Questions and answers

Five Persian courses: Spoken Persian (80 lessons), Read & Write (38), Travel & Everyday Iran (36), Persian Through the News (30) and Culture & Poetry (30). And three Azeri (Tabrizi) courses: Spoken Tabrizi Azeri (48), Read & Write Azeri (24) and Azeri for Persian Speakers (24). That is 310 lessons in all.

Yes. Lesson 1 of every course is free and open to everyone, with no account needed. Members unlock the rest.

Both. Farsi is the Persian name for the language. We teach the standard Persian of Iran, focusing on the colloquial Tehrani accent heard in daily life, film and TV, alongside the formal written language used in books and the news.

Dari (Afghanistan) and Tajik (Tajikistan) are varieties of the same language. The written forms are very close to Iranian Persian; the spoken forms differ in accent and some vocabulary. Our courses focus on Iranian Persian.

Start with Spoken Persian, Lesson 1, or join the free four-week Tehran Starter. On a Complete plan, your dashboard follows our suggested learning path and slots in Read & Write lessons at the right moments.

Yes. Many of our learners are heritage speakers. You can skip ahead in Spoken Persian and focus on Read & Write, Persian Through the News and Culture & Poetry to close the gap between what you understand and what you can read and say.

Not to start speaking: every lesson gives transliteration. But reading opens up the whole language, and most learners can read simple words within a fortnight, so we recommend starting Read & Write early.

Studying 20–30 minutes a day, most learners hold simple everyday conversations after three months and talk comfortably about most daily topics after a year. Live classes speed this up considerably.

Azeri (Azerbaijani Turkish) is a Turkic language spoken by millions of people in north-west Iran and in the Republic of Azerbaijan. We teach the Azeri of Tabriz, the largest Azeri-speaking city in Iran, as it is really spoken there, Persian loanwords and all.

No. Spoken Tabrizi Azeri starts from zero. If you already speak Persian, Azeri for Persian Speakers uses what you know as a shortcut, and Read & Write Azeri builds on the Persian script.

The Perso-Arabic script used for Azeri in Iran, with the Latin alphabet of the Republic of Azerbaijan alongside every word. Read & Write Azeri teaches both and how to move between them.

Baku Azeri is the same language with a different accent and some different vocabulary, so you will understand each other well. Turkish is a close cousin: much will be familiar, but it is a separate language.

Azeri is a separate membership: Azeri Essentials, Azeri Complete or Azeri Live. If you want both languages, the Persian + Azeri bundle covers everything. See the Azeri pricing page for current prices.

Not yet. Live classes are in Persian for now; Azeri classes are planned and members will be the first to hear when they open.

You get 14 days of full access to the plan you choose. Cancel before the trial ends and you won’t be charged. We’ll email you a reminder three days before it ends.

Yes, at any time from your account page. Upgrades take effect immediately; downgrades and cancellations apply at the end of your current billing period.

You can pay in US dollars, pounds sterling or euros by card. Prices include VAT where applicable.

If you’re charged for a renewal you didn’t mean to make, contact us within 14 days and we’ll refund it in full. See our refund policy for details.

We offer 40% off Complete and Complete Live for students, teachers and people working with refugees and asylum seekers. Email us with proof of status and we’ll send you a code.

Yes: 3, 6 or 12 months of Complete, delivered by email on the date you choose. Gift memberships never renew automatically.

Yes, for universities, schools, newsrooms and organisations. Contact us for a quote.

A maximum of eight learners, so everyone gets to speak. Sessions last 50 minutes on video call.

The timetable covers mornings, lunchtimes, evenings and weekends in UK time to suit Europe, the Middle East and the Americas. Your dashboard shows every session in your own time zone.