· 7 min read
English vs Persian: How They Compare
By Language Lab editorial team
English vs Persian (Farsi) compared: scripts, grammar, sounds, shared words, where each is spoken, how long each takes to learn and the tests for each.
English and Persian are distant relatives with very different surfaces. Both belong to the Indo-European language family; Persian, also known as Farsi, sits in its Indo-Iranian branch. Persian is written from right to left in a 32-letter alphabet that leaves short vowels unwritten, while English uses the Latin alphabet. In grammar Persian is the lighter of the two in some ways: its nouns have no gender, it has no articles, and one word serves for both he and she. For an English speaker, the US State Department lists Farsi in Category III, at about 44 weeks or 1,012 class hours. For a learner of English, Cambridge English's guideline is roughly 500–600 guided learning hours to reach B2 from zero. Which to learn depends on where you are going.
Side by side
| English | Persian | |
|---|---|---|
| Family | Indo-European; related to German and Dutch | Indo-European, Indo-Iranian branch |
| Script | Latin alphabet, left to right | 32 letters, right to left; most letters connect |
| Vowels in writing | Written | Short vowels are not written |
| Articles | The and a | None |
| Noun gender | None | None |
| He and she | Two words | One word for both |
| Questions | Word order changes | A rise in the voice; the word order does not change |
| Word stress | Varies | Generally on the last syllable |
| Main tests | IELTS, TOEFL iBT, Cambridge English Qualifications, PTE Academic | Not covered in the sources used here |
What they share
- A family. The BBC's guide places Persian in the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European language family, the family that also includes English.
- Words. English has borrowed pistachio, spinach, candy, lemon, saffron and bazaar from Persian.
- French. Persian uses hundreds of French words in everyday speech, including Mersi for thank you, and English is full of French vocabulary too, so the two often meet in the middle: radio, bus and automobile are recognisable in both.
- No noun gender. Neither language makes you learn a gender for each noun.
Where they differ
Writing
This is the largest gap. Persian is written from right to left, most of its letters must be joined, and dots placed above, below or inside a letter change both its sound and the word's meaning. Short vowels are left out: the BBC's guide points out that bad has three letters in English and only two in Persian. An English speaker has to learn to supply those vowels from context. A Persian speaker learning English faces the opposite surprise: English spelling has plenty of irregularities, as the BBC notes when comparing it with Urdu.
Grammar
The BBC's guide calls Persian relatively simple to grasp grammatically. There are no articles, so the English habit of choosing between the and a has no counterpart. The same word describes he and she, which the guide says can make it hard to tell whom a speaker means. Questions keep the order of a statement and are marked only by the voice rising at the end.
Sounds
English speakers often struggle with two Persian sounds: kh, as in the Scottish loch, and the guttural gh. Mispronouncing them changes words: khar is donkey and kâr is deaf; ghand is sugar and gand is a bad smell.
Politeness
English has one word for you. Persian has two: to, for people you are on first-name terms with, and shomâ in other cases. Only close friends and children are addressed by first name, and the guide describes a whole system of courtesy called târoof.
The same phrases in both
| English | Persian |
|---|---|
| Hello | Sâlam |
| Goodbye | Khodâ hâfez |
| Please | Lotfan |
| Thank you | Mersi |
| Yes | Baleh |
| No | Nakheyr |
| I don't understand | Nemifahmam |
How long each takes
- Persian, for an English speaker: the US State Department lists Farsi in Category III, hard languages, at about 44 weeks or 1,012 class hours. At 10 hours a week that is about 101 weeks.
- English, for any learner: Cambridge English estimates approximately 200 guided learning hours to move up one level of the European framework, which puts B1 at roughly 350–400 hours from zero and B2 at 500–600. Cambridge says the figures are a guideline and vary with your language background.
The two figures measure different things, a US government training target and a level-by-level guideline, so do not read them as a direct comparison.
Where each is used
- Persian is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, by the BBC's guide, and is understood in parts of several neighbouring countries.
- English is tested by several international exams. ETS reports that its TOEFL iBT is accepted by over 13,500 institutions in more than 160 countries.
Which should you learn?
- You speak Persian and want to study or work abroad: English, and plan by level, B1 then B2.
- You speak English and have family, work or research tied to Iran, Afghanistan or Tajikistan: Persian.
- You are drawn to Persian for its literature: the BBC's guide describes it as a very poetic, soft and song-like language.
- You want the lighter grammar: Persian. You want the script you already know: English.
- You speak neither: English first for reach, Persian for the region.
Language Lab offers both. Its English and Persian courses are built around voiced real-life scenarios with an AI tutor.
Frequently asked
Is Persian similar to English?
They are distant relatives. Both are Indo-European languages, and neither has noun gender, but they use different scripts and Persian has no articles.
Is Persian hard for English speakers?
The US State Department classes Farsi as a hard language, at about 44 weeks or 1,012 class hours. The BBC's guide calls its grammar relatively simple; the script and some sounds are the hard part.
Does Persian use the same alphabet as English?
No. Persian is written from right to left in an alphabet of 32 letters, and short vowels are not written.
Does Persian have genders or articles?
No. Nouns have no gender, there are no articles, and the same word is used for he and she.
Which English words come from Persian?
The BBC's guide lists pistachio, spinach, candy, lemon, saffron and bazaar.
How long does it take a beginner to reach B2 in English?
Cambridge English's guideline is roughly 500–600 guided learning hours from zero, with the caution that individuals may need more or less time.
Sources: BBC Languages, A Guide to Persian: 10 facts, Key phrases and The Persian alphabet; Languages of the world; A Guide to Urdu (archived pages); US Department of State, National Foreign Affairs Training Center, Foreign Language Training; Cambridge English, Guided learning hours; ETS, TOEFL iBT. Checked on 13 October 2026. Photo: Stained-glass windows of the Nasir al-Mulk Mosque, Shiraz, Laurens R. Krol / CC BY 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons).
