English for Farsi Speaking People

ENPart one.

ENWelcome home, friends.

ENWelcome to your English toolbox, your slow English podcast where we train your ears step by step.

ENI am Martin.

ENAnd I am Julia.

ENAnd today, bringing the calm, I am Peter.

ENToday is a very important day for our community.

ENWe are dedicating this entire episode to a specific group of our listeners.

ENWe want to send a warm, loud embrace to our Farsi and Dari speaking friends.

ENWe know you have been absent

ENfor a while.

ENBut we are seeing you return, and it fills us with joy.

ENWe know that life has been incredibly heavy for many of you recently.

ENSometimes, when the world around us becomes difficult, we feel like closing down.

ENBut you are doing the opposite.

ENYou are opening up.

ENLearning a language is an act of hope.

ENIt is a declaration of freedom.

ENIt means you refuse to be limited by your geography or your circumstances.

ENLanguage is

ENthe key that keeps the world open, even when doors are closing.

ENYour resilience is powerful.

ENAnd we want to honor that resilience by giving you the best tools we have.

ENWe have analyzed the specific architecture of your native language.

ENFarsi is a beautiful, poetic, and ancient language.

ENBut English is a different beast.

ENIt has a different logic, a different rhythm, and a different soul.

ENToday, we are going to build a bridge between these two worlds.

ENWe

ENwill break down the invisible barriers that stop you from feeling fluent.

ENAnd I will be here to help you practice the solutions, slowly and calmly.

ENLet's start with the biggest invisible wall.

ENIt is the way you organize your thoughts.

ENMartin, I have noticed something interesting when I speak with my Iranian students.

ENThey often pause in the middle of a sentence.

ENIt feels like they are searching for the word.

ENBut they aren't searching for the word.

ENThey

ENare searching for the structure.

ENExactly.

ENThe problem is the architecture of the sentence.

ENIn linguistics, we call this the difference between SOV and SVO.

ENLet's make it simple.

ENImagine a train.

ENIn English, the engine of the train is the verb.

ENThe action.

ENAnd in English, the engine comes right at the front, immediately after the driver.

ENThe driver is the subject.

ENSo the order is driver, engine, cargo.

ENSubject, verb, object.

ENFor example, the student eats an apple.

ENThe student is the driver.

ENEats is the engine.

ENAn apple is the cargo.

ENThis is strict.

ENEnglish demands to know the action immediately.

ENBut Farsi is different.

ENFarsi is like a mystery novel.

ENIn Farsi, you keep the secret until the end.

ENYou put the engine at the back of the train.

ENYour brain naturally wants to say the student an apple eats.

ENYou hold the verb, hostage.

ENThis is beautiful for poetry because it creates suspense.

ENBut in

ENEnglish conversation, it creates anxiety.

ENThe listener is waiting for the verb.

ENAnd you are holding it in your short-term memory.

ENThis creates a huge cognitive load.

ENYour brain is working double time to hold the verb while you translate the verb.

ENAnd you translate the objects.

ENThis is why you feel tired after speaking English.

ENAnd it's not just the sentence order.

ENIt is also the description order.

ENIn English, if you want to describe a garden, you put

ENthe adjective first.

ENWe say, a beautiful garden.

ENBut in Farsi, you use the ezafe construction.

ENYou say, garden e beautiful.

ENYou put the noun first, then the description.

ENSo when you speak English fast, your brain follows the Farsi map.

ENYou might say, I saw a car red instead of a red car.

ENThese are not mistakes of intelligence.

ENThey are mistakes of gravity.

ENYour native language has a strong gravity.

ENIt pulls the words into the Persian order.

ENPart 3 The Strategy Fixing the Train Syntax Solution Hello again.

ENThis is Peter.

ENI want you to take a deep breath.

ENThe problem Martin described is very common.

ENBut we can fix it with a simple visualization.

ENI want you to imagine you are holding a heavy ball.

ENThis ball is the verb.

ENIt is the action.

ENWhen you start a sentence in English, you must throw the ball immediately.

ENDo not hold it.

ENWe are going to practice

ENa technique called subject action detail.

ENI will give you a scenario.

ENI want you to identify the action first.

ENScenario.

ENYou are hungry.

ENThere is a sandwich.

ENIn Farsi, you think, I, sandwich, eat.

ENIn English, I want you to throw the verb.

ENI eat.

ENThen add the detail.

ENI eat a sandwich.

ENLet's try another one.

ENScenario.

ENYou see a friend.

ENYou are happy.

ENDon't wait.

ENWho is the subject?

ENOne.

ENWhat is the action?

ENSee?

ENThrow the

ENverb.

ENI see.

ENWho?

ENMy friend.

ENI see my friend.

ENThis feels aggressive at first.

ENIt feels like you are being too direct.

ENBut in English, this directness is clarity.

ENNow, let's look at the beautiful garden problem.

ENThe isaf habit.

ENIn English, the adjective is the paint and the noun is the wall.

ENYou must paint the brush before you touch the wall.

ENYou cannot have wall blue.

ENYou must have blue wall.

ENRepeat this mental image.

ENPaint first.

ENObject second.

ENLet's practice with a simple phrase.

ENNot book interesting.

ENPaint first.

ENInteresting book.

ENNot girl smart.

ENPaint first. Smart girl.

ENWhen you speak, trust the front of the sentence.

ENCommit to the verb early, even if you haven't decided on the object yet.

ENYou can say, I want, and then pause to think about what you want.

ENThat is perfectly natural English.

ENI want to go to the cinema.

ENBut if you say, I, to the cinema, and

ENthen pause, the listener is lost. Throw the verb.

ENAnchor the listener.

ENPart 4.

ENThe V-shape mistake.

ENPhonetics problem.

ENNow we need to talk about the physical shape of your mouth.

ENThis is where things get slippery.

ENThere are some sounds in English that act like ghosts for Farsi speakers.

ENYou don't see them, so you replace them with something familiar.

ENThe biggest ghost is the letter W.

ENIn Farsi, you have the V sound.

ENLike victory.

ENBut you do

ENnot really have the W sound.

ENLike window.

ENSo your brain creates a shortcut.

ENIt maps the English W onto the Farsi V.

ENThis is dangerous.

ENWhy is it dangerous?

ENBecause it changes the meaning of words.

ENImagine you are telling a story about a trip.

ENYou want to say, we went to the West.

ENBut if you use the Farsi map, you say, we went to the West.

ENA vest is an undershirt.

ENSo you are saying you traveled

ENto an undershirt.

ENIt sounds funny, but it confuses the listener.

ENThe listener has to stop and decode your sentence.

ENOh, he means West, not vest.

ENThat microsecond of confusion breaks the connection.

ENAnother common ghost is the TH sound.

ENThe TH in think or this.

ENThis sound does not exist in Farsi.

ENSo most learners substitute it.

ENThey usually use S or T.

ENSo I think becomes I sink.

ENLike a sinking ship.

ENOr I tink.

ENOr thank you

ENbecomes sank you.

ENOr tank you.

ENAgain, context usually helps.

ENBut it forces the listener to work hard.

ENAnd we want to make it easy for our friends.

ENWe want your English to flow without friction.

ENIt is not about having a perfect British or American accent.

ENIt is about removing the friction that stops understanding.

ENPart five, the strategy.

ENLips versus teeth.

ENPhonetic solution A.

ENThis is Peter.

ENLet's go to the sound gym.

ENWe are going to train

ENyour muscles to make new shapes.

ENFirst, the W versus V battle.

ENThis is entirely about your teeth.

ENI want you to say the word very.

ENDo it now.

ENVery.

ENFreeze.

ENWhere are your top teeth?

ENAre they touching your bottom lip?

ENYes.

ENFeel the vibration on your lip.

ENV-ery.

ENThat is the V sound.

ENTeeth on lip.

ENNow, we need to break this habit for the W sound.

ENFor W, your teeth are forbidden from touching your skin.

ENNo

ENteeth allowed.

ENYour lips must form a small, tight circle.

ENLike you are going to kiss someone or blow out a candle.

ENMake the circle first.

ENNow make a sound from your throat.

ENWah, wah, wah, wah.

ENWindow.

ENWindow.

ENWindow.

ENWest.

ENWest.

ENWest.

ENIf your teeth touch your lip, stop.

ENReset the circle.

ENLet's practice a drill.

ENI will say a pair of words.

ENRepeat after me.

ENFirst with teeth.

ENV.

ENThen with the circle.

ENW.

ENVest.

ENWest.

ENVetterinarian.

ENWet.

ENVine.

ENWine.

ENFeel the difference physically.

ENNow, let's look at the TH sound.

ENThink.

ENAnd this.

ENThe Farsi mouth wants to keep the tongue behind the teeth.

ENTo make the TH, you must be brave.

ENYou must stick your tongue out just a little bit.

ENPut the tip of your tongue between your top and bottom teeth.

ENBite it gently.

ENNow blow air through it's ears.

ENIf you don't feel the air on your tongue, you are making a T

ENor an S.

ENLet's practice the thank you drill.

ENStick the tongue out first.

ENAnc.

ENYou.

ENEater.

ENIt feels strange at first.

ENIt feels like a physical exercise.

ENBecause it is.

ENYou are building new muscle memory.

ENPart six.

ENThe snake and the short vowel.

ENPhonetics problem B.

ENYou are doing great.

ENWe have fixed the train and we have fixed the lips.

ENNow, let's talk about the snake.

ENThe snake?

ENYes.

ENIn Farsi, it is structurally impossible to start

ENa syllable with two consonants.

ENYour language does not allow it.

ENSo when you see an English word like school, your brain panics.

ENIt sees S and C together.

ENSC.

ENYour brain says illegal.

ENI need a vowel to help me.

ENSo you instinctively add a little eh sound at the beginning.

ENYou say eschool.

ENOr esstreet.

ENOr estart.

ENThis is called a prosthetic vowel.

ENIt's like a crutch your brain uses to walk through the word.

ENBut in English,

ENthis extra vowel adds a syllable.

ENSchool is one syllable.

ENEschool is two syllables.

ENThis changes the rhythm of your speech completely.

ENIt makes the English sound choppy.

ENAnd then there is the vowel trap.

ENThe difference between short I and long E.

ENFarsi speakers struggle to hear the difference between bit and beat.

ENOr sit and seat.

ENYour ear naturally gravitates towards the long E sound.

ENSo you might say please take a seat when you mean take a

ENsit.

ENActually, that example works both ways.

ENTrue.

ENBut imagine this one.

ENI want to live here.

ENIf you stretch the vowel, you say I want to leave here.

ENLeave means to go away.

ENLive means to stay.

ENThose are opposite meanings.

ENSo if you tell your boss I want to leave when you mean live, you might lose your job.

ENThis is why vowel length is critical.

ENIt is not just an accent issue.

ENIt is a meaning issue.

ENAnd finally, the stress.

ENFarsi has a very predictable stress pattern.

ENUsually, the stress is on the last syllable.

ENDan esh gah, university.

ENBut English stress is like a wild animal.

ENIt moves around.

ENPhotography.

ENPhotograph.

ENPhotographic.

ENIf you apply the Farsi rule and put the stress at the end of every word, the English sounds robotic.

ENAnd native speakers struggle to understand where one word ends and the next begins.

ENPart 7.

ENThe strategy, hissing and rubber bands.

ENPhonetic

ENsolution B.

ENHello again.

ENPeter here.

ENLet's calm the snake.

ENWe need to fix the esh gul problem.

ENThe trick is to start with air, not voice.

ENWhen you say esh gul, you are using your vocal chords for the ehh sound.

ENI want you to turn off your voice.

ENJust blow air like a snake.

ENDo not make a sound.

ENJust air.

ENNow, while the air is flowing, slide into the rest of the word.

ENCool.

ENTreat.

ENStart.

ENLet's

ENpractice.

ENI will say the word.

ENYou start with the snake sound.

ENSmart.

ENStructure.

ENSpecific.

ENIf you hear your voice before the S, stop and try again.

ENNow for the vowels.

ENLive versus leave.

ENThe short I, live, is a lazy sound.

ENYour mouth should be relaxed.

ENYour jaw drops a little.

ENLive.

ENThe long E, leave, is a tense sound.

ENYou have to smile.

ENStretch your lips back.

ENE, leave.

ENThink of it this way.

ENShort I is a

ENgrunt.

ENLong E is a smile.

ENRepeat after me.

ENFirst the grunt, then the smile.

ENSit, grunt.

ENSeat, smile.

ENBit, grunt.

ENBeat, smile.

ENFeel the tension in your cheeks for the second word.

ENThat tension is the key.

ENPart 8.

ENThe Culture of Requests Pragmatics Problem.

ENWe are almost there.

ENBut we cannot finish without talking about how you treat people.

ENOr rather, how English speakers think you treat them.

ENFarsi culture is deeply respectful.

ENYou have taruf.

ENYou have

ENelaborate rituals of politeness.

ENBut when Farsi speakers translate their requests into English, something gets lost.

ENOften you become very direct.

ENYou might say to a teacher, check my homework.

ENOr to a colleague, send me the file.

ENIn your mind, your tone is soft.

ENBut the words are commands.

ENIn English, a command is aggressive.

ENIt sounds like you are ordering a servant.

ENWe call this a face-threatening act.

ENYou are threatening the dignity of the other person.

ENEnglish

ENpoliteness is not about tone.

ENIt is about grammar.

ENIt is about adding extra words to soften the blow.

ENAlso, be careful with prepositions.

ENFarsi uses the word as for many things.

ENFrom and of.

ENSo we often hear, I am tired from the traffic.

ENInstead of tired of.

ENOr I am afraid from the dog.

ENInstead of afraid of.

ENWhen you use the wrong preposition, it sounds slightly foreign.

ENBut when you use a direct command, it sounds rude.

ENAnd we know you are not rude.

ENWe know you are kind.

ENSo let's make your English sound as kind as your heart.

ENPart 9 The Strategy, The Sandwich Method, Pragmatic Solution Peter, here for the final strategy.

ENPoliteness in English is like making a sandwich.

ENThe meat is what you want.

ENSend me the file.

ENBut you never serve the meat alone.

ENYou need a slice of bread on top.

ENThe opener.

ENAnd a slice of bread.

ENOn the

ENbottom.

ENThe softener.

ENThe opener prepares the person.

ENExcuse me.

ENI am sorry to bother you.

ENI was wondering.

ENThe softener shows gratitude.

ENPlease.

ENIf you have time.

ENIf it is possible.

ENLet's transform a command into a sandwich.

ENCommand, give me the pen.

ENNow let's add the bread.

ENOpener.

ENSorry, Martin.

ENMeat.

ENCould I borrow the pen?

ENSoftener.

ENPlease.

ENSorry, Martin.

ENCould I borrow the pen?

ENPlease.

ENThis opens doors.

ENPeople want to help you when you use the

ENsandwich.

ENAs for the prepositions.

ENDo not learn the word afraid alone.

ENLearn the chunk.

ENAfraid of.

ENTreat it as one long word.

ENAfraid of.

ENTired of.

ENInterested in.

ENGood at.

ENIf you learn them as couples, you will never separate them.

ENPart 10.

ENThe U-shaped curve.

ENThank you, Peter.

ENThat sandwich metaphor is going to save a lot of relationships.

ENFriends, we have covered a lot today.

ENSyntax, phonetics, culture.

ENYou might feel overwhelmed.

ENYou might try to use

ENthese tips and feel like your English is getting slower.

ENThat is normal.

ENIn fact, it is necessary.

ENIt is called the U-shaped curve of learning.

ENAt the beginning, you translate quickly from Farsi.

ENYou are fast, but you are using the wrong map.

ENNow you are learning the new map.

ENSo you will slow down.

ENYou will make mistakes as you try to find the W sound or the subject verb order.

ENYou go down to the bottom of

ENthe U.

ENBut this is where the magic happens.

ENYou are rebuilding your foundation.

ENAnd soon, you will climb up the other side.

ENAnd on the other side, there is fluency.

ENThere is clarity.

ENAnd there is connection.

ENYour Persian heritage is a gift.

ENIt gives you a rich perspective on the world.

ENWe do not want you to lose that.

ENWe just want to give you a new lens to look through.

ENThank you for coming back to us.

ENWe are honored to be part of your journey.

ENBreathe, practice, and keep going.

ENSee you in the next episode.

ENWe are really happy to have you back.

ENTake care.