Pashto · پښتو
Directory 20 checked resources . A short orientation and a solid starting list.
About Pashto
- Language family
- Indo-European, Iranian, Eastern
- Where it's spoken
- Afghanistan, Pakistan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), and diaspora
- Speakers
- roughly 40–60 million speakers
Pashto is an Eastern Iranian language written in a Perso-Arabic script. Retroflex consonants and dialect differences (especially Afghanistan vs Pakistan) matter early. FSI/Live Lingua plus VOA and BBC Pashto give a strong free path; add tutors for speaking.
How to start
- Learn the writing system first with the script trainer — meet a few characters, match them, then recall.
- Pick one free course (or free-with-upgrades) below and finish a short beginner unit before hopping apps.
- Bookmark one dictionary or grammar reference and look up every unknown word for a week.
- Add 10–15 minutes of native listening or learner video most days — news, radio, or a teaching channel.
- When ready, use a tutor marketplace listing below for short speaking sessions.
| Resource | Type | Levels | Cost | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FSI / Live Lingua Pashto | course free | A1-B1 | free | 2026-07-23 |
| VOA Pashto | listening | B1-C2 | free | 2026-07-23 |
| BBC Pashto | reading | B1-C2 | free | 2026-07-23 |
| Duolingo Pashto | course free | A1-A2 | freemium | 2026-07-23 |
| Omniglot Pashto | reference | A1-A2 | free | 2026-07-23 |
| Forvo Pashto | listening | A1-C2 | freemium | 2026-07-23 |
| italki Pashto tutors | tutoring | A1-C2 | paid | 2026-07-23 |
| Anki Shared Pashto decks | course free | A1-B1 | free | 2026-07-23 |
| Memrise Pashto | course paid | A1-B1 | freemium | 2026-07-23 |
| Glosbe Pashto | reference | A1-C2 | free | 2026-07-23 |
| YouTube Learn Pashto | youtube channel | A1-B1 | free | 2026-07-23 |
| DLI GLOSS Pashto search | course free | B1-C1 | free | 2026-07-23 |
| Pajhwok Afghan News | reading | B2-C2 | free | 2026-07-23 |
| Clozemaster Pashto | course paid | A2-B2 | freemium | 2026-07-23 |
|
Script trainer pathway (Arabic)
Pashto uses a Perso-Arabic script; Arabic trainer helps with letter shapes.
|
tool | A1-A2 | free | 2026-07-23 |
| Radio Azadi | listening | B1-C2 | free | 2026-07-23 |
| Wikipedia (Pashto) | reading | B1-C2 | free | 2026-07-23 |
| YouTube lessons — Pashto | youtube channel | A1-B1 | free | 2026-07-23 |
| Glosbe Pashto | reference | A1-C2 | free | 2026-07-23 |
|
italki Pashto tutors
Search available Pashto tutors.
|
tutoring | A1-C2 | paid | 2026-07-23 |
Know a better classroom-friendly resource for Pashto? Suggest it with attribution.