External Resources

This is a carefully curated collection of resources external to LCP, which can be helpful to language learners. We are not responsible for the content of external sites, however.

Language learning resources

  • Growing Participator Approach — this is the approach that LCP typical uses in its lessons; Greg and Angela Thomson have made an incredible wealth of material available online
  • Growing Participator Dropbox — these are core resources for implementing the GPA in your language learning. Find the resource you need rather than downloading the whole folder. There are guides for each phase, overviews of the approach, and lots of other resources

Dari-specific resources

Farsi resources

Although there are differences between Iranian Farsi and Afghan Dari, the differences matter less for more formal topics.

  • BBC Persian — news and current events in Iranian Persian; this
  • BBC Persian Radio — news and current events in audio format
  • Persian Wikipedia — an alternative to using this web page is to visit Wikipedia in your native language, find an article of interest, and then look for a link to فارسی (sorted under “F”) on the left.
  • FSI Persian Farsi Course — this resource comes heavily qualified, as it is both in Farsi, and uses a pedagogical approach similar to Glassman. Nevertheless, if you’d like some exposure to Iranian Farsi (which is closer to the Dari in western Afghanistan), this is quite a resource. There are audio files to accompany it.

Grammar resources

These grammar resources are Farsi-oriented. Some items may be less relevant to spoken Dari; they will, however, be applicable for more formal varieties of Dari. While it is a good idea to make use of the grammatical materials developed by LCP for Dari specifically, if you’re struggling with a point of grammar, it may help to see it explained differently.

Cultural Resources

  • Encyclopædia Iranica — an invaluable collection of articles relating to Iranian language, culture, and history; “Iranian” is broadly conceived, including information about Pashtuns and some other groups
  • Exploring Culture — this site provides a set of questions and learning activities to help you learn about culture; the inventory is not specific to Afghanistan, but addresses general cultural topics
  • The Qur’an — this site has a nice interface, and you can also select various English and Persian translations
  • The Hadith — a nicely laid out collection of hadith (traditions about the Prophet) in English translation (as well as the original Arabic)
  • Ganjoor.net — a comprehensive resource for classical Persian poetry. Something to aspire to!