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How do I begin learning Farsi?

Evidence-based answer · Last updated · How it’s made

The short answer

Farsi (Persian) falls into the category researchers call a "less commonly taught language" (LCTL), which means fewer ready-made courses and materials exist than for languages like Spanish, but the same evidence-based study strategies that work for other languages — intensive structured instruction, spaced-repetition flashcards, and grammar-focused input at the beginner stage — apply directly to it. Realistically, expect proficiency to build gradually and in stages regardless of study format (in person or online), and lean on tools built specifically for less-common languages, including AI chatbots, since Farsi has less commercial course material than languages like Spanish or French.

Answered for language learning in general. No specific language was set for this question, so the findings are drawn from general second-language research rather than one language’s literature.

Farsi is a 'less commonly taught language' with thinner resources

Persian is officially grouped with languages like Arabic, Hindi, and Uzbek as a 'less commonly taught language' (LCTL) in US higher education research, meaning materials, textbooks, and trained teachers are less abundant than for languages like Spanish or French.1,7,9,11

In plain terms

An LCTL is simply a language that isn't among the handful (Spanish, French, German, etc.) that dominate school and university language programs — so fewer textbooks, apps, and courses have historically been built for it.

Steady, structured progress is realistic from the start

In a large study tracking speaking ability before and after intensive summer courses in 14 less-commonly-taught languages including Persian, complete beginners made the biggest proportional gains of any level, moving from no ability to roughly an 'Intermediate Low to Intermediate Mid' conversational level after one intensive level of study.1

In plain terms

These are official ACTFL proficiency ratings used to describe speaking ability: 'Intermediate Low/Mid' means a learner can handle simple, everyday conversational exchanges but not complex or unfamiliar topics.

Online and in-person study produce similar speaking gains

The same study found no significant difference in speaking-proficiency outcomes between students who took intensive language programs face-to-face versus fully online, suggesting a beginner does not need to be near an in-person Farsi class to make real progress.1

Spaced-repetition flashcards build vocabulary efficiently for beginners

Flashcard systems that space out review of words over time (rather than cramming) have repeatedly been shown to improve vocabulary retention for absolute beginners in other under-resourced or non-Roman-script languages, including one study where beginner Hindi students built personalized decks covering script, pronunciation, and vocabulary, and another where beginner Spanish students who used such a tool regularly performed better by semester's end.2,3,8

In plain terms

'Spaced repetition' means reviewing a word right before you're about to forget it, with growing gaps between reviews, instead of reviewing everything the same day you learned it.

Example

For a Farsi beginner, this could mean adding new words and their Persian script to a digital flashcard deck like Anki, then letting the app resurface each word after 1 day, then 3 days, then a week, instead of re-reading the whole list every evening.

Learner-chosen material sticks better than teacher-assigned material

Beginners who picked their own vocabulary and made their own example sentences or images remembered new words better and forgot them more slowly than beginners given identical teacher-chosen material, in a study of beginning Chinese learners.12

Example

Rather than only memorizing a textbook's word list, a Farsi beginner might pick 10 words that describe their own hobbies or daily routine and write personal example sentences with them.

Beginner grammar is often best learned by absorbing examples, not just rules

Across a meta-analysis of instructional studies with Persian-speaking learners, teaching methods that let learners absorb correct grammar patterns through exposure ('input-based' instruction) worked better than methods requiring immediate production for the simpler grammar points typical of early study, while producing and practicing the language became more valuable as sentences got more complex.10

In plain terms

'Input-based' instruction means the learner is shown lots of correct examples of a grammar pattern (through reading or listening) and absorbs the rule indirectly, versus 'output-based' instruction where the learner is immediately asked to produce sentences using the rule.

Example

A brand-new Farsi learner might benefit more from hearing/reading many correct example sentences with a verb tense before being drilled to produce that tense themselves in speech.

Using your native language as a bridge is normal and helpful early on

Research on beginning-level foreign language teaching found that comparing the new language to the learner's native language, and even using some native-language translation and explanation, speeds up early comprehension rather than holding learners back, especially for adult beginners with almost no vocabulary yet in the target language.6

Your existing languages will color how you process Farsi

Learners' other known languages measurably shape how they process a new one, whether helping (through shared vocabulary or structures) or causing predictable errors (through mismatched grammar patterns), a pattern documented in bilingual and multilingual learners of Persian, English, and other language pairs.4,5

In plain terms

This is sometimes called 'cross-linguistic influence' or 'language transfer' — the tendency for patterns from a language you already know to show up, correctly or incorrectly, in the new language you're learning.

Example

An English speaker learning Farsi might initially apply English word order or article usage where Farsi works differently, since Farsi doesn't have articles like 'a' and 'the' in the same way.

AI tools can help fill the Farsi resource gap, with caveats

AI chatbots and generative AI tools are increasingly used to give less-commonly-taught-language learners a conversation partner and extra practice materials that would otherwise be hard to find, and one study of an AI chatbot used for grammar practice in Korean (another LCTL) found it helped lower-proficiency learners the most; however, AI systems perform less reliably and less authentically for lower-resource languages than for languages like English or Spanish.7,13

Example

A Farsi beginner without access to a native-speaking tutor might practice basic sentence construction with an AI chatbot, but should double check unusual or advanced outputs since AI performs less reliably on Farsi than on high-resource languages.

What to do with this

  • Start with a structured, intensive-format course if you can find one (in person or online — the research shows both work equally well for speaking gains), since Farsi has fewer casual self-study materials than a language like Spanish.
  • In the earliest weeks, don't be afraid to lean on your native language to understand new grammar and vocabulary — this is normal and helps, not hurts, comprehension at the very beginning.
  • Build a spaced-repetition flashcard deck (Anki) for new words and Persian script, choosing personally meaningful vocabulary rather than only relying on a textbook's list, and review it in short, spaced sessions rather than cramming.
  • For grammar, prioritize reading and listening to lots of correct example sentences before pushing yourself to produce complex sentences aloud — save heavy speaking practice for once you have more of the patterns absorbed.
  • Supplement with an AI chatbot for extra conversation or writing practice if a native-speaking tutor or exchange partner isn't available, but treat its output with some skepticism since AI tools are less reliable for Farsi than for widely-taught languages.
  • Finally, expect steady, real progress even as a total beginner — studies of similarly under-resourced languages show beginners often make the fastest proportional gains of any level in their first stretch of serious study.

Now pick something to do it with

Each of these opens an overview of the apps, courses and immersion material worth a look for that — filtered to exactly what the advice above points you at:

Spaced repetition (SRS)FlashcardsGrammar lessonsStructured coursesListening practiceReading practiceConversation practiceResource selection
Or see the full resource list

Worth knowing

  • None of the provided sources study Farsi/Persian learners in isolation as their main focus in the way a dedicated 'how to learn Farsi' guide would; most evidence comes from adjacent research on other less-commonly-taught languages (Hindi, Spanish, Korean, Kyrgyz, Chinese) or from studies of Persian speakers learning other languages (English, Japanese) or Persian-as-a-second-language for minority-language speakers within Iran, rather than English speakers learning Farsi from scratch.
  • The findings should be read as reasonable extrapolations from similar language-learning contexts rather than direct Farsi-specific guidance.
  • Sample sizes in several studies are modest (dozens of learners), and results on specific techniques (AI chatbots, learner-generated content) come from single studies rather than broad consensus.

Want a deeper literature dive?

There’s enough published research here to go wider than the usual pass. Available on the Pro plan.

See plans

  1. [1]Dianna Murphy, Sonya K. Sedivy. The speaking proficiency outcomes of face‐to‐face and online intensive summer LCTL programs. Foreign language annals 2024. doi.org/10.1111/flan.12758
  2. [2]Taejin Koh, Yongjeong Kim. Making PBL Sustainable for L2 Beginners: An Anki-Based Approach to Motivation and Autonomy in Elementary Hindi Learning. Sustainability 2025. doi.org/10.3390/su172310547
  3. [3]Adrian Paul Duffy Murphy. The Impact of Spaced Learning Strategies on Vocabulary Retention in Primary English Classrooms. Journal of Artificial Intelligence General science (JAIGS) ISSN:3006-4023 2024. doi.org/10.60087/jaigs.vol4.issue1.p142
  4. [4]Ghezlou, Maryam, Koosha, Mansoor, Lotfi, Ahmad Reza. Cross-Linguistic Influence in the L3 Acquisition of English Adjective Properties by Azeri-Persian Bilinguals. International Journal of Instruction 2019. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1201241
  5. [5]Ali Sattari, Mohammadreza Ahmadkhani, Bahman Zandi, Mehdi Sabzevari. An analysis of Lak Students' Language Transfer in Learning and Using Persian. زبان پژوهی 2019. doi.org/10.22051/jlr.2018.13606.1274
  6. [6]Patman Antadze-Malashkhia. On Some Aspects of Foreign Language Teaching at the Beginning Level. Social Sciences and Education Research Review 2017. http://sserr.ro/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/4-2-126-138.pdf
  7. [7]Robert Godwin-Jones. Technology integration for less commonly taught languages: AI and pedagogical translanguaging. Language Learning & Technology 2025. doi.org/10.64152/10125/73609
  8. [8]Aroline E. Seibert Hanson, Christina M. Brown. Enhancing L2 learning through a mobile assisted spaced-repetition tool: an effective but bitter pill?. Computer Assisted Language Learning 2019. doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2018.1552975
  9. [9]Robert Godwin-Jones. The technological imperative in teaching and learning less commonly taught languages. Language Learning & Technology 2013. doi.org/10.64152/10125/24502
  10. [10]Andrew Schenck. Learning How to Use Input-Based and Output-Based Form-Focused Instruction: A Meta-Analytic Comparison of Persian EFL Learners. Journal of Second Language Acquisition and Teaching 2024. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1457419
  11. [11]Clark, John L. D., Johnson, Dora E.. A Survey of Materials Development Needs in the Less Commonly Taught Languages in the United States. Final Project Report.. 1982. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED228834
  12. [12]Craig Lambert, Qian Gong, Grace Zhang. Learner-generated content and the lexical recall of beginning-level learners of Chinese as a foreign language. Language Teaching Research 2021. doi.org/10.1177/1362168820981407
  13. [13]Jiyoung Shin, Yujeong Choi. Using an AI-powered chatbot for improving L2 Korean grammar: A comparison between proficiency levels and task types. Language learning & technology 2025. doi.org/10.64152/10125/73614