Best Persian Books for Beginners: 7 That Are Worth It
Seven Persian books for beginners, from a free university textbook to the best grammar workbook. What each one does, who it suits, and where to start.
The Short Answer
Buy one book, not five. Most beginners stall because they collect books instead of finishing one.
Here are the Persian books for beginners that are actually worth your money, sorted by what you want from them.
| What you want | Book | Author |
|---|---|---|
| Free, start today | Persian of Iran Today | Shahsavari & Atwood |
| A proper course | Farsi Shirin Ast | Shabani,Jadidi & Brookshaw |
| Learning alone | Complete Modern Persian | Narguess Farzad |
| Speaking, not just reading | Colloquial Persian | Abdi Rafiee |
| Grammar drills | Basic Persian | Yousef & Torabi |
| The next step up | Intermediate Persian | Yousef & Torabi |
| Travel and conversation | Farsi (Persian) for Beginners | Saeid Atoofi |
If you want one free book, start with Persian of Iran Today. If you want one paid book, make it Farsi Shirin Ast.
Free First: Persian of Iran Today
Anousha Shahsavari and Blake Atwood wrote this for the University of Texas at Austin. Both volumes are free online, with audio.
It teaches the Persian people actually speak in Iran, not stiff textbook formality. Volume 1 covers the script, greetings and the present tense. Volume 2 moves into past tenses and longer texts.
Start here before you spend anything. Finish Volume 1, then decide whether you want more structure.
The Best Beginner Course: Farsi Shirin Ast
The full title is The Routledge Introductory Persian Course: Farsi Shirin Ast, by Pouneh Shabani,Jadidi and Dominic Parviz Brookshaw. The Persian name means "Persian is sweet".
Fifteen lessons, each with a dialogue, grammar, exercises and audio. Shabani,Jadidi teaches at McGill and Brookshaw at Oxford, and it reads like a real university course.
Best if you want structure and do not mind homework. It is the closest thing to a classroom in book form.
Best for Learning Alone: Complete Modern Persian
Narguess Farzad teaches Persian at SOAS in London. Her Teach Yourself book takes you from zero to roughly B2, which is comfortable conversation.
Each unit explains the grammar in plain English, then drills it. Audio is included.
Best if you have no teacher and want one book that carries you a long way.
Best for Speaking: Colloquial Persian
Abdi Rafiee taught Persian at the University of Westminster. His Colloquial Persian focuses on the language as people speak it, and Routledge gives the MP3 audio away free.
This matters more in Persian than in most languages. Spoken Farsi and written Farsi differ a lot, so a book that teaches only the written form leaves you lost in conversation.
Best as your second book, running alongside a grammar course.
Best for Grammar: Basic Persian, Then Intermediate
Basic Persian: A Grammar and Workbook by Saeed Yousef and Hayedeh Torabi is drills, not prose. Each unit takes one grammar point and makes you use it.
Yousef teaches Persian at the University of Chicago. When you finish, Intermediate Persian picks up where it stops, with appendices on colloquial, polite, literary and journalistic styles.
Best as a workbook and reference. It is not a course, so do not make it your first book.
How to Use a Persian Book Without Stalling
Books fail beginners in predictable ways. Avoid them:
- Learn the script first. Transliteration feels faster and traps you within weeks. Our guide to the Persian alphabet covers all 32 letters.
- One section at a time. Finish it before opening the next.
- Say the exercises out loud. Silent reading builds recognition, not speech.
- Review yesterday before starting today. Books have no memory; you have to supply it.
Depth beats speed. One finished book teaches more than four abandoned ones.
Pair Books With Daily Practice
Books give you structure and explanation. They cannot test you, correct you, or remind you.
Use a book for the grammar and an app for the repetition. Learn the script with our free Farsi alphabet course, then keep words alive with free Farsi lessons and spaced repetition.
For the wider picture, see the best apps to learn Farsi, or what learning Persian online looks like day to day.