THE METHOD

How I Teach Persian

Context-first. Culture-embedded. Built for the real world.

Three Pillars of the Method

Diagnose

We start by mapping exactly where you are. Your speaking level, your reading ability, your cultural literacy, and the specific gaps holding you back. No generic placement tests. A real conversation about your Persian.

Immerse

Every lesson uses real-world content: Iranian news, film clips, social media posts, political speeches, street conversations. You learn from the living language, not manufactured textbook dialogues from 1975.

Contextualize

Every word gets cultural, political, and social scaffolding. Why does this phrase have a double meaning? What does this expression reveal about Iranian social hierarchy? You learn to think in Persian, not translate.

How I personalize every lesson

There is no shared curriculum. Every student gets a track built for them.

Custom slide deck

I build a slide deck for each student between sessions. Calibrated to your level, your interests, and the specific Persian situations you face. If your dog is in your life, your dog is in the example sentences.

Personal track record

I keep a sheet for every learner: what we have covered, where you struggle, what we drill next. You see the gaps closing. No “where were we last time?”

Calibrated to your style

Heritage learners need different scaffolding from absolute beginners. Couples need different framing from solo learners. Journalists need different vocabulary from in-laws-decoders. I adapt every layer.

Mnemonics that stick

I use sound-alike English keywords linked to vivid images. Sometimes weird. Sometimes funny. Always memorable. Five reviews independently mention this is why vocab actually stays in their head.

Honest about messy Persian — why my “clarity” score is 4.7, not 5.0

Real spoken Persian is messy. Half-finished sentences, regional accents, register switching mid-thought, slang that didn’t exist last year. I do not drill clean grammar in a vacuum and pretend that is the language. I expose you to the chaos of how Persian actually works.

Clean lessons produce confident-sounding students who freeze in real Tehran. Messy lessons produce students who survive Tehran. I pick the second one every time. That trade-off shows up in my anonymous “clarity” score. I’d rather lose 0.3 points there and have students who can actually speak.

What You’ll Learn

Every lesson covers language and the world it lives in.

Street Farsi & Slang Political & Media Persian Tarof & Social Navigation Reading & Script Grammar in Context Iranian Film & Music Cultural Code-Switching Formal vs. Informal Register

Textbook vs. My Method

Textbook Approach	My Approach
“Hal-e shoma chetor ast?” (How are you?)	“Chetori jigar?” (What’s up, sweetheart?), what people actually say
Grammar rules memorized in isolation	Grammar discovered through real conversations and media
Vocabulary lists with no context	Words taught with political, cultural, and social meaning
One register: formal written Persian	Code-switching between street, formal, and everything in between
“Practice these dialogues at home”	Analyze a real news clip, decode a film scene, or read a viral tweet

How a Lesson Works

Platform: All lessons happen via video call on Preply. Screen sharing, whiteboard, and chat available.

Duration: 50 minutes per session (25 minutes for trial lessons).

Structure: Each lesson is built around a piece of real content: a news article, a film clip, a social media post, a song. We use it as a launchpad for vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, and cultural discussion.

Materials: I provide lesson notes, vocabulary lists, and optional homework after each session. Everything is customized to your level and goals.

Scheduling: Book lessons at times that work for you. Flexible rescheduling through Preply.

Experience It Yourself

The best way to understand the method is to try it. Book a free 25-minute trial.

Book Your Free Trial →