DuolingoDuolingo doesn't teach Dari. It doesn't teach Persian to English speakers either, so Iranian Persian is not there.
Dari is the name Afghans give to their Persian, and it is one of Afghanistan's two official languages, along with Pashto. It is written in the same Persian letters as the Persian of Iran, but some sounds and words are different, so check which one a course teaches. Teachers, free books and radio are in our best ways to learn Dari.
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.
Tell Poppy, your AI tutor, your level and what you like, and she writes your Dari lessons. If a sentence is hard to follow, ask Poppy to explain it.
With Regenerative Review™, words you save show up again in new lessons, so that you can review words in new contexts without having to use flashcards.
- The Dari Alphabet course teaches the Persian letters in 12 short chapters, with pictures and the sounds Dari uses.
- The voices that read your lessons aloud are told to speak Dari, not Iranian Persian.
- Read your lessons in Dari letters or in Roman Dari, the Latin letters many Afghans text in, and switch any time.
- Regenerative Review™ brings saved words back in new lessons, and you can export them to Anki.
- Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
- Learn every letter in the free Persian Alphabet course, with a picture to help you remember each one.
- The read-aloud voices are standard voices that are told to speak Dari, with no Afghan voices of their own, so also listen to Radio Azadi, below.
- You can't turn your own Dari books or articles into lessons.
- 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 Dari Alphabet
Mobile
Pimsleur
Pimsleur sells Dari Persian as its own course, apart from Farsi. You listen and answer out loud, so you can start speaking before you read much.
- 60 audio lessons of 30 minutes each, in two levels.
- Voice Coach gives you pronunciation feedback as you speak.
MobileWeb
Mango Languages
Mango sells Dari as a course apart from its Persian one. Many public libraries give you Mango for free with a library card, so ask there first.
- Each lesson is built around a conversation, with Grammar Notes and Culture Notes about etiquette and gestures.
- A voice comparison tool lets you check your accent.
- Flashcards
MobileWeb
uTalk
uTalk teaches Dari as its own language, apart from Iranian Persian. Each topic is a set of quick games, and you hear every word spoken by someone from Afghanistan.
- More than 2,500 words and phrases in topics like family, restaurants, and travel.
- Native Afghan speakers recorded the audio.
MobileWeb
| App | How You Can Start Free |
|---|---|
| Pimsleur | The first week is free. |
| Mango | The first lesson is free, and many libraries give members free access. |
| uTalk | A free starter topic is open to everyone. |
Which Dari 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. Or start with Pimsleur if you'd like to speak first, or with uTalk if you'd like to learn words first.
Is Dari a different language from Persian?
Dari is the Persian of Afghanistan, and Pimsleur, Mango and uTalk each sell it as a course apart from their Iranian Persian one. The two share the same letters, and some sounds and words change.
Will Persian lessons from Iran help me learn Dari?
They help with the letters and much of the grammar. For everyday talk, pick a Dari course or a Dari teacher, so the sounds and words match the people you will talk with.
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
- Duolingo: course list
- Constitution of Afghanistan (2004), Article 16: Pashto and Dari are the official languages of the state
- IAM Afghanistan: external resources (Iranian Farsi and Afghan Dari differ, but matter less for formal topics)
- Pimsleur: Learn Dari Persian
- Mango Languages: Dari
- Mango Languages: what's free
- uTalk: Learn Dari (taught apart from Iranian Persian, recorded with Afghan speakers)
- uTalk: what's free
- Bubblegum
