A1.2 – Basic Communication

Overview of Basic Communication in Persian

At this point in the course, you already know that Persian has its own script and that it is written from right to left. In this chapter, you will start using the language for real communication. You will learn how to say hello and goodbye, introduce yourself, talk about who you are, and build your first very simple sentences.

This chapter prepares you for the more detailed subchapters: greetings and introductions, polite expressions, personal pronouns, the verb “to be,” and simple SOV sentences. Here we focus on the overall patterns and the most important pieces that connect these topics together.

Formal and Informal Persian in Daily Talk

Persian has two main levels of speech that affect almost every basic sentence: a more formal style and an informal, everyday style. You already met this idea before, but now you will see how it shapes actual communication.

When you greet someone, introduce yourself, or say “how are you,” you often need to choose between a polite form for strangers, teachers, and older people, and a casual form for friends, family, and people your own age.

For example, there is a polite way to say “you” and a casual way. There is also a polite way to say “hello” and a more relaxed way. In later subchapters you will learn the exact forms, but already remember that basic communication in Persian almost always begins with choosing the correct level of speech for the situation.

Your First Mini Dialogues

Even before you know all the grammar rules, you can already manage tiny dialogues in Persian. These short exchanges will become the frame that you later fill with more vocabulary and grammar.

A typical first dialogue in Persian contains the following elements:

1. A greeting, such as “hello.”
2. A question like “how are you?”
3. A simple introduction with your name.
4. A polite closing such as “goodbye” or “see you.”

In Persian, each of these parts can be expressed in a formal style and an informal style. For example, when speaking to a teacher you will use a more respectful “how are you,” while among friends you use a shorter and more relaxed form. You do not need to memorize all exact forms here. The important point is that Persian basic communication is built from a small group of very frequent expressions that you will see and repeat many times.

Using “I,” “You,” and “We” in Conversation

Whenever you introduce yourself, ask about others, or talk about your family, you need personal pronouns like “I” and “you.” In Persian, these pronouns are very regular and, in most situations, they do not change form. They also play a special role with the verb “to be.”

As you start basic communication, focus especially on three pronouns:

“I”
“You” singular, informal
“You” singular, formal or polite

The difference between informal and formal “you” is central for basic communication. It shows respect and social distance. In practice, your first Persian sentences will look like “I am X” and “You are Y” in both formal and informal styles. Later, in the detailed subchapter on personal pronouns, you will see all the pronouns for “he,” “she,” “we,” and “they” and how they connect to verbs.

In many everyday sentences, especially when speaking informally, Persian speakers sometimes omit pronouns because the verb ending already shows who is doing the action. For beginners, however, it is better to keep the pronoun, for example to say “I am” instead of only “am.” This gives you more practice hearing and using the pronoun forms in real communication.

The Verb “To Be” at the Heart of Simple Sentences

The verb “to be” is one of the most important tools in basic communication. It appears in sentences such as “I am a student,” “You are my friend,” or “This is Ali.” In Persian, this verb is used very often, especially when you talk about identity, profession, nationality, and simple descriptions.

In your first conversations, you mainly use the present form of “to be.” Each person, such as “I,” “you,” or “he,” has its own personal ending. These endings can also appear attached directly to a noun, for instance in phrases like “my friend is here” or “this is my house.” In daily speech, the form of “to be” is very frequent at the end of the sentence and carries information about who or what you are talking about.

Although later sections will give you the full conjugation, you should already notice one important pattern in basic communication: in many simple sentences, Persian speakers place the main information first, and then add a short “to be” ending at the end. This gives Persian its characteristic rhythm with a small verb or verb ending closing the sentence.

Basic Word Order in Everyday Speech

In English, you normally say “I am Ali” or “You are a teacher” with the verb in the middle. Persian is different. The common word order in simple sentences is Subject–Object–Verb (SOV). That means that the verb usually comes at the end.

For example, a basic Persian sentence that means “I am a student” has the parts in this order:

Subject “I”
Information about the subject such as “student”
Form of the verb “to be,” at the very end

In practice, you will often hear the subject, then any extra details, and only then the verb. This pattern is not only for “to be” but also for many other verbs. Already in basic communication, this SOV pattern appears in short statements like “I am X,” “You are Y,” or “This is Z.” It also appears in very simple questions, which you will learn soon: usually the question has the same order, but with a question word or a rising tone.

Politeness in Basic Communication

Politeness is very visible in Persian daily speech, even in the very first phrases you learn. From your first words of Persian, you encounter expressions that show respect, kindness, and warmth. Things like “please,” “thank you,” and “excuse me” are not just extra words. They are expected in many situations, especially with strangers, older people, and in formal settings.

In Persian, politeness appears in several ways that you meet immediately at A1.2:

There is a special formal “you” pronoun.
Certain phrases for greeting and saying goodbye are considered more respectful.
Some polite expressions come from Arabic religious formulas and create a very courteous tone in Persian, especially in Iran.

In simple dialogues, you combine these politeness markers with greetings and introductions. For example, when you first meet someone, you greet them, introduce yourself, maybe say “nice to meet you,” and close with a polite goodbye. Even before you can talk about many topics, you can already be a “polite speaker” in Persian by choosing the correct greeting, the correct level of “you,” and adding small polite words in the right place.

From Words to Full Sentences

In the very beginning, you might only know separate words, such as “hello,” “goodbye,” or “I.” Basic communication teaches you how to connect these words into useful, correct sentences. The grammar that appears at this level is limited but powerful. It helps you do five key things in Persian:

Say who you are.
Ask who someone else is.
Express simple facts such as your job or nationality.
Address others politely or informally.
Build tiny but complete conversations that start and end naturally.

You will discover that you do not need many verbs to do this. At first, the verb “to be” is enough for many sentences. Because of this, you can already sound quite natural in simple situations if you respect the SOV word order, pick the right level of formality, and remember to place the “to be” element at the end.

Listening and Repeating as a Strategy

To become comfortable with basic communication in Persian, listening and imitation are as important as understanding rules. When you hear short dialogues, try to notice:

Where the greeting appears.
Where the introduction begins.
How speakers use “I” and “you.”
Where the sentence ends and how it sounds.

Then repeat the whole sentences out loud, not just separate words. This helps you internalize the sentence melody, the verb at the end, and the formal versus informal choices. With enough repetition, patterns like “Subject + extra information + verb” will feel natural, and you will be able to change only one word, for example your name or your job, to create many correct sentences.

Looking Ahead in A1.2

The rest of A1.2 will guide you step by step through the main building blocks that you need for basic communication:

Common greetings and introductions, with formal and informal variants.
Ways to say goodbye and polite expressions like “please” and “thank you.”
Personal pronouns such as “I,” “you,” “he,” “she,” “we,” and “they.”
The present tense of the verb “to be” and how it attaches to words.
Simple SOV sentences that you can already use in real life.

By the end of A1.2, you will be able to introduce yourself, greet and say goodbye, and make short, correct sentences about yourself and others. You will not yet speak about many topics, but you will already be able to start and end a conversation in Persian in a natural and polite way.

Vocabulary for This Section

Below is a list of core vocabulary and key terms mentioned or referenced in this chapter. Many of the exact Persian forms will be presented and practiced in the following subchapters, but you can already become familiar with them here conceptually.