Lessons for English speakers
Learn to read Farsi
A short, active path into reading Farsi: learn the Persian script in useful groups, decode words before revealing their pronunciation, follow the verb to the end, and read a small story before opening your first book.
13 core sections · ≈ 31 min + 4 optional lookups · ≈ 44 min with everything
Verbs and stories
3 sections12
How Farsi shows when something happens
≈ 2 min
What you'll learn
- میخورمmikhoram can mean “I eat” or “I am eating”; a time word can also give it a future reading.
- دارم میخورمdâram mikhoram makes “I am eating right now” explicit.
- فردا میخورمfardâ mikhoram is the normal conversational shape for “I’ll eat tomorrow.”
- دیروز خوردمdiruz khordam means “I ate yesterday”; the ending -am tells you “I.”
- آب خوردنâb khordan is the ordinary expression for drinking water, even though خوردنkhordan means “eat” with food.
English makes you choose “I eat,” “I am eating,” or “I will eat.” Persian often lets the situation or a time word show that distinction. Start with one reusable form and notice what appears around it.
Five times built around one verb
| Farsi | What tells you when it happens |
|---|---|
| هر روز نان میخورم.har ruz nân mikhoram“I eat bread every day.” | هر روزhar ruz“every day” shows that it happens regularly. |
| الان نان میخورم.alân nân mikhoram“I am eating bread now.” | الانalân“now” tells you it is happening at the current moment. |
| دارم نان میخورم.dâram nân mikhoram“I am eating bread right now.” | دارمdâram“I have” makes “happening right now” explicit. |
| فردا نان میخورم.fardâ nân mikhoram“I will eat bread tomorrow.” | فرداfardâ“tomorrow” gives the familiar form a future meaning. |
| دیروز نان خوردم.diruz nân khordam“I ate bread yesterday.” | دیروزdiruz“yesterday” and خوردمkhordam“I ate” place it in the past. |
Let the time word do its job
- فردا آب میخورم.
فرداfardâ“tomorrow”
Show answer +Hide answer −
فردا آب میخورم.fardâ âb mikhoram“I will drink water tomorrow.” - دارم آب میخورم.
دارمdâram makes an action happening now explicit.
Show answer +Hide answer −
دارم آب میخورم.dâram âb mikhoram“I am drinking water right now.” - دیروز آب خوردم.
دیروزdiruz“yesterday”
Show answer +Hide answer −
دیروز آب خوردم.diruz âb khordam“I drank water yesterday.”