’d prefer to use an online Farsi course for a more structured learning plan, then here are the best ones out there.
You can use one of these courses alongside the methods I explained above or as a stand-alone method.
To learn Farsi in the fastest time possible, I’d recommend doing one of these courses alongside the method I discussed earlier.
If you like using apps, check out my ultimate list of the best apps to learn Farsi.
1. Pimsleur Farsi
Pimsleur Farsi is a fantastic audio course that will get you speaking from day 1.
I have personally used Pimsleur many times in the past for various languages and have found it to be one of the best language courses out there.
This course is perfect for anyone who wants to focus on being able to speak the language (rather than reading and writing).
The course teaches you the most useful words and phrases first, then builds on it.
There’s no memorizing and no boring grammar. The best bit is, you remember everything you learn!
I honestly can’t recommend Pimsleur enough.
You can try the first Pimsleur Farsi lesson for free to see if you like it.
2. Glossika
Glossika Farsi is a great resource for building up vocabulary and learning to speak the language fluently. It is also an audio based course.
Glossika is ideally suited to someone who isn’t a complete beginner.
If you’ve learnt the most common 1,000 Farsi words (I discussed exactly how earlier in the post) then the Glossika Farsi course is the most ideal next step.
The best thing about Glossika is that they help you to acquire the language (rather than memorizing). It’s a fun, easy and effective way to learn Farsi.
The idea is that you absorb the language. No boring grammar and no memorizing.
3. Rosetta Stone
Rosetta Stone Farsi uses an immersion approach to teach you Farsi.
They allow you to immerse yourself in real-life scenarios rather than spending hours memorizing words and grammar.
This course is very comprehensive, meaning it has everything you need to go from a complete beginner to advanced speaker.
Rosetta Stone is very effective and is even used by the US State Department to teach languages.
How Long Does it Take to Learn Farsi Fluently?
On average, it will take you 1100 hours to learn Farsi to a fluent level.
This estimate is based on the language classification system created by the Foreign Service Institute (FSI).
The FSI has been teaching languages for over 25 years to US government employees and over the years they have classified the languages in terms of difficulty.
They placed Farsi in category III which they say takes approximately 1100 hours to learn to a ‘professional working proficiency’.
If you are able to dedicate 25 hours per week to learning Farsi, then you can achieve this in just 44 weeks!
To work out how long it will take you to learn Farsi, follow these steps:
- How many hours can you study Farsi each day?
- Divide 1100 by the number of hours you can study per day.
- For example, if you can study 3 hours a day, the calculation would be 1100/3 = 367.
- Then divide this number by 7 to work out how many weeks it will take you.
- For example, 367/7 = 52.
- This means that if you can dedicate 3 hours a day to learning Farsi, it will take you 52 weeks (or 1 year exactly) to learn Farsi fluently.
Thanks for reading this post on the best way to learn Farsi quickly.
Now that you have gotten a glimpse into the fastest way to learn Farsi, it’s time to embark on your own journey!
Below are a few links to help you get started:
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