Questions
The things people ask
Short answers, no sales pitch. If yours isn't here, the culture notes and the PDF key inside each lesson answer most of the rest.
Getting started
Do I really not need the alphabet?
Really. Spoken Farsi and written Farsi differ systematically — Tehran says mikhâm beram where the page says mikhâham beravam. You learn the spoken version by ear, written in a simple, consistent romanization. A free 8-lesson bonus module teaches the script later, built on words you already know by sound.
Which Farsi is this?
Colloquial Tehrani Persian — the Iranian standard you hear in films, music, family kitchens and the Los Angeles diaspora. Not Dari or Tajik, and not newsreader Farsi (though you get a guided taste of the formal register later, so announcements aren't alien).
Who is speaking?
The English host explains; every Farsi line is a native Iranian voice — a different one for each character. The host never pronounces a new Farsi word, on principle: you should never learn a sound from a non-native mouth.
What's inside one lesson?
Three parts. A 5–8 minute video that tells the next piece of the story and teaches the new words and one grammar idea. A 10–15 minute speak-along drill (audio only — do it on a walk). And a short PDF: the dialogue, the phrase map, the grammar box, small words, exercises with a key.
On the lesson page you can also tap any Farsi line to hear it again, and play the practice game for that lesson.
How much time does it take?
About forty minutes per lesson. Three lessons a week is the pace the course is designed for; the drills replay well on a review day.
I grew up hearing Farsi. Is this too basic?
Heritage learners usually understand far more than they can produce. The drills force production, the culture notes explain the things nobody explained, and Units 2–3 (the verb machine, taarof at the bill, directions, the clock) are where most heritage speakers find the gaps. Start at Lesson 11 if Unit 1 feels easy.
I already know some Farsi. Where do I start?
Take the placement test: 12 listening questions, about two minutes, and it points you at a starting lesson. When in doubt, start one unit earlier than you think — the drills are where the course lives, and they are worth doing even for lines you can already understand.
The course
How many lessons are there?
100 lessons in 10 units, and 60 lessons live today. New lessons ship as they are finished; the curriculum page shows every lesson and marks which are ready.
Is there a story?
Yes, one continuous story. Sam, an American engineer, learns Farsi one lesson ahead of you, coached by his friend Leila. Her cousin Amir runs the counter of a café in LA; their grandmother Mâmân Pari video-calls from Tehran and becomes the boss of the course. By Unit 7 Sam is packing; Units 8–10 happen in Iran. Every new word arrives because the story needs it.
What is taarof, and will I learn it?
Taarof is the Iranian art of ritual politeness — offering, refusing, insisting, and knowing when each is meant. It is not decoration; it runs every shop counter, dinner table and taxi in the country. The course teaches it in the situations where it actually happens: the bill, the gift, the door, the "no, you first".
Does it work on my phone?
Yes — it's a website that installs like an app (on iPhone: Share → Add to Home Screen; on Android: the install prompt). Videos and drills play on both, the drills are audio-only so the phone can stay in your pocket, and drills and PDFs you have opened keep working offline.
Accounts & progress
Do I need an account?
Not for lessons 1–10 — they are free with no signup. Buying the full course needs one: your email is your login, and the purchase is attached to it, so you can sign in on any device. The study-partner option lives there too.
How do I sign in? I never set a password.
There is no password. Enter your email on the sign-in page and we email you a 6-digit code; it expires in ten minutes. The first time you do this, the same code creates your account.
Where is my progress saved?
On the device you are using, in the browser. The curriculum page shows your completed lessons, and the "Start Lesson 1" button turns into "Continue · Lesson N". Clearing that browser's site data clears the progress, and a second device starts from zero — cross-device sync is on the list, not shipped yet.
Can I use more than one device?
Yes. Your account can be signed in on up to three devices at once; if you hit the limit, the sign-in page lets you sign one of them out. The account page lists your devices and can sign out everywhere.
Paying
What does it cost?
Lessons 1–10 are free, forever, for everyone — no signup, no card. The full course (lessons 11–100) is $49, one payment, lifetime access, no subscription. 60 lessons are live today and every new one unlocks for you the day it ships — you are not paying again for the rest of the course. Checkout is by Stripe (cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay); promo codes go in at checkout.
Is there a subscription or a trial timer?
No. Nothing renews, nothing expires, and the free lessons never stop being free.
I paid, but lessons are still locked.
Make sure you are signed in with the same email you used at checkout — the purchase lives on that account. Your account page shows the plan and re-checks the payment with Stripe when you open it; if it still says "Free plan" a few minutes after paying, reload it once.
Study partners
What is the study-partner option?
A waiting list, for now. When you sign in there is a box: "Match me with a study partner when one becomes available." Tick it and you are on the list. Once enough learners around the same lesson have opted in, we pair people up — someone to do the drills with, swap voice notes, and keep each other at three lessons a week.
It is optional, and you can tick or untick it any time on your account page.
What happens with my email?
Nothing, until there is a match. If we pair you, we introduce the two of you by email — that is the only time your address is shared, and only with your partner. No newsletters come from ticking the box.
How do I get in touch?
Email [email protected] — a real person reads it. Corrections from native speakers are especially welcome; several lessons are better because of them.
Can I practise with a native speaker?
Not through the site yet. The best free version: do the drill out loud, then say the same lines to a Farsi-speaking friend, colleague or relative. Iranians are famously generous with anyone who tries — expect to be corrected, fed, and invited.
Ready?
Lesson 1 is eight minutes long
Free, forever. No signup, no alphabet.
Start Lesson 1 — Salâm!