About half the people in Afghanistan speak Dari, also known as “Afghan Persian” or “Afghan Farsi”. About a third speak Pashto. These two languages constitute Afghanistan’s official languages, although it is Dari which is taught in schools and used in business and most frequently used in everyday communication. Many Afghans are bilingual. Other languages spoken include Uzbek, Turkmen, Nuristani and Baluchi.
Language in the orphanages
In the AFCECO orphanages, Dari is the lingua franca. Although some children arrive at the orphanages speaking only Nuristani or one of the other regional languages, they quickly pick up Dari – a facility most of us as adults can only envy! The children are also taught English and, through the work of volunteers and sponsors, some of them have also learned Italian. So it’s not uncommon for the children to be able to hold their own in three or four languages.
Of course, the more the children are exposed to native speakers of a language, the easier they become with that language. Volunteers have played a part in teaching the children English as well as Italian, and some sponsors are working on a plan to hire a full-time English teacher for the orphanages.
Another way the children gain exposure to other languages is through Skype (video conferencing) calls with sponsors. So far, these informal sessions have involved a handful of English-speaking sponsors. Time constraints and – more particularly – the poor Internet service in Kabul limit the frequency and length of the sessions, but they are a wonderful way to build closer relationships with the children while at the same time helping them with their language learning. With the possibility of a more reliable and faster Internet connection on the horizon, we hope that there will be an opportunity for more sponsors to be involved in these sessions.
A little Dari
As a sponsor, you’ll find yourself coming into contact with a few Dari words early on. You’re sure to see the word “jan” added to your name in letters from your sponsored child (it means “dear”). And you may run across other words such as “aziz” (beloved) and “salaam” (hello). On your child’s birthday, you might want to write “Happy birthday” in Dari (it’s “salgira at mubarak!” or, in Dari script, سالگره ات مبارک!).
If you have a chance to Skype with your child, you may hear “Chetawr hastid?” (How are you?) and want to be able to reply “Khob hastam” (I am fine).
Note that although Dari is written in a Farsi script, using mostly Arabic characters running from right to left, there’s no need to be intimidated by this, as most Dari speakers are comfortable reading the English transliterations, such as “salgira at mubarak!” or “jan”.
One way to pick up a little Dari is by asking your sponsored child to teach you. The children with fairly good English will be happy to oblige.
Another is to use language learning software.There are several good programs available – and some not so great. One of the best is the free Express version of Byki Dari. It will introduce you to some basic spoken and written vocabulary and give you a taste of the language. If you want to learn more, Byki Dari Deluxe adds additional vocabulary lists, the ability to create your own lists, MP3 audio so you can download the lists to your MP3 player, and the ability to record and assess your pronunciation.
Below, you’ll find reviews of some of the other Dari phrasebooks and language courses.
Dari lessons for AFCECO sponsors
Using Byki Dari Deluxe, which lets you create custom vocabulary lists, a couple of AFCECO sponsors – aided by Andeisha, the orphanage director – have started creating some Dari lessons tailor-made for sponsors. These online lessons contain words you may find useful in your letters or if you have the chance to video conference with your sponsored child. The lessons include the English word or phrase, the Dari script, the English transliteration of the Dari, and the spoken Dari.
We’re just put the finishing touches on the first lesson. We’ll be adding more soon, so make sure you check out the Learn a little Dari page. Give the lessons a try and let us know how you find them. If you want us to include a word or phrase in an upcoming lesson, let us know in the Learning Dari forum and we’ll see what we can do. We also welcome any offers to translate the English side of these English-Dari lessons into other languages.
Yasmine’s YouTube lessons
Over on YouTube, a young med student named Yasmine has been providing free Dari lessons for the last couple of years. She has amassed a collection of 71 lessons. The videos vary in quality, but if you try a few of them, you are sure to pick up some informal, conversational Dari. Yasmine’s very responsive to comments and requests, too. Well worth a visit.
Dari phrasebooks and language learning tools
If you’d like to learn some Dari on your own, there are quite a few phrasebooks, audio CDs and interactive computer courses available. We’ve reviewed some of the phrasebooks elsewhere on this site, in the Afghanistan Reading List. Below, you’ll find reviews of some of the other language tools available to you. If you’d like to purchase any of these, simply click the product image.
Dari, Comprehensive: Learn to Speak and Understand Dari with Pimsleur Language Programs
Pimsleur has recently released a comprehensive introduction to spoken Dari consisting of 30 lessons on 16 audio CDs. As well as the audio lessons, the course includes a booklet which introduces you to the Dari alphabet along with 18 recorded and written reading lessons.
While this course is overkill for most of us – unless you have plans to travel to Afghanistan – it’s truly an excellent resource. This is the only course that will give you an understanding of Dari grammar. It thus gives you the foundation and tools you need to be able to expand and explore your Dari horizons. By the time you finish the Pimsleur course, you should be moderately comfortable with some everyday, conversational Dari and also able to read the Dari alphabet and recognize many words.
You’ll also be out of pocket by about $US240. If you’re serious about learning Dari, it will feel like money well spent.
You’ll get the most from this course and from the Pimsleur Basic and Conversational courses (described below) if you carefully follow the Pimsleur method as described on the first audio CD.
If you want to wow your child in a Skype session, this course is the way to go.
Dari, Basic: Learn to Speak and Understand Dari with Pimsleur Language Programs
Okay, so you may not be keen to spend $240 on a Dari course. Then why not start with the Basic version of the Pimsleur course? For $18, you get 10 lessons on five audio CDs. It’s a generous taster – Pimsleur’s way of enticing you to buy the full course.
Dari, Conversational: Learn to Speak and Understand Dari with Pimsleur Language Programs
Here’s the mid-level Pimsleur course. It gives you 16 lessons on eight audio CDs, for a very modest $US33. This is probably the best value of the Pimsleur trio.
The pricing of the Basic and Conversational courses makes the price tag on the Comprehensive Pimsleur course look a little out of line. What you get for the extra money is 14 more language lessons – enough to deepen your understanding considerably – plus the 18 reading lessons.
Accent on Afghanistan: Dari
This compact set includes:
- an audio CD;
- illustrated language flashcards, with Dari script and English pronunciation;
- information on Afghan culture, etiquette and customs;
- a fold-out, laminated card containing 350 Dari words and phrases, all neatly packaged in a small, plastic covered, fold-away ring binder.
Accent on Afghanistan has clearly been designed for use by members of the military, so you’re likely to find a fair few of those 350 Dari phrases less than useful. For instance, there’s a whole section on military ranks and another on commands (“Do not resist!”, “We won’t hurt you”). Despite this, there’s plenty of useful information for civilians as well as soldiers and the compact packaging makes it easy to keep at hand. For $US20 it’s a pretty good deal.