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Persian, also known as Farsi, is an Indo-European language that is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan. It is the official language of Iran and is also spoken by significant numbers of people in other countries such as Iraq, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, and Pakistan.
As of 2021, it is estimated that there are approximately 110 million Persian speakers worldwide. Persian, also known as Farsi, is the official language of Iran, where it is spoken by the majority of the population. It is also widely spoken in Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and other countries in Central Asia. Additionally, there are significant Persian-speaking communities in other parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Germany.
Persian is written in the Persian script, which is a modified form of the Arabic script. It has 32 letters and is read from right to left. The script does not include vowels, but they are indicated by diacritical marks when necessary.
Persian has a rich literary tradition that dates back over a thousand years, with famous poets such as Rumi, Hafez, and Saadi. Persian poetry is known for its beauty, complexity, and symbolism.
In terms of grammar, Persian is a subject-object-verb language, meaning that the subject of a sentence comes first, followed by the object, and then the verb. It also has a relatively complex system of verb conjugation, with different forms for different tenses and moods.
Overall, Persian is a beautiful and complex language with a rich cultural history.
Brief Persian history
Persian history spans more than 5,000 years, beginning with the ancient civilization of Elam in the 4th millennium BCE. In the 6th century BCE, the Achaemenid Empire emerged under the leadership of Cyrus the Great, which became one of the largest and most powerful empires in history, encompassing much of Central Asia, the Middle East, and parts of Europe.
In 330 BCE, Alexander the Great conquered Persia, ending the Achaemenid Empire. Over the next several centuries, Persia was ruled by various empires and dynasties, including the Parthians and the Sassanids.
In the 7th century CE, Arab Muslims conquered Persia and introduced Islam to the region. The Safavid Empire emerged in the 16th century, establishing Shia Islam as the state religion and promoting Persian culture and arts.
In the 19th and early 20th centuries, Persia was subject to European colonialism and influence, leading to economic and political instability. In 1925, Reza Shah Pahlavi established the Pahlavi dynasty and modernized the country, including the adoption of Western-style institutions and legal codes.
In 1979, the Islamic Revolution led by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini overthrew the Pahlavi dynasty, establishing an Islamic republic with a theocratic government. Since then, Iran has been subject to international sanctions and tensions with other countries, particularly regarding its nuclear program and involvement in regional conflicts.
Some common Persian phrases used in everyday conversation.
Here are some common Persian language phrases and the Persian alphabet:
- سلام (salam) - Hello
- خداحافظ (khodaa haafez) - Goodbye
- مرسی (mersi) - Thank you
- خوبی؟ (khubi?) - How are you?
- خوبم، مرسی (khobam, mersi) - I'm fine, thank you
- بله (bale) - Yes
- نه (na) - No
- لطفاً (lotfan) - Please
- معذرت میخواهم (ma'zerat mikhaaham) - I'm sorry
- خواهش میکنم (khahesh mikonam) - You're welcome
Persian Alphabet
The Persian alphabet is a modified version of the Arabic alphabet, consisting of 32 letters. Here is the Persian alphabet in order:
ا ب پ ت ث ج چ ح خ د ذ ر ز ژ س ش ص ض ط ظ ع غ ف ق ک گ ل م ن و ه ی
Note that some of the letters in the Persian alphabet have multiple forms depending on their position in the word. Also, some of the letters are not pronounced in the same way as they are in Arabic.
And here is the Persian alphabet with its letters and pronunciation:
ا (alef) - pronounced as a long "a" sound, like the "a" in "father".
ب (be) - pronounced as "b" sound, like the "b" in "baby".
پ (pe) - pronounced as "p" sound, like the "p" in "pepper".
ت (te) - pronounced as "t" sound, like the "t" in "table".
ث (se) - pronounced as "s" sound, like the "s" in "sun".
ج (jim) - pronounced as "j" sound, like the "j" in "jungle".
چ (che) - pronounced as "ch" sound, like the "ch" in "church".
ح (he) - pronounced as "h" sound, like the "h" in "hello".
خ (khe) - pronounced as a guttural "kh" sound, similar to the "ch" in the German word "Bach".
د (dal) - pronounced as "d" sound, like the "d" in "dog".
ذ (zal) - pronounced as "z" sound, like the "z" in "zebra".
ر (re) - pronounced as "r" sound, like the "r" in "red".
ز (ze) - pronounced as "z" sound, like the "z" in "zebra".
ژ (zhe) - pronounced as the French "j" sound, similar to the "s" in "pleasure".
س (sin) - pronounced as "s" sound, like the "s" in "sun".
ش (shin) - pronounced as "sh" sound, like the "sh" in "shoe".
ص (sad) - pronounced as a "s" sound produced further back in the mouth, like the "s" in "sir".
ض (zad) - pronounced as a "z" sound produced further back in the mouth, like the "z" in "zero".
ط (ta) - pronounced as a "t" sound produced further back in the mouth, like the "t" in "stop".
ظ (za) - pronounced as a "z" sound produced further back in the mouth, like the "z" in "zero".
ع (ein) - pronounced as a glottal stop, like the sound between the "uh" and "oh" in "uh-oh".
غ (ghain) - pronounced as a guttural "gh" sound, similar to the French "r" sound.
ف (fe) - pronounced as "f" sound, like the "f" in "fun".
ق (qaf) - pronounced as a "q" sound produced at the back of the throat, like the "q" in "Iraq".
ک (kaf) - pronounced as "k" sound, like the "k" in "kite".
گ (gaf) - pronounced as "g" sound, like the "g" in "go".
ل (lam) - pronounced as "l" sound, like the "l" in "love".
م (mim) - pronounced as "m" sound, like the "m" in "mother".
ن (noon) - pronounced as "n" sound
In the Persian language, there are four letters that have different forms depending on their position in a word. These letters are called "Persian joining letters" or "Persian connectors", and they are as follows:
1. "ی" (pronounced "ye") - This letter has two forms, the regular form and the final form. The regular form is used when the letter appears in the middle or beginning of a word, while the final form is used when the letter appears at the end of a word.
2. "و" (pronounced "vav") - This letter also has two forms, the regular form and the final form. The regular form is used when the letter appears in the middle of a word, while the final form is used when the letter appears at the end of a word.
3. "ه" (pronounced "he") - This letter has three forms, the regular form, the initial form, and the final form. The regular form is used when the letter appears in the middle of a word, the initial form is used when the letter appears at the beginning of a word, and the final form is used when the letter appears at the end of a word.
4. "ا" (pronounced "alef") - This letter has two forms, the regular form and the initial form. The regular form is used when the letter appears in the middle or end of a word, while the initial form is used when the letter appears at the beginning of a word.
It's worth noting that the Persian script is written from right to left, so the positions of the letters are reversed compared to English.
Some brief points on Persian grammar
1. Word Order: Persian has a Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) word order. For example:
- Man ketab ra mikhanam. (I read a book.)
(Man = subject, ketab = object, mikhanam = verb)
2. Nouns: Persian nouns have no gender and no definite or indefinite articles. Plurals are formed by adding the suffix "-ha" to the singular form. For example:
- Ketab (book) -> Ketab-ha (books)
- Kudak (child) -> Kudak-ha (children)
3. Adjectives: Persian adjectives usually come after the noun they modify. Adjectives agree in gender and number with the noun they modify. For example:
- Kudak-e khoshgel (beautiful child)
(Kudak = noun, khoshgel = adjective)
4. Verbs: Persian verbs are conjugated for tense, aspect, mood, and person. There are six tenses in Persian: present, past simple, past continuous, present perfect, past perfect, and future. Verbs agree in person with the subject of the sentence. For example:
- Man ketab mikhunam. (I am reading a book.)
(Man = subject, ketab = object, mikhunam = present tense verb)
5. Pronouns: Persian pronouns have separate forms for subject, object, and possessive cases. The possessive pronouns come after the noun they modify. For example:
- Man ketab-am (My book)
(Man = possessive pronoun, ketab = noun)
6. Prepositions: Persian uses postpositions instead of prepositions. Postpositions are attached to the end of the noun or pronoun. For example:
- Dar khane (in the house)
(Dar = postposition, khane = noun)
7. Sentence structure: Persian has a flexible sentence structure, and the word order can be changed for emphasis or clarity. For example:
- Ketab-e khod ra man mikhanam. (I read my own book.)
(Man = subject, ketab-e khod = object, mikhanam = verb)
8. Pluralization: Nouns are pluralized by adding "-ha" to the end of the word. Some nouns have irregular plural forms. For example:
- Mashin (car) -> Mashin-ha (cars)
- Mard (man) -> Mard-an (men)
9. Definite article: Persian does not have a definite article. The noun itself is used to indicate definiteness. For example:
- Ketab (book) -> The book (Ketab)
10. Negation: Negation in Persian is done by placing the word "na" before the verb. For example:
- Man ketab nakhunam. (I am not reading a book.)
(Man = subject, ketab = object, nakhunam = negative verb)
Example Persian text with grammar
Here's an example Persian text with grammar explanations:
Text: سلام، حال شما چطوره؟ من به تازگی به دانشگاه رفتم و در حال حاضر درس میخوانم.
Transliteration:
Salam, haal-e shomaa chetor-e? Man be taazegi be daaneshgaah raftam va dar haal-e haazer dars mikhaanam.
Translation:
Hello, how are you? I recently started going to university and I am currently studying.
Grammar explanations:
- سلام (Salam): This is a common greeting in Persian, equivalent to "hello" in English.
- حال شما چطوره؟ (Haal-e shomaa chetor-e?): This is a polite way of asking "how are you?" in Persian. "Haal" means "condition" or "state", "shomaa" is the formal plural pronoun for "you", and "chetor" means "how".
- من (Man): This is the first person singular pronoun for "I" in Persian.
- به تازگی (Be taazegi): "Be" is a preposition meaning "to" or "toward", and "taazegi" means "recently". Together, "be taazegi" means "recently".
- به دانشگاه رفتم (Be daaneshgaah raftam): "Be" means "to" or "toward", "daaneshgaah" means "university", and "raftam" is the past tense form of the verb "raftan" (to go). Together, "be daaneshgaah raftam" means "I went to university".
- در حال حاضر (Dar haal-e haazer): "Dar" means "in", "haal" means "condition" or "state", and "haazer" means "present". Together, "dar haal-e haazer" means "currently".
- درس میخوانم (Dars mikhaanam): "Dars" means "lesson" or "course", "mikhaanam" is the present tense form of the verb "khondan" (to read/study). Together, "dars mikhaanam" means "I am studying a course/lesson".
The three Persian languages -Farsi,Dari and Tajiki
Farsi, Dari, and Tajiki are all varieties of the Persian language, which is a member of the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European language family. Each variety is spoken in a different country and has been influenced by the local languages and cultures of its region.
Farsi is the official language of Iran, where it is spoken by the majority of the population. It has a rich literary tradition and is a major language of culture and commerce in the region. Farsi has been influenced by Arabic, and many Arabic loanwords have been incorporated into the language.
Dari is one of the official languages of Afghanistan, where it is spoken by a significant portion of the population. It is very similar to Farsi and is mutually intelligible with it, although it has been influenced more by local Afghan languages such as Pashto. Dari has also borrowed many words from Arabic and Turkic languages.
Tajiki is the official language of Tajikistan and is also spoken in parts of Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and China. It has been heavily influenced by Russian, and many Russian loanwords have been incorporated into the language. Tajiki has also been influenced by local Central Asian languages such as Uzbek and Turkmen.
Despite these differences, Farsi, Dari, and Tajiki are all considered to be varieties of the Persian language and share many similarities in terms of grammar, syntax, and vocabulary. Speakers of one variety can generally understand and communicate with speakers of the other varieties with relative ease.
Differences between Iranian Persian and Aghan Persian (Farsi and Dari).
Farsi and Dari are two varieties of the Persian language, which is a member of the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European language family. Farsi is the official language of Iran, while Dari is one of the official languages of Afghanistan.
Farsi and Dari are very similar to each other, and speakers of one variety can generally understand and communicate with speakers of the other variety with relative ease. Both varieties use the same Persian script and share a large portion of their vocabulary, grammar, and syntax.
However, there are some differences between Farsi and Dari in terms of pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar. For example, Dari has borrowed more words from Arabic and Turkic languages than Farsi has, and it has also been influenced by the local languages of Afghanistan.
Despite these differences, Farsi and Dari are mutually intelligible and are considered to be different dialects of the same language.
Differences between Iranian Persian and Tajik Persian (Farsi and Tajiki)
Farsi and Tajiki are two closely related varieties of Persian language. They are so similar that speakers of one language can generally understand and communicate with speakers of the other language with little difficulty.
The main difference between Farsi and Tajiki is in their writing systems and some vocabulary. Farsi is written in the Arabic script, while Tajiki is written in the Cyrillic script. However, the grammar and syntax of the two languages are very similar, and most of the vocabulary is shared between them.
It is worth noting that Tajiki has been heavily influenced by Russian, especially in terms of vocabulary, while Farsi has been influenced by Arabic. Nonetheless, the two languages are still mutually intelligible to a large extent.
Poem in Farsi
Here is a short poem by the famous Persian poet Rumi with transliteration and translation:
با توام همیشه خوشم آید
ba to-am hameshe khosh-am aayad
I am always happy with you,
یاد تو باشد همیشه در دلم
yaad-e to baashad hameshe dar del-am
Your memory is always in my heart,
من همیشه دل به روی تو دارم
man hameshe del be rui-e to daar-am
I always have my heart towards you,
تو همیشه دل من را بردی
to hameshe del-e man raa bord-i
You have always taken my heart away.
How difficult is it to learn Persian for native speakers of English?
Learning Persian as a native speaker of English can be challenging, but it is definitely possible with dedication and practice. Here are some factors that may affect the difficulty of learning Persian for native English speakers:
1. Alphabet: Persian uses a different alphabet than English, which can take some time to learn.
2. Grammar: Persian grammar is different from English grammar, and includes features such as verb conjugation and noun declension that may be unfamiliar to English speakers.
3. Vocabulary: Persian vocabulary has many loanwords from Arabic and other languages that may not be familiar to English speakers.
4. Pronunciation: Persian has some sounds that are not found in English, such as the "qaf" (ق) and "ḵe" (خ) sounds, which may take some practice to master.
That being said, Persian is a logical and structured language, and it has a relatively simple verb system compared to other languages like French or German. With consistent practice and study, it is definitely possible for native English speakers to become proficient in Persian.
Some common mistakes that English speakers make when learning the Persian language
Here are some common mistakes that English speakers make when learning the Persian language:
1. Mispronouncing Persian words due to the difference in phonetics between the two languages. For example, the Persian letter "ز" is pronounced like "z" in "zebra," but English speakers may pronounce it like "s" in "sun."
2. Struggling with Persian grammar, which has a different structure than English. For example, Persian is a subject-object-verb (SOV) language, while English is a subject-verb-object (SVO) language.
3. Using the wrong word order in sentences, such as placing the object before the subject or verb.
4. Confusing similar-sounding words in Persian, such as "mard" (man) and "mardom" (people).
5. Overusing formal language, which can make conversations sound stiff and unnatural.
6. Not using the appropriate level of politeness and respect when speaking to others, which is important in Persian culture.
7. Not understanding the different levels of formality and familiarity in Persian language and using the wrong level in different situations.
8. Struggling with the Persian script and not being able to read or write in Persian.
9. Translating directly from English to Persian, which can result in awkward or incorrect sentences.
10. Not using correct pronunciation of vowels and consonants, which can affect the listener's ability to understand what is being said.
Some useful links with resources about learning the Persian language for beginners.
Here are some useful links with resources about learning Persian for beginners:
1. Easy Persian: http://www.easypersian.com/
This website offers free online lessons for beginners, as well as audio and video resources to help with pronunciation and conversation practice. Their lessons are organized by level, from basic to advanced.
2. Learn Persian with Chai and Conversation: https://www.chaiandconversation.com/
This website offers audio lessons that can be downloaded for free. The hosts of the podcast cover a range of topics, including grammar, vocabulary, and culture.
3. Farsi School: https://www.farsischool.com/
This website offers a variety of resources for learning Persian, including free online lessons, vocabulary lists, and grammar exercises. They also offer paid services such as private tutoring and group classes.
4. Transparent Language: https://www.transparent.com/learn-persian/
This website offers a free online Persian course for beginners, as well as vocabulary lists and grammar explanations. They also offer a paid subscription service that provides access to additional resources and language-learning tools.
5. Persian Language Online: https://www.persianlanguageonline.com/
This website offers free online lessons for beginners, as well as audio and video resources to help with pronunciation and conversation practice. Their lessons are organized by topic, such as greetings, shopping, and travel.
I hope these links are helpful! Good luck with your Persian language studies.
Best schools in Tehran to learn Persian.
Learning Persian in Tehran can be a great way to immerse yourself in Iranian culture and gain a deeper understanding of the language. Here are some of the best schools in Tehran to learn Persian for international students, along with their web links:
1. Tehran University - http://ut.ac.ir/en
2. Allameh Tabataba'i University - http://en.atu.ac.ir/
3. Dehkhoda Institute - http://dehkhoda.ut.ac.ir/en/
4. Iran Language Institute - http://www.iranianlanguage.ir/
5. Saadi Foundation - http://www.saadifoundation.ir/en/
These schools offer a variety of Persian language programs, including beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels, as well as courses in Persian literature, culture, and history. Some of these programs also provide opportunities for cultural activities and excursions, which can be a great way to practice your language skills outside the classroom.
Universities that offer Persian language courses for heritage learners in the United States
There are several universities in the United States that offer Persian language courses for heritage learners. Here are some examples:
1. University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) - Heritage Persian Language Program: This program is designed for students who have a background in spoken Farsi but need to develop their reading and writing skills. The program offers courses from elementary to advanced levels.
2. University of Texas at Austin - Persian for Heritage Learners: This program focuses on developing the reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills of heritage learners of Persian. The program also includes cultural and literary components.
3. San Diego State University - Persian Language for Heritage Speakers: This program offers courses for heritage speakers of Persian to develop their language skills and improve their knowledge of Persian culture.
4. University of Maryland - Persian for Heritage Speakers: This program is designed for students who have a background in spoken Persian but need to develop their reading and writing skills. The program includes courses on Persian literature and culture.
5. University of California, Berkeley - Persian Language for Heritage Speakers: This program is for heritage speakers of Persian who want to improve their language skills. The program includes courses on Persian literature and culture.
Please note that these programs may have specific eligibility requirements and enrollment procedures, so it's best to check with each university for more information.
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