Persian Language Resources

Persian, once the pre-eminent lingua franca of literary culture in western Asia, still holds an important place in the Middle East as an official language in Iran (where the dialect Farsi is predominant), Afghanistan (where the dialect of Dari shares official status with its counterpart Pushto), and Tajikistan (where the dialect of Tajiki is written in Cyrillic script). The vast literary heritage of Persian, as indicated in the works of Rumi, Omar Khayyam, and a plethora of other authors, is a powerful motivation to learn this historic language!

This page contains resources for learning Persian at the elementary, intermediate, and advanced levels.

• Chai and Conversation Podcast. With over 70 free audio lessons on a range of topics, from everyday phrases to poetry, Chai and Conversation is an easy and convenient resource for learning conversational Persian
• Persian Online: Grammar and Resources (University of Texas at Austin). An online reference for Persian grammar that also features quizzes, vocabulary lists, and other learning aids
• Omniglot - Persian Writing Systems. Resource for useful Persian-related links
• Kitabkhaneh-ye Gooya. Resources for practicing listening and pronunciation
• Ganjoor. Resources on classical and modern Persian poetry, along with audio recordings and definitions

• P. Shabani-Jadidi & D. Brookshaw, The Routledge Introductory Persian Course: Farsi Shirin Ast I, 2nd ed. (London: Routledge, 2020). The audio recordings of all the lessons are available for free on the companion website
• P. Shabani-Jadidi & D. Brookshaw, The Routledge Intermediate Persian Course: Farsi Shirin Ast II (London: Routledge, 2012). The audio recordings of all the lessons are available for free on the companion website
• P. Shabani-Jadidi & D. Brookshaw, The Routledge Advanced Persian Course: Farsi Shirin Ast III (London: Routledge, 2020). The audio recordings of all the lessons are available for free on the companion website
• P. Shabani-Jadidi, What the Persian Media Says: A Course Book, (London: Routledge, 2015). The audio recordings and newspaper pages from the lessons are available for free on the companion website
• Saeed Yousef, Persian: A Comprehensive Grammar (Routledge, 2018)
• Iago Gocheleishvili, Modern Persian, Elementary Level: Like a Nightingale (London: Anthem Press, 2020)
• Peyman Nojoumian, Persian Learner, Parts 1-4 (UCI Jordan Center for Persian Studies, 2017-18)
• Persian of Iran Today (University of Texas at Austin). A free online textbook featuring audio and written lessons that focuses on Iranian Persian, or Farsi
• Farsidic. English-Persian and Persian-English Dictionary
• Vajehyab Online Persian Dictionary. Free and accessible general-purpose dictionary for Persian
• Sulayman Hayyim, New Persian-English Dictionary (Online version courtesy of the University of Chicago). Encyclopedic dictionary published by Iranian-Jewish lexicographer Sulayman Hayyim in 1934. Very useful for literary Persian