Comprehensible input is Persian you can mostly follow, whether you read it, listen to it, or watch it. Look for about one new word per sentence, with the meaning still clear.
Persian adds one more step for readers: most short vowels aren't written, so listen while you read to hear how each word really sounds. Courses, audio lessons and tutors are in our full Persian app comparison.
Bubblegum
For serious learners, Bubblegum is the best app to learn Persian. You learn from Persian you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.
Pick something you already know well, like cooking for your family or a weekend in Isfahan, and Poppy, your AI tutor, writes about it in Persian at your level. The words you save show up again in later lessons, inside new sentences.
To read a Persian article or podcast you picked yourself, LingQ below can import it.
- Choose a topic and a level, and the Persian is written to fit.
- Read Persian lessons, stories, and news about things you like.
- Tap a word for its meaning, or ask Poppy what a whole line says.
- Regenerative Review™ brings saved words back in new lessons.
- Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
- You can't turn your own Persian books into lessons. However, you can paste a page in the chat, and Poppy will explain it.
- Custom lessons cost us money to make, so you need Bubblegum Pro for unlimited custom lessons. Lessons Poppy wrote for other learners are free for everyone to read.
- Regenerative Review™
- Teaches the Persian Alphabet
Mobile
LingQ
LingQ's Mini Stories are short tales that practice the basic patterns of Persian, one story at a time. Hear each story first, then read it while the audio plays.
- 55 Persian Mini Stories with audio, written for beginners.
- Tap any Persian word to look it up and save it.
- Flashcards
MobileWeb
PersianPod101
PersianPod101's tiny books let you read whole pages of Persian from your first weeks. In its dialogue lessons, a teacher goes through a short conversation line by line. Replay the dialogue at the end to check how much you caught.
- Extensive Reading in Persian for Absolute Beginners: 40 tiny books to read.
- Dialogue lessons where a teacher explains the words.
- Flashcards
- Teaches the Persian Alphabet
MobileWeb
Other Apps We Looked At (4)
- PimsleurHalf-hour audio lessons in Persian where you answer out loud. A separate course teaches Dari.
- MangoConversation lessons recorded by Persian speakers, with culture notes. Ask your library, since many offer it.
- GlossikaHear Persian sentences and say them back, at levels from beginner to advanced.
- ClozemasterOnce you know the basics, practice by choosing the word that completes each Persian sentence.
Chai and Conversation, a podcast that started in 2010, teaches spoken Persian, one short episode a week. Learn Persian with Podgap labels each episode with its level, from A1 to C1, and offers transcripts and worksheets on its Patreon. When everyday talk gets easier, Farsi Plateau is made for intermediate learners, and Our Farsi is two hosts chatting in colloquial Persian.
Global Storybooks has 40 free Persian picture stories, and every page has audio. The easiest stories show the short vowels, so you can see how each word is said while you read.
On YouTube, Learn Persian with Asal tells short stories for learners, and Ali Aghajanzadeh films travel videos with English subtitles. For the news, BBC News Persian and Radio Farda write for Persian readers.
| What You Can Follow | Try This | You're Ready to Move On When |
|---|---|---|
| A few words at a time | An easiest-level picture story on Global Storybooks | You can read a page before you play its audio |
| Short, simple sentences | LingQ Mini Stories or PersianPod101's tiny books | You can tell the story again without looking |
| Little stories and messages | Short stories on Learn Persian with Asal, or an A1 Podgap episode | A whole video makes sense even when you miss a few words |
| Everyday conversations | Farsi Plateau or Our Farsi | You can say what a chat was about and one detail |
| Longer videos | Ali Aghajanzadeh's travel videos with English subtitles | You follow most of a video with the subtitles off |
| The news | BBC News Persian or Radio Farda | You can read a report about a story you already know |
Save the news for last. Persian Learning on YouTube also starts from absolute beginner, if you'd like a teacher to explain things along the way.
These apps explain Persian in English or another language you know. Check a lesson in your language before paying for any of them.
| App | Languages You Can Use It In | Full List |
|---|---|---|
| Bubblegum | 74 | Supported language pairs |
| LingQ | 17 | Full list |
| PersianPod101 | 1 | Full list |
| Pimsleur | 3 | Full list |
| Mango | 2 | Full list |
| Glossika | 2 | Full list |
| Clozemaster | 37 | Full list |
Which Persian app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning Persian, start with Bubblegum. Poppy, your AI tutor, writes lessons at your level about things you like. If you'd rather start with picture stories, try the easiest Global Storybooks stories, which show the short vowels. If you'd rather listen first, play an early Chai and Conversation episode.
Do I need the alphabet before I start reading?
To read the stories and books on this page, yes. Persian has 32 letters, and Bubblegum's Persian Alphabet course also teaches the small vowel marks that easy books add, like the marks in بِه (to). While you learn them, you can read your Bubblegum lessons in Finglish, the Latin letters many Iranians text in.
Should I start with spoken or written Persian?
Start with the one you'll use first. If talking with family or friends comes first, spend more time on spoken Persian, where خانه (house) is usually said خونه. If you want to read books or the news, written Persian comes first. For a plan that mixes both, see the best way to learn Persian.
Is Bubblegum free?
Yes. Lessons Poppy wrote for other learners are free for everyone to read. Custom lessons cost us money to make, so you need Bubblegum Pro for unlimited custom lessons.
Sources
- University of Texas at Austin, Persian Online: Short and Long Vowels (short vowels are not written)
- University of Texas at Austin, Persian Online: What Is Diglossia? (written and spoken Persian)
- University of Texas at Austin, Persian Online: The Writing System (32 letters)
- Reddit (r/farsi): Persian speakers and teachers on starting with spoken or written Persian
- Bubblegum: Persian and the Persian Alphabet course
- LingQ: Learn Persian online
- LingQ: Persian courses (Mini Stories, 55 lessons)
- LingQ on the App Store (languages you can use it in)
- PersianPod101: Absolute Beginner lesson library (Extensive Reading in Persian for Absolute Beginners)
- PersianPod101: pricing
- Innovative Language (PersianPod101) on the App Store
- Chai and Conversation podcast on Apple Podcasts
- Learn Persian with Podgap on Apple Podcasts
- Farsi Plateau (Intermediate Persian) on Apple Podcasts
- Our Farsi on Apple Podcasts
- Global Storybooks: Persian stories with audio
- Learn Persian (Farsi) with Asal on YouTube
- Persian Learning (Majid) on YouTube
- Ali Aghajanzadeh on YouTube (travel videos with English subtitles)
- BBC News Persian
- Radio Farda
- Pimsleur: Learn Farsi Persian
- Pimsleur on the App Store (languages you can use it in)
- Mango Languages: Persian (Farsi)
- Mango Languages on the App Store (languages you can use it in)
- Glossika: Learn Persian
- Glossika on the App Store (languages you can use it in)
- Clozemaster: Persian Farsi sentence lists
- Clozemaster on the App Store (languages you can use it in)
