L1 is a tool, useful “where needed,” but easy to overuse.
Persian is necessary when not using it will predictably cause one of these:
1) Task failure (students can’t even start, or they do the wrong task).
2) False learning (they “get it” superficially but form the wrong rule/meaning).
3) Massive time waste (10 minutes of confused English to avoid 30 seconds of Persian).
4) Affective crash (panic/frustration spirals that shut down participation, especially at lower levels).
When Persian is legitimately useful:
1) High-stakes meaning precision (especially vocabulary)
If a wrong meaning will poison the whole lesson, a fast Persian translation is often the most efficient option. Nation reviews evidence that L1 translations are typically very effective for initial vocabulary learning because they’re short, clear, and familiar.
2) Grammar that is contrastive and likely to fossilize
The present perfect vs. past perfect is exactly the kind of thing where a brief contrastive explanation in Persian can prevent students from building a fake rule they’ll defend forever. Use Persian to state the contrast in one or two sentences, then do the practice and feedback in English.
3) Instructions that must be understood correctly
If students misunderstand the instructions, everything after that is theater. Iranian learners in that English-only-policy study explicitly said the major advantage of L1 use was clarifying instructions and intelligibility (plus grammar/lexis).
4) Brief “processing space” before English output
Sometimes learners can’t think at all in L2 yet, so you give them a tiny L1 planning phase so the output quality in English rises. Small amounts of L1 discussion before an L2 task can improve L2 performance when the task is beyond learners’ current capacity. Persian for planning, English for performance:
• 60–90 seconds Persian brainstorming in pairs
• then required English report-out
5) Classroom management and emotional safety (sparingly)
Persian can defuse confusion quickly, and some teachers use it to maintain order in the classroom. If it concerns behavior or logistics, keep it concise and don’t let it become the default mode.
When Persian is not “necessary” (but teachers pretend it is)
1) Whenever English scaffolding would work
If you can do it with:
• gestures/board work
• examples
• concept-check questions (CCQs)
• visuals/realia
• graded language
…then Persian isn’t “necessary.” It’s just comfortable.
2) During fluency practice
If the goal is speaking automatization, Persian is sabotage. Even learners who like some L1 still recognize that avoiding it can help them get used to English and improve speaking/listening exposure.
3) As a blanket habit (“my students are low”)
Cambridge’s review notes that L1 use is more common at lower levels, which makes sense, but that can turn into dependency if not bounded.
In brief:
“Using Persian ‘when necessary’ only makes sense if we define necessity. Persian is necessary when it prevents task failure, prevents false learning (wrong meanings/rules), saves major time, or stabilizes learners effectively.
In practice, I’d use Persian in short, time-boxed bursts for: (1) high-stakes vocabulary meaning, (2) contrastive grammar points likely to fossilize (e.g., perfect aspect issues for Persian speakers), (3) instruction checkpoints to protect task integrity, and (4) brief L1 planning that leads to better English output.
I would not use Persian during fluency practice or whenever English scaffolding can achieve the goal. The key is a clear policy: Persian has specific functions, is time-limited, and is always followed by an English ‘payback’ step (reuse/paraphrase/practice).”
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