Learn Pashto: A Complete Beginner's Guide

Pashto (or Pakhto, Pukhto) is an Iranian language spoken by approximately 60 million people, primarily in Afghanistan (where it is an official language alongside Dari) and in the northwestern tribal regions of Pakistan.

The language of the Pashtun people — one of the largest tribal groups in the world — Pashto carries within it centuries of poetry, codes of honor, and traditions of both warrior courage and extraordinary hospitality.

1. Why learn Pashto?
2. The Pashto alphabet
3. Specific pronunciation
4. Greetings in Pashto
5. Basic grammar
6. Essential vocabulary: 50 words
7. Numbers
8. Useful daily phrases
9. Pashtunwali: the Pashtun code of honor
10. Learn Pashto with Targumi

Why learn Pashto?

A geopolitically strategic language

Afghanistan has been at the center of world news for decades. Understanding Pashto gives you direct access to the culture and thought of a people who have shaped Central Asian history.

60 million speakers, very few resources

Pashto is a major language by number of speakers, but it remains extremely under-represented in online language learning. Targumi is one of the very few platforms offering structured Pashto courses.

A significant diaspora in Europe

The Pashtun diaspora is present in Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Sweden, Norway, and the United States. Approximately 5 million Pashtuns live outside Afghanistan and Pakistan.

An extraordinary poetic tradition

Pashto possesses one of the richest poetic traditions in Asia. The landay — a two-line oral poem sung by Pashtun women — is a literary form unique in the world. The poetry of Khushal Khan Khattak (17th century) is considered a treasure of world literature.

Not related to Arabic

Contrary to popular belief, Pashto is NOT a Semitic language like Arabic. It is an Iranian language, cousin to Persian (Farsi/Dari). The alphabet is Arabo-Persian, but the language itself is very different from Arabic.

The Pashto alphabet

Pashto uses an extended Arabo-Persian alphabet of 44 letters — the longest alphabet in this family.

Letters unique to Pashto

Pashto has letters found in neither Arabic nor Persian:

Retroflex sounds

Retroflex sounds are a major characteristic of Pashto. To pronounce them, you must curl your tongue back toward the roof of your mouth, similar to the retroflex consonants in Hindi or Urdu.

Writing direction

Like Arabic and Persian, Pashto is written right to left. Numbers, however, are read left to right.

Specific pronunciation

Pashto vowels

Pashto has a rich vowel system with sounds that don't exist in English:

Main dialects

Pashto has two main dialects:

1. Southern Pashto (Kandahari) — considered more conservative
2. Northern/Eastern Pashto (Peshawari) — more Persian and Urdu influences

The differences are mainly phonetic: certain sounds change between south and north.

Greetings in Pashto

Basic greetings

A typical dialogue

A: سلام! ستا خير دی؟ (Salaam! Staa khair day?) B: مننه، خير دی. ستا خير؟ (Manana, khair day. Staa khair?) A: زه هم خير یم. (Za ham khair yam.)

Pashtun hospitality

When a Pashtun welcomes you to their home, they will say:

• ښه راغلې (Xa raaghle) = Welcome!
• کېنه (Kena) = Sit down
• چای شته (Chaai shta) = There is tea (= please have tea)

Refusing tea in a Pashtun home is considered rude. Hospitality is a pillar of the Pashtun code of honor.

Basic grammar

Word order

Pashto follows the Subject - Object - Verb (SOV) order, like Japanese or Korean:

• زه کتاب لولم (Za kitaab lowlam) = I book read = I read a book

Genders

Pashto has two genders: masculine and feminine. Gender is often marked by the ending:

• Masculine: often in -ay (سړی, saṛay = man)
• Feminine: often in -a (ښځه, xëdza = woman)

Personal pronouns

Verbs

Pashto verbs are conjugated by adding suffixes:

Verb لیکل (likal) = to write:

• زه لیکم (Za likam) = I write
• ته لیکې (Ta like) = You write
• هغه لیکي (Hagha liki) = He/She writes
• مونږ لیکو (Mung liko) = We write
• تاسو لیکئ (Taaso likay) = You (plural) write
• هغوی لیکي (Haghwi liki) = They write

Essential vocabulary: 50 words

People and family

Food and drink

Nature and places

Common expressions

Numbers

Useful daily phrases

Introducing yourself

• زما نوم ... دی (Zmaa num ... day) = My name is...
• زه افغان یم (Za afghan yam) = I am Afghan
• زه پښتو زده کوم (Za pashto zda kawam) = I am learning Pashto

At the bazaar

• دا څومره ده؟ (Daa tsomra da?) = How much does this cost?
• ډېره ګرانه ده (Dera graana da) = It's too expensive
• کم کړه (Kam kra) = Lower the price
• ښه، زه یې اخلم (Xa, za ye akhlam) = OK, I'll take it

Asking for help

• مهرباني وکړئ، ما سره مرسته وکړئ (Mehrabaani wëkray, maa sara mrasta wëkray) = Please help me
• زه پښتو نه پوهېږم (Za pashto na poheẓ̌am) = I don't understand Pashto
• بیا ووایئ (Byaa wwaayay) = Please repeat

Pashtunwali: the Pashtun code of honor

Pashtunwali (پښتونوالی) is the unwritten code of honor that has governed Pashtun society for centuries. It is much more than a code of conduct — it is a complete way of life.

The pillars of Pashtunwali

1. Melmastia (مېلمستیا) — Hospitality: a sacred obligation to welcome anyone who knocks at your door, even an enemy. Tea and food are offered without question.

2. Nanawatai (ننواتې) — Asylum: anyone who seeks refuge must be protected, regardless of the cost. This principle has major geopolitical implications.

3. Badal (بدل) — Justice/reciprocity: an obligation to right wrongs. Can be positive (returning a favor) or negative (revenge). This concept is often misunderstood in the West.

4. Ghayrat (غیرت) — Honor: protection of one's family, land, and dignity. Honor is collective — one individual's actions affect the entire clan.

5. Namus (ناموس) — Protection: responsibility to protect the women and vulnerable members of the family and clan.

Pashtun poetry

Poetry is the beating heart of Pashtun culture. Two major forms:

• The ghazal: a love poem in couplets, inherited from the Persian tradition
• The landay: a two-line oral poem by women, often subversive and moving

Famous landay example:

"When drones fly across the sky, Mothers kiss their children one last time."

The landay is anonymous, passed from woman to woman, expressing what patriarchal society forbids saying aloud.

The Jirga

The Jirga (جرګه) is the tribal assembly where collective decisions are made. It is a form of direct democracy thousands of years old. Every clan member has the right to speak.

Learn Pashto with Targumi

At Targumi, we offer Pashto courses for all levels:

• Certified native tutors from Afghanistan and Pakistan
• Small group classes (3-6 students) for collaborative dynamics
• Private lessons adapted to your level and goals
• Mobile app with exercises and vocabulary
• Cultural approach integrating Pashtun poetry, traditions, and history
• Both dialects: Kandahari (south) and Peshawari (north)

Pashto is the language of a proud, poetic, and hospitable people. Every word you learn brings you closer to one of the most fascinating cultures in Central Asia.

ډېره مننه! (Thank you very much!)

---

Article written by Ahmad Wali Sediqi, certified Pashto tutor and Targumi collaborator. At Targumi, we make learning Pashto accessible to everyone.

---

Sources and References

• Pashto — Ethnologue: Pashto is spoken by over 40 million native speakers. Language family: Indo-Iranian, Eastern Iranian branch.
• Wikipedia — Pashto: encyclopedic information on the language, its geographic area and official status.
• Targumi — Learn Pashto: courses with certified native teachers.

Further Reading

• Learn Pashto on Targumi — courses with native teachers
• All languages on Targumi — 106 languages taught