Level A1 – Beginner

Overview of Level A1 – Beginner

Level A1 is your first contact with Persian. In this level you move from knowing nothing to being able to read, write simple words, introduce yourself, and handle basic daily situations. You learn to recognize the Persian script, pronounce the sounds correctly, build very simple sentences, and use the most frequent words and expressions that Persians use every day.

A1 focuses on very concrete, here and now communication. You talk about yourself, your family, simple actions, and everyday needs. Grammar is kept simple and always connected to real-life phrases. At this level you also build the core vocabulary that you will use again and again in higher levels.

What You Will Be Able to Do at the End of A1

By the end of Level A1, you will be able to do things like:

Read and write the Persian alphabet, connect letters inside words, and read simple words and short phrases without help.

Pronounce all Persian sounds clearly enough to be understood by patient native speakers.

Greet people, say goodbye, and use polite formulas in very common situations.

Introduce yourself, say your name, nationality, and very basic personal information.

Use personal pronouns and the basic forms of the verb “to be” in Persian in simple sentences.

Ask and answer simple questions about yourself and others, for example about age, family basics, or jobs, using easy question patterns.

Use and understand numbers from 0 to 100 in everyday contexts such as age, phone numbers, and prices.

Form positive and negative sentences and yes/no questions in the present with a small set of high frequency verbs.

Speak about immediate daily life: family, relationships, countries, nationalities, common jobs, basic possessions, and very simple descriptions.

A1.1 – First Contact with Persian

In this first section of Level A1 you meet Persian as a writing system and as a sound system. The goal is not yet to speak freely, but to understand how Persian looks and sounds, and to start writing and reading very basic items like your own name.

You become familiar with the Persian alphabet and its direction of writing, which is from right to left. You learn that letters in Persian can look different depending on whether they appear at the beginning, middle, or end of a word, and that short vowels are usually not written in everyday texts. You practice connecting letters and writing your first words by hand or on screen and you start to read simple, fully vocalized words that include both consonants and written vowel marks.

You also learn the difference between short and long vowels in Persian and how this difference can change the meaning of a word. You listen carefully to Persian sounds that might be new to you and compare them to similar sounds in English when possible. The main focus is on clear and correct articulation of basic consonants and vowels, without worrying too much yet about speed or fluency.

At the end of A1.1 you are able to recognize and write all letters of the Persian alphabet, connect them correctly inside common words, and pronounce a small set of very frequent words clearly.

Vocabulary in A1.1 includes core items such as:

The word for “Persian” (فارسی / fârsi/).

Basic classroom and course words like “letter,” “word,” “sound,” “alphabet,” “vowel,” and “consonant” (presented with Persian equivalents).

A few sample everyday words used for reading and writing practice, such as simple names and very short common words.

A1.2 – Basic Communication

In this section you move from individual letters and sounds to real communication. You learn fixed expressions that Persian speakers use to open and close conversations and to be polite in daily life. The focus is on memorizing ready-made phrases that you can use immediately, rather than building complex sentences.

You practice greetings for different times of day, asking someone how they are, and giving simple answers. You learn how to introduce yourself, say your name, and ask the other person’s name. You become comfortable with polite words such as “please” and “thank you” in Persian, and you learn slightly more formal ways to address someone if needed.

The section also presents the personal pronouns and the present forms of the verb “to be.” With these, you can already say sentences like “I am X,” “You are Y,” and “He/She is Z.” You also see how Persian usually places the verb at the end of the sentence, and you begin to form very simple S O V sentences with pronouns and a few nouns or adjectives.

By the end of A1.2 you can do a short, basic introduction of yourself, use polite greetings and farewells, and create very short sentences about who you are and who someone else is.

Vocabulary in A1.2 includes important high frequency words and expressions such as:

“Hello,” “hi,” “goodbye,” “please,” “thank you,” “excuse me,” and “sorry.”

Personal pronouns “I,” “you,” “he,” “she,” “we,” “you (plural),” “they” in Persian.

Basic forms of the verb “to be” that attach to the end of words.

Everyday words such as “name,” “friend,” and “teacher,” which appear in introduction dialogues.

A1.3 – Everyday Basics

Once you can greet others and introduce yourself, you need tools to handle basic information. A1.3 gives you those tools. The core of this section is numbers from 0 to 100. You learn to count, to say your age, and to understand and say simple prices, dates, and phone numbers using Persian numbers and number words.

You also learn how to ask simple questions using common question words like “what,” “where,” “who,” and “how,” but only in very basic patterns and contexts. You see how yes/no questions are formed and how intonation or small particles indicate you are asking a question. These patterns will be used again with more complex grammar later, so here you focus on very clear, short exchanges.

Negation is introduced in its simplest form. You learn how to make a sentence negative, especially with the verb “to be” and with a few very common verbs. With this you can already say what you are not, or what something is not, and answer questions negatively.

You also learn demonstrative words like “this” and “that.” These are essential for daily communication, because they allow you to point to objects and talk about things around you while you are still missing a lot of vocabulary. Combining demonstratives with simple nouns, the verb “to be,” and numbers, you can already create useful mini sentences like “This is my book” or “That is not my phone.”

By the end of A1.3 you can handle short practical conversations about simple facts: age, small quantities, easy yes/no questions, and identifying or pointing to nearby objects.

Vocabulary in A1.3 includes:

Number words from 0 to 100 and their Persian forms.

Common question words such as “what,” “where,” “who,” “how many,” and “how much.”

Basic negative forms, such as the word for “no” and the negative marker used with verbs and with “to be.”

Demonstratives meaning “this” and “that,” used frequently in real life.

Very high frequency nouns connected to numbers and demonstratives, such as “book,” “pen,” “house,” and “phone.”

A1.4 – Daily Life

The last section of Level A1 brings your knowledge together and connects it directly with everyday life topics. Here you use the sounds, alphabet, numbers, greetings, pronouns, “to be,” questions, and negation that you have already seen, but now your focus is on core content areas that are important for simple communication.

You learn vocabulary to talk about family and relationships, for example words for close family members, such as “mother,” “father,” “sister,” “brother,” and “child.” This allows you to say very simple things about your family and ask about someone else’s family. These topics are common in friendly small talk in Persian.

You also learn the names of some countries and nationalities and how to say where you are from and what language you speak. In this way, you can complete a basic introduction of yourself and show interest in other people’s origin in simple Persian.

Next, you are introduced to words for common jobs and occupations, such as “student,” “teacher,” and some other very frequent professions. With these you can exchange basic information about your work or studies.

A simple form of possession is presented so that you can say that something belongs to you or to someone else, for example “my book” or “his house.” This is usually done by using possessive endings or simple expressions with personal pronouns. You practice these with the family and daily life nouns you already know.

Finally, you start to use very common adjectives to give simple descriptions. You learn basic opposites such as “big” and “small,” “good” and “bad,” and a few others. You combine these adjectives with the verb “to be,” personal pronouns, demonstratives, and possession to create slightly richer but still short and clear sentences.

By the end of A1.4, and therefore at the end of the whole A1 level, you can participate in brief, very simple conversations about yourself and your immediate environment. You understand and use familiar everyday expressions and basic phrases aimed at satisfying concrete needs. You can read and write short, simple phrases in Persian script with basic accuracy.

Vocabulary in A1.4 includes essential words such as:

Core family terms like “mother,” “father,” “sister,” “brother,” and “family.”

Important country and nationality names and words meaning “country,” “city,” and “language.”

Frequent occupations such as “student,” “teacher,” and other very common jobs.

Possessive forms for “my,” “your,” “his,” “her,” “our,” and “their.”

Basic adjectives such as “big,” “small,” “new,” “old,” “good,” and “bad.”

Important Learning Principles for A1

Throughout the A1 level, you follow some simple but powerful learning habits. You repeat short phrases out loud many times in order to train your mouth and ear. You copy words by hand to remember the shapes of the letters. You listen to short, very clear recordings several times, each time focusing on a different aspect, such as sounds, rhythm, or meaning.

You should not try to translate every single word into English. Instead, you learn many expressions as units and focus on understanding them directly in context. At this level, mistakes are completely normal and are part of your learning process. Aim for communication, not perfection.

In A1, keep a personal list of new Persian words that you find important. Write the Persian script, the pronunciation in Latin letters, and the English meaning. Review this list often, especially before starting a new A1 subchapter. Many of these words will remain useful for all higher levels.