Program Overview

Farsi Elementary

Overview

The Farsi Elementary course is designed for individuals who have a basic understanding of the language and want to extend their skills. The course is divided into three parts, each building on the previous one.

Who is this class for?

This course is suitable for those who have studied Farsi for around a year or 60 hours. It is also open to those who have prior experience and want to skip Part One and proceed straight to Part Two or Three.

Course Structure

The course follows a communicative approach to language teaching, focusing on speaking and listening skills. The classes are taught by experienced language teachers who are native speakers of the language or equivalent.

Learning Resources

The course uses Colloquial Persian as the primary textbook. However, students are advised to wait until the first session before buying the course book.

Part One

In Part One of the Farsi Elementary course, students will cover the following topics and grammar:

Topics

• Revision of topics covered in Grade 1
• Travel
• Arriving in Tehran
• 'How long will you stay in Iran?'
• Going through customs

Grammar

• Future simple tense (how to say ‘I will see you tomorrow’)
• Present continuous (how to say ‘I am watching TV’)
• Imperative (how to say ‘have some fruit, please’)
• Sequencing (how to say ‘my friend and I’)
• How to say ‘please go ahead’
• How to say ‘let’s go’

Part Two

Part Two builds on what students learnt in Part One, covering the following topics and grammar:

Topics

• In Iran
• Getting a taxi
• Checking in at a hotel
• Relations with other people
• Asking for and telling the time
• Asking for and giving directions
• Asking a Persian speaker to speak more slowly and clearly
• Describing a location with reference to the points of compass
• Talking about journey time and distance
• Enquiring about the availability of facilities in the area, using 'streetwise' expressions

Grammar

• Simple subjunctive (how to say ‘I must go’)
• Structured infinitive (how to say ‘to telephone someone’)
• Object endings (how to say ‘I saw them’, ‘I ate it’)
• How to ask 'what's the matter (or wrong) with him/her?'
• How to say 'there is/are', 'there was/were'
• 'After lunch' vs 'after I ate (or) I have eaten lunch'
• 'Before lunch' vs 'before I ate (or) eat lunch'
• Gerund (how to say ‘going’, ‘eating’)

Part Three

Part Three is the final level of the Farsi Elementary course, covering the following topics and grammar:

Topics

• Talking about food, drinks, and your diet, including ‘restaurant skills’
• Asking someone if they have ever done something
• Using ta`ārof (politeness ritual)

Grammar

• Adverbs of frequency (‘always’, ‘usually’, ‘sometimes’, ‘occasionally’, ‘rarely’, ‘never’)
• Double negative (how to say ‘I never go to a restaurant alone’)
• Present perfect (how to say ‘I have seen that film’)

Discounts and Booking Deadlines

• Standard Fee per Part: £300 (online), £365 (on-campus)
• Booking deadline: 10 days prior to the start date of each Part
• 10% discount for undergraduate and postgraduate students and alumni

Language Courses Term Dates

Online Courses – September Start

• Part 1: 16 September 2024 – 05 December 2024
• Part 2: 20 January 2025 – 10 April 2025
• Part 3: 28 April 2025 – 28 July 2025 (Monday courses), 22 April 2025 – 10 July 2025 (Tuesday - Thursday courses)

On-Campus Courses – September Start

• Part 1: 30 September 2024 – 05 December 2024
• Part 2: 20 January 2025 – 27 March 2025
• Part 3: 28 April 2025 – 14 July 2025 (Monday courses), 22 April 2025 – 26 June 2025 (Tuesday -Thursday courses)