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Pashto for free
Why learn Pashto?
Pashto is one of the 67 languages you can learn on Lingocard with frequency-ranked flashcards, spaced repetition, and live speaking partners. Build vocabulary and pronunciation at your own pace, on web and mobile.
Pashto is written in the Perso-Arabic script. In the US Foreign Service Institute ranking, Pashto is a Category III language - about 1100 class hours to professional working proficiency for English speakers. Pashto belongs to the Indo-European (Iranian) family - if you enjoy it, a natural next step is Persian or Kurdish.
50 essential Pashto words
Start with the words you will actually meet: learn these and you will recognize something in almost every Pashto sentence.
| # | Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | زه | zuh | I |
| 2 | ته | tuh | you |
| 3 | هغه | hah-GHAH | he |
| 4 | موږ | moozh | we |
| 5 | تاسو | TAH-soo | you |
| 6 | دوی | dooy | they |
| 7 | دا | dah | this |
| 8 | څه | tsuh | what |
| 9 | څوک | tsohk | who |
| 10 | نه | nuh | no |
| 11 | او | aw | and |
| 12 | یا | yah | or |
| 13 | خو | khoh | but |
| 14 | کې | keh | in |
| 15 | سره | sah-RAH | with |
| 16 | یو | yoh | one |
| 17 | دوه | dwah | two |
| 18 | لوی | loy | big |
| 19 | وړوکی | wah-ROO-kay | small |
| 20 | ښه | khuh | good |
| 21 | نوی | nuh-WAY | new |
| 22 | سړی | sah-RAY | man |
| 23 | اوبه | oh-BUH | water |
| 24 | ورځ | wrahdz | day |
| 25 | کال | kahl | year |
| 26 | وخت | wahkht | time |
| 27 | کور | kohr | house |
| 28 | کار | kahr | work |
| 29 | ژوند | zhwahnd | life |
| 30 | کلمه | kah-lee-MAH | word |
| 31 | کېدل | keh-DUHL | to become |
| 32 | کول | kah-WUHL | do |
| 33 | ویل | wah-YUHL | say |
| 34 | پوهېدل | poh-heh-DUHL | know |
| 35 | لیدل | lee-DUHL | see |
| 36 | تلل | tluhl | go |
| 37 | راتلل | rah-TLUHL | come |
| 38 | ورکول | war-kah-WUHL | give |
| 39 | اخیستل | akh-ees-TUHL | take |
| 40 | غوښتل | ghwush-TUHL | want |
| 41 | خوړل | khwah-RUHL | eat |
| 42 | څښل | tskuhl | to drink |
| 43 | اوس | ohs | now |
| 44 | دلته | DUHL-tah | here |
| 45 | هلته | HAHL-tah | there |
| 46 | چېرته | CHEHR-tah | where |
| 47 | ولې | WAH-leh | why |
| 48 | ټول | tohl | all |
| 49 | ډېر | dehr | many |
| 50 | نن | nuhn | today |
Useful phrases in Pashto
- سلام · sa-LAAM · Hello / Good day
- څنګه يې؟ · tsen-GA ye · How are you?
- مننه · ma-NA-na · Thank you
- مهرباني وکړئ · meh-ra-BA-ni wa-krey · Please
- زما نوم ... دی · za-MA noom ... dey · My name is...
- ... چېرته دی؟ · CHER-ta dey · Where is...?
- د خدای په امان · duh khoo-DIE puh ah-MAHN · Goodbye
- بخښنه غواړم · bakh-KHUH-nah GHWAH-rum · Excuse me
- زه نه پوهېږم · zuh nuh po-HEE-gum · I don't understand
- ایا تاسو زما سره مرسته کولی شئ؟ · AH-yah TAH-so zmah sah-RAH mar-as-TAH ko-LAY shai · Can you help me?
- دا په څو دی؟ · dah puh TSO dai · How much is it?
- سبا به سره ووینو! · sah-BAH buh sah-RAH WOO-wee-no · See you tomorrow!
Learn Pashto with comprehensive language resources
- Pronunciation
- Numbers
- Verbs and adjectives
- Frequency dictionaries
- Basic sentences
- Thematic dictionaries
- Politeness
- Idioms
Learn Pashto, wherever you are
- AI-powered spaced repetition learning system on the go
- Audio processing for pronunciation
- Creation of visual language flash cards with images
- Search for speaking practice partners
- Frequency and thematic dictionaries for any language
- Alert system with exercise reminders
- Live video and messaging to facilitate learning
Join our global Pashto learning community
Collaborate with native Pashto speakers and fellow learners: exchange messages, correct each other's cards, and practice real conversation.
Send friend requests to the speakers you click with and build your own friends list - many practice partners become real friends.
Are you an educator? Teach Pashto online · Create an online Pashto school · Build a Pashto curriculum
Frequently asked questions about learning Pashto
How difficult is it to learn Pashto?
How difficult Pashto is depends on your background, but every language becomes manageable with consistent daily practice. Focusing on the most frequent words first means you can understand and say a lot early on. In the US Foreign Service Institute ranking, Pashto is a Category III language - about 1100 class hours to professional working proficiency for English speakers.
What should I learn first to reach a basic level in Pashto?
Start with the 100-500 most frequent words (free in our apps) and the thematic dictionaries most relevant to your daily life. Set clear goals and practise a few minutes every day - consistency is what produces results. Then connect with other learners to build confidence at your new basic level.
How long does it take to learn Pashto?
Most learners reach a comfortable conversational level in Pashto within 8-18 months of consistent daily study. Practising vocabulary with spaced repetition and speaking regularly speeds this up considerably. About 60 million people across 1 countries speak Pashto, so you will never run short of practice partners.
How do I improve my Pashto vocabulary?
Use the spaced-repetition and flashcard systems in the app. You can set daily, weekly, or yearly goals in our mobile apps and steadily reach the vocabulary size you’re aiming for.
Is Pashto pronunciation hard?
Every language has a few sounds that take practice, but Pashto pronunciation becomes consistent with regular listening and speaking. Hearing the language often matters more than memorising rules.
How do I get Free Pashto speaking practice?
Open the Practice or Friends page in the app, send practice requests, and start real conversations with other learners - don’t be shy! You can also mention that you want speaking practice when you create your account, and the platform will help match you with suitable partners.
Do I need to learn the Pashto alphabet first?
If Pashto uses a different script, learning it early unlocks reading - and it's usually faster than people expect. On Lingocard you'll find every alphabet, with example words, free.