How to Play Buzkashi, an Afghan National Game Posted by Sayed Naqibullah on Feb 11, 2013
Buzkashi is a Dari word made up of Buz which means goat and Kashi which means grabbing or pulling. It is a game that can be best described when compared to Polo, because Buzkashi is played on a horse’s back. In a Buzkashi game, there are two teams of Buzkashi players and each player…
Five Tips for Reading Dari Script Posted by Sayed Naqibullah on Jan 27, 2013
Reading and writing in Dari script is a lot of fun. Writing in Dari scripts feels like making art and is very beautiful. In this lesson we will give you five tips that will help you read and subsequently write in Dari script much easier. For this lesson we assume you have a basic knowledge…
Past Tense of “to be“ in Dari Posted by Sayed Naqibullah on Jan 11, 2013
In this blog post, we will teach you the past tense of the verb “to be” in Dari, and its different conjugated variation. In Dari, there are two infinitives for the “to be” verbs, the imaginary infinitive هستن hastan which is used for the present tense , and the real infinitive بودن boodan which used…
Happy New Year in Afghanistan Posted by Sayed Naqibullah on Jan 1, 2013
If you are living in the west, it is most likely you are thinking about the New Year’s resolution when the New Year approaches. In Afghanistan, it is quite a different story; there are no resolutions, celebrations, or even holidays when it is January 1st, and that is because they use a different calendar. In…
What Time Is It? How to Ask and Say the Time in Dari Posted by Sayed Naqibullah on Dec 26, 2012
One of the things that we do a lot is that we talk about the time. Probably the first thing we do when we wake up in the morning is to check what time it is. So, when learning a new language asking about time and talking about time is what most of us would…
The Right of Water and Salt in Afghan Culture Posted by Sayed Naqibullah on Dec 19, 2012
Today, I will introduce you to a very interesting concept in Afghan culture and tradition. It could be considered as the unwritten code of conduct towards a host in Afghanistan. It is called “The right of Salt”, but before I tell you what it is, I have to tell you this short story. There was…
Exchanging Pleasantries (How to be charming in Dari) Posted by Sayed Naqibullah on Dec 13, 2012
Today we are going to discuss the usage of some pleasantries. These are the words that we very politely and charmingly use in certain situations to show respect, appreciation or humility. You don’t even have to speak the language well to be able to use these phrases. By using these words you will come across…