This podcast and the associated learning platform are by far the best options out there to acquaint oneself with the ancient and rich Persian culture—its language, its traditions, its poetry and also to discover the wealth of Persian contributions not only within the Persian diaspora but world wide.

My fiancé tells everyone he taught me all the a Persian I know. It was actually this podcast 😂😂🤭🤭 I like following the podcast with the lesson guide on the website!

This podcast is the absolute best and easiest way to learn Persian! Leyla Shams is the host and does a fantastic job explaining the slight nuances of spoken Persian in every podcast. The dialogues between her and her co-host Matt are fun and enjoyable and are easy to listen to while driving around in the car. After having completed about 2 units on my own via this podcast, I recently completed the bootcamp through their website and have learned to read and write the script. My Persian friends have all been really impressed and I can’t thank Leyla and her team enough for making such an effective program!

My best friend of 22 years is Iranian. I’ve grown to fall in love the culture and food over the years and wanted to dedicate time to learning Farsi so I could better communicate. This podcast. Is. The. Standard. Merci Layla and Matt!

I love this podcast! Leyla is such a Great teacher and makes not only the language comprehensive but also weaves in the persian culture. I also love that you can listen to it while you are driving or getting to and from places or while you are running or walking. Try for yourself. Felan!

This podcast is an enjoyable addition to my attempt at learning the Persian language. As an American it is also great to learn about modern and historic Iranian icons and tidbits of daily social customs without the veil of Western bias/politics.

I find this podcast so insightful! Thank you, Leyla (and guests)!

I absolutely love the interview series on Chai & Conversation. Unique Iranian diaspora voices, yet all are very down to earth and relatable. Leyla has such a warm and inclusive interview style. My favorite aspect is that she inquires about the guests’ childhoods and specific experiences with immigration, and doesn’t just stick to their professional lives. Can’t get enough.

These podcasts and the whole Chai and Conversations website and all the lessons are so well done and so quick and useful! Really wonderfully done! Thank you for creating this!!

Native English speaking white guy here. I was searching for a way to learn Farsi to show a close friend from work I can embrace her heritage (she didn’t believe I could) and this resource is spot on. I started with the videos - learning to say happy birthday was a priority. I was able to do so well, making my friend’s day! Now this has become a part of my morning routine and I’m thankful! I’ve been able to prove I can embrace the language and culture, btw. Thanks, Leyla, Chris and Matt!

Great podcast to learn Persian .I listened to only 2 lessons so far , so long way to go .

I’ve been trying to learn Persian for a while now and have found a distinct deficiency of resources. I’ve found a few books, but it’s difficult to learn the consonantal writing system without guidance and most translation or dictionary resources do not provide pronunciation. This podcast is genuine and natural, and it is very helpful to hear repetition and explanation of sounds and meanings, like with the خ, for example, or even the (to my ears) subtle aspirated ‘r’ at the end of words. When I was easily able to greet my Persian friends, ask how they were, and express my own state, they were elated and my efforts have brought us closer together. It was a big leap from my prior ability to name several fruits and vegetables, then count to ten. I’m very grateful for Chai and Conversation and I listen to the lessons daily. Thank you!

They do such a great job at presenting the information and taking it slow enough that you can replay a lesson and not worry about getting too much info. They speak clearly and overall this is probably one of the greatest podcasts. It really helps you figure out how to start with Farsi. بزرگ ممنون

I love this podcast. It is really helping me learn about the Persian culture and language. Thank you so much for the time and love you have put into this work.

This has been so helpful to me in Re- learning the language !! Thank you

My Farsi tutor suggested I check this out, and I’m glad I did! It really helps with the pronunciation which I can spend hours on using the podcast. Looking forward to checking out the other materials on the website. Thank you! متشکرم

I’ve been trying to find a resource to learn conversational Farsi from a background of just knowing a couple phrases, and this has helped me so much! Thank you guys!!

I’ve always wanted to learn Farsi but couldn’t find studying material that was helpful to learn conversational Farsi. This is perfect! خیلی ممنون 💙

Thanks guys for doing what you’re doing for close to 10 years. This is better than other audiobooks and podcasts! Keep it up! Khahesh mekonam! Merci, chakereem! 🥰

Just fantastic. Easily superior to the apps (like Mondly which presents a fairly unsystematic and disorganized program). I'm learning a ton.

I’ve learned more Farsi from this podcast than any other resource. Please keep up the good work! Khaley mamnoon!

I love this podcast. I also subscribed to the website which has helped me so much. I’m by no means fluent but I’m on my way. Everyone is impressed with my command of the language. I love the podcast, keep going. I wish I had discovered it in 2011.

بسیار عالی هم از حیث محتوا هم از حیث شکل

Beautifully executed and produced. It is fun to learn with Laila and Matt!

These podcasts are incredible! Such a useful resource. Both my parents are Iranian and I’m a first-gen American born Iranian and this is perfect for brushing up on my Farsi so that I can say more than merci and khoobie at mehmoonis 😅🙈 also, I LOVE the poetry series.

Great course so far. Only heard two lessons but it was recommended by a friend. He recommended as #1 over other Persian language courses.

Very nice for someone who wants to practice, highly recommended for anyone even slightly interested in this beautiful, rich culture

Loving this podcast, easy to follow along and Practice . Thank you so much ! Merci

Having tried some expensive programs unsuccessfully, I found this easy, fun, and much more effective

This podcast (and the website) have been a huge help in learning conversational Persian. Thank you so much Leyla and Matt. Please keep the lessons coming!

Thank you for providing this great resource. Very helpful resource for learning colloquial Farsi. I'm going to be breaking people off at the next mehmoon

I grew up speaking Farsi as a child but did not speak much after age 10/11 when my grandparents passed away. 16 years later, my dad was impressed when I started speaking simple phrases again thanks to this podcast! Love all the cultural references as well, my American husband laughs along with me at the sometimes humorous traditions :)

I'm half Persian and have grown up knowing some words but could never form sentences. I've grown up hearing all of these words but never knew what they meant! Thank you! I'm 36 almost 37 and finally am understanding Farsi. It's easier to pick on than any language because I know some words and grew up hearing them. So appreciated.

Seriously, this is such a thoughtful, enteratining, and effective way to learn Persian. Like some others have said, I selfishly want more and more, so please keep them coming. I've many Iranian friends who are impressed with what I've learned, especially the ta'arof expressions. I'm going to Iran in two months, and I can't wait. I only wish that I had discovered this podcast sooner. Kudos to Leyla and Matt!

I've been using "Learn Persian with 'Chai and Conversation' " for several weeks now. The content and pacing are perfect for me. I find the conversations between Leyla and Matt a fitting format for learning Persian. I would definitely recommend spending the few dollars necessary to download the enhanced podcasts, which include video flashcards and transcripts to accompany each lesson. The members of the Iranian family into which my son married seem to be impressed with my progress. Perhaps if more Americans learned about the Persian language and culture, we might, as a nation, make a gradual shift toward understanding the Iranian people - a small step toward a more peaceful and unified world.

I'm learning a lot of Persian by listening to these podcasts. I'm also very happy to see that there are new lessons available.

Thank you so much to the creators of the podcast! Your lessons are so clear and well-constructed, I couldn't be happier. I've been wanting to learn Farsi/Persian for so long and now I will finally be able to speak with my Iranian grandmother who doesn't speak english. If you have any desire to learn Persian this is the best place to get started.

I am half Iranian but my dad never taught us Farsi growing up. I have always heard it though when he speaks to our relatives, and I recently decided I want to learn. This podcast is fantastic, the pace is not too fast or slow, and it's incredibly easy to follow along. They speak very clearly and make it interesting. Five stars!

this is an amazing podcast. You can actually learn persian from anywhere. I tried a number if classes, but this is really good. Let's hope that Leyla is going to continue this.

Great for beginners. So easy to learn with Leila and Matt. And free!

I have been using this podcast for a week or so now, and I am very impressed. Very clear pronunciations, entertaining presentation, useful vocabulary - everything you’d want for a conversational language learning experience.

I married into a Persian family and it is so nice to have such an awesome resource. The podcasts are great, but the PDF downloads are so valuable and inexpensive. Add on Leyla's blog and I'd say there isn't comparable resource. Seeing the look on my father and mother-in-law's faces when they can tell I've been working on this is priceless. Thank you so much for sharing the love and allowing us to all do the same!

These podcasts are amazing! I listen to these while sitting in traffic and I can feel myself improving each day. Thank you so much for making them free :)

This is one of the best Persian language resources I have come across. Unfortunately, there are not many accessible language resources for people wanting to learn Persian, however this language podcast series is extremely well-done and incredibly useful.

Great way to not only learn farsi, but to also learn about the culture. This is a wonderful program and i would recommend it to anyone trying to learn conversational farsi.

High quality, excellently-produced podcast. Really does make learning fun and effortless. Waiting for some more advanced material, though I love what they’ve done so far.

My Persian girlfriend and I have been listening to Leyla and Matt’s podcast every morning for the past week. I’m hooked! I’m dying to learn more. These guys know how to teach the basics to English speakers in an easy and relatable way. Man kheyli doostaram harooz ba chai & converastion farsi yadbegaram :)

This is a great and fun way to learn conversational Persian. The lessons are clear, well thought out, and have a logical build up in the vocabulary from one to the next lesson. Thank you!!

i speak persian on a basic level, but this is definitely helping me to step up my game.

Episode 37: "tarjiH" is correct and you guys keep saying "tarji" repeatedly. These small things can be extremely confusing for foreigners learning Persian specially after putting up with all similar words and lack of short vowels.