A course for beginners in Persian
The desk of a language school, a woman chooses a group in Persian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «میخوام برای دوره زبان ثبتنام کنم.» — I want to sign up for a language course; «سطح زبانتونه چیه؟» — What is your language level?
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: the desk of a language school, a woman chooses a group. First the whole conversation, then each line on its own, with a translation.
- میخوام برای دوره زبان ثبتنام کنم.mi-khâm barâye dâvre zâbân sabt-nâm kânam.I want to sign up for a language course.
- سطح زبانتونه چیه؟sâhe zâbânetâne chie؟What is your language level?
- هنوز تازه‌کارم، دستور زبان بلد نیستم.hânuz tâze-kâram, dastâre zâbân bild nistam.I am still a beginner, I do not know the grammar.
- دوره آنلاین داریم و دوره حضوری.dâvree ânlayn dârim va dâvre hâzuri.We have an online course and an in-person one.
- اگه سریع یاد بگیرم کدوم بهتره؟âge sâri yâd begirâm kâdâm behtare؟If I learn fast, which is better?
- حضوری، چون تلفظتون تمرین بیشتری می‌خواد.hâzuri, chân tâlaffâzetân tamrin bishtari mi-khâd.In person, because your pronunciation needs more practice.
- درست فهمیدم؟ اولین جلسه رایگان است؟dârâst fahmidam؟ avvalin dzhalâse râyegân ast؟Did I understand right? The first lesson is free?
- دقیقاً همین‌طور. اگه واسه‌تون مناسبه، ثبت‌نامتون می‌کنم.dagigân hamin-târ. âge vâsetân mânasebe, sabt-nâmetân mi-kânam.Exactly so. If it suits you, I will sign you up.
Lines one by one
| Persian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| میخوام برای دوره زبان ثبتنام کنم. | mi-khâm barâye dâvre zâbân sabt-nâm kânam. | I want to sign up for a language course. |
| سطح زبانتونه چیه؟ | sâhe zâbânetâne chie؟ | What is your language level? |
| هنوز تازه‌کارم، دستور زبان بلد نیستم. | hânuz tâze-kâram, dastâre zâbân bild nistam. | I am still a beginner, I do not know the grammar. |
| دوره آنلاین داریم و دوره حضوری. | dâvree ânlayn dârim va dâvre hâzuri. | We have an online course and an in-person one. |
| اگه سریع یاد بگیرم کدوم بهتره؟ | âge sâri yâd begirâm kâdâm behtare؟ | If I learn fast, which is better? |
| حضوری، چون تلفظتون تمرین بیشتری می‌خواد. | hâzuri, chân tâlaffâzetân tamrin bishtari mi-khâd. | In person, because your pronunciation needs more practice. |
| درست فهمیدم؟ اولین جلسه رایگان است؟ | dârâst fahmidam؟ avvalin dzhalâse râyegân ast؟ | Did I understand right? The first lesson is free? |
| دقیقاً همین‌طور. اگه واسه‌تون مناسبه، ثبت‌نامتون می‌کنم. | dagigân hamin-târ. âge vâsetân mânasebe, sabt-nâmetân mi-kânam. | Exactly so. If it suits you, I will sign you up. |
How to prepare for a conversation like this
Memorizing the lines is not enough: the other person will say their own thing, not what is written. What helps more is catching the key words by ear and keeping three rescue phrases ready: “I don't understand”, “repeat, please”, “slower”.
And one more thing phrasebooks do not mention: awkwardness gets in the way more than not knowing the words.
- Fear of making mistakes gets in the way of learning a language, and noticeably so. The link turns up study after study, and together those studies cover almost twenty thousand people.checked many timesTeimouri, Goetze & Plonsky, 2019, Studies in Second Language Acquisition 41(2) · 19,933 participants from 23 countries; correlation with results r = −0.36.
- That fear can be dealt with — the methods have been tested and they work.checked many timesXiong et al., 2024, Journal of Language and Social Psychology · 37 studies, anxiety reduced by −0.61. Of the seven conditions examined, only age turned out to matter.
Frequently asked
How do you start a conversation in Persian in this situation?
“میخوام برای دوره زبان ثبتنام کنم.” (mi-khâm barâye dâvre zâbân sabt-nâm kânam.) — I want to sign up for a language course. The first line in such a conversation is almost always the same, and that is the one worth learning: the other person will carry it from there.
What if you did not understand the reply?
Say “I don't understand” and “repeat, please” — both are in the rescue set. Admitting your language is still shaky almost always makes the other person more patient.
Should you memorize the dialogue?
No. It is more useful to catch the key words by ear: the other person will say their own thing, and a memorized line will not always fit their reply.