Farsi (Persian) for Beginners: Mastering Conversational Farsi (Free downloadable MP3 Audio files included)

Unfortunately, Persian has suffered from a lack of good resources to actually learn the language. I have used various Persian resources over the years and have not found a great book for Persian yet. This book from tuttle however is a solid introduction First off the book teaches both the formal and the informal language. So you will learn both versions of the language. The book teaches the Farsi script and the sounds but has the transliterated roman script throughout the book. However there is script practice thoughout the book. It teaches you how to have conversations with people and sprinkled throughout the book there are some proverbs and some Persian poetry. There is tons of audio with this book which I love! Tons of audio practice. The book doesn't seem to be overly grammatically heavy. It has a lot of little fun short dialogues. In consists of an American traveling to Iran with his Iranian wife and their little daughter Sara. The chapters end with a variety of exercises in both listening and reading. I have not completely finished the book yet but I can say so far it is fantastic and I believe it will get through the higher level Persian resources. I absolutely love tuttle's resources and I am hoping they will make more books for lesser studied languages like Persian. This book is fantastic and if you are just starting out in Persian, this book will be very beneficial to you. For a beginner I think it is one of the best on the market currently. To get full use of the book make sure you incorporate your learning by listening to Persian podcasts, tv and radio! And make sure to try and practice with Persian speakers!

This is one of the few resources in which a English speaker can learn Persian so this book can be invaluable. However, the CD that comes with the book may not work. I used my copy on a CD player, DVD player, and computer but the disc refuses to get read. This is a great disappointment potential buyers should be aware of. It might just have been my copy or simply bad luck but still. Since this the only book based study out there with Persian audio, the resources available just got much fewer...

This book is average. I think the author could have put a little more time and effort into this book. For example the word index in the back is seriously lacking. I am getting some Basics it's not a total waste but there's information in there too that does not really help me learn the language for example, there are poems and religious descriptions or places and other information that is not critical (to me) to learning the language. I am just a few chapters in and decided to order a different book but I will continue with this one as it does help somewhat

It's a little hard to write something conclusive because a friend and I have only just begun to learn Farsi. It is great so far. And when I showed it to my teacher who is a native speaker she thought it was great. So far, so good!

The chapters are designed in a slight narrative format. An American, Daniel, has traveled to Tehran to meet his in-laws. To give an idea, it starts with Daniel and his family meeting the grandmother (bogorzarad). The next chapter deals with words related to getting in a taxi. The book also breaks up chapters with theoretical stuff too such as tables stating the uses of pronouns, with paragraphs describing how Faris is similar and dissimilar to English.Overall I've been enjoying the book.

There is a lot to like in this book. It has English to Farsi and transliterations which made it much easier for me to be able to follow since I haven’t focused much on the written word, but on verbal conversation. There are also sections on conjugation which was really important for me. There is great conversational examples using both formal and casual language. I also appreciate that there is an accompanying disk which helps answer any questions you may have on pronunciation. This is a must have for reference if you are trying to learn Farsi.

I cant believe that i didnt write a review for this book !!! The pronunciation on cd goes a bit fast for me, But as a current farsi student, it has been a staple to my understanding things that dont click in class. Im so glad that i bought this book. It is totally highlighted and stickied.(not that im a nerd or anything) oh, and its in decent font size so if u need bigger print, it totally works...thanku, mersi !

This book is broken up into giant chapters with a lot of information. There are conversations to read/listen to ... but the next references and examples use different wording, so it’s overwhelming and hard to find any patterns or generalizations. Then after a list of “memorize these words”, it has you practice one letter. I have found better, more organized books. This book also does not give many chances to practice what has been learned.

I bought this for someone who wanted to learn Persian on her first visit to Iran. She found the book an easy read and entertaining - not boring at all which is a good thing. As she was reading the book I noticed that A FEW - but not all - of the translations were not exactly accurate. The author had translated certain phrases in a way that I personally disagree with. For example, the phrase "ghorboonet beram" was translated as "I adore you". However, it was not explained in the book the CONTEXT and circumstances this phrase must be used. And I do not see why this phrase is even useful when going to Iran. I hardly EVER use this phrase - and neither do most of my family. More USEFUL phrases please, author! But overall - a good book and better than the others I have seen on Amazon. So yes I do recommend it to others.

The book is correctly designed but the constructions presented in each lesson are definitely not well thought and not for beginners. Vocabulary and structures are too complex. In contrast, the calligraphy sections are too basic. The book on the whole is quite improvable, and in need of a better balance of contents.

The book has 7 chapters that are based on situation-based conversations that are quite useful. All conversations and work in the book include both perso-Arabic text and Latin transliteration. This is very useful. Negative aspects are the light treatment of grammar (no description anywhere of the direct object marker rā, even though it's used everywhere in the book), small omissions and errors throughout and numerous omissions from the dictionaries at the end of the book of words used in the lessons. I enjoy using the book, but I look forward to a second edition that will hopefully be expanded considerably.

The parts trying to introduce the reader to the day-to-day Persian culture are simply excellent and of great value. Although the teaching of the Farsi-alphabet takes up a large part of the book, anybody who is learning any arab language will appreciate how important this is and how much the culture is closed for you if you do not know the letters - even though the actual reading of a text written in this alphabet is extremely difficult for an European reader. Unfortunately the Farsi-English dictionary has a strange inconsequence in its typography when compared with the English-Farsi dictionary which is rather confusing. Erling Madsen, Denmark

The nice page layouts will appeal to visual learners studying persian. Good progression of content.