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Is It Easy For Arabic Speakers To Learn Farsi?

If you already speak Arabic then you may be wondering ‘is it easy for Arabic speakers to learn Farsi?’

Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered.

This article goes into detail on if knowing Arabic makes learning Farsi easier and how long it will take you to learn Farsi.

Is it Hard to Learn Persian for Arabic Speakers? 

The short answer is that knowing Arabic doesn’t make learning Farsi much easier.

However, knowing Arabic will give you a few advantages if you do decide to start learning Farsi.

Firstly, Farsi uses the same script as Arabic.

Farsi did, at one time, have it’s own script but after the Muslim conquest of Persia in the 7th century they adopted the Arabic script.

Find out more about why Farsi uses the Arabic script.

This means that you won’t have to spend hours learning a brand new script which will give you a headstart over others who don’t know Arabic.

One thing to bear in mind though is that the letters have slightly different pronunciations in Farsi so you will have to learn these.

Farsi does also have 4 additional letters that Arabic doesn’t have.

Whilst knowing the script will give you a headstart, it doesn’t help you understand the language at all.

For example, as an English speaker you can easily read French, Spanish or Italian but that doesn’t mean you can understand what any of it means.

Secondly, Farsi uses a lot of Arabic loanwords.

Due to both geographical proximity and history, Farsi has incorporated many words from Arabic (and likewise, Arabic has many loanwords from Farsi).

Although Arabic loanwords are common, the pronunciation and the meaning of these words are sometimes different from their original usage in Arabic. 

This means that, whilst you may come across a familiar word in Farsi that has been derived from Arabic, it may actually have a different meaning.

For example, the word ​​جامعه means ‘university’ in Arabic but actually means ‘society’ in Farsi.

This can actually make learning Farsi harder for those who already speak Arabic.

Additionally, Farsi has a lot of French loanwords which Arabic speakers wouldn’t understand.

However, besides the Arabic loanwords and the script, knowing Arabic will not make learning Farsi any easier.

This is because the languages are not related at all and actually come from two completely different language families. 

Language families group together languages which descend from one common ancestral language.

Farsi is an Iranian language belonging to the Indo-European language family meaning it is more closely related to languages in this family like Hindi, Urdu and even European languages like English.

Arabic, on the other hand, is a Semitic language belonging to the Afro-Asiatic language family and is most closely related to Hebrew.

The list of differences between the two languages are endless but in a nutshell:

  • Farsi has completely different grammar to Arabic.
  • Farsi has 4 extra letters in the alphabet.
  • Some words of Arabic origin have changed meaning in Farsi.
  • Words are pronounced differently.
  • The structure of the two languages are completely different.

These reasons, amongst others, mean that learning Farsi isn’t much easier even if you speak Arabic.

How Long Does it Take to Learn Farsi for Arabic Speakers?

Speaking Arabic won’t really save you much time when learning Farsi.

Although you will have the advantage of already knowing the script and a few loanwords, you will have to learn a completely different style of grammar, structure and pronunciation.

Bearing this in mind, on average it would take about 1100 hours or 44 weeks to learn Farsi. 

This assumes you do 25 hours of studying a week. If you’re not able to dedicate this much time to learning Farsi it may take you longer. 

This is based on the language classification system created by the Foreign Service Institute.

The Foreign Service Institute has spent decades teaching foreign languages and has created a language classification system which tells you how long it takes for a student to reach ‘professional working proficiency’ in a language. 

They have placed Farsi in category III alongside other languages like Polish, Russian, Hindi and more.

Although their categories are based on English speakers, it’s safe to assume that it would take an Arabic speaker a similar amount of time to learn Farsi.

Learn Farsi Fast

Now that you have gotten a glimpse into how long it takes to learn Farsi, it’s time to embark on your own journey! 

Want to learn Farsi? We have a free PDF that I know you’ll love…

Below are a few more links to help you get started:

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