Southern Asia
Video Chat with People from Afghanistan
Afghanistan keeps its own half-hour time zone, UTC+4:30, all year, so 8 PM in Kabul is 3:30 PM in London in winter (4:30 PM in summer) and late morning on the US East Coast. Dari, a form of Persian, and Pashto are the two main languages, and Uzbek, Turkmen and others are spoken in the north. Some younger adults speak English, so a mix of languages often works best.
You might be talking with someone in Kabul, in Herat with its old citadel, or in Mazar-i-Sharif, Kandahar or Jalalabad. Food is a reliable favorite: Kabuli pulao, mantu dumplings, bolani flatbreads and plenty of green tea. Cricket has a passionate following, and the horseback game of buzkashi and kite flying both come up with real affection. Poetry and music matter too, from classic Persian verse to the rubab, a lute with a deep, ringing sound. If you enjoy conversations across borders, our guide to international video chat has more ideas.
Afghanistan at a glance
| Flag | 🇦🇫 |
|---|---|
| Official name | Islamic Republic of Afghanistan |
| Capital | Kabul |
| Region | Asia · Southern Asia |
| Official languages | Dari, Pashto and Turkmen |
| Currency | Afghan afghani (؋, AFN) |
| Calling code | +93 |
| Time zone | Afghanistan Time (Asia/Kabul) |
How to say hello
A few words of Dari make a great first impression, even if you switch to English right after.
| Language | Phrase | Say it | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dari | سلام، چطور استی؟ | sa-LAAM, che-TOR as-TEE | Hi, how are you? |
| Pashto | ستړی مه شې | STuh-ray mah SHAY | Hello (literally "may you not be tired") |
| Pashto | څنګه یې؟ | TSAN-guh yay | How are you? |
Tips for chatting with people from Afghanistan
- If someone greets you with "Staray ma she," the traditional reply is "Khwar ma she" (KHWAR mah SHAY).
- Adding "jan" after a name, as in "Ahmad jan," is a warm, friendly form of address in both Dari and Pashto.
- Speakers of Dari and Iranian Persian can understand each other, but words and accents differ; Afghans tend to say "asti" where Iranians say "hasti," so ask if something sounds unfamiliar.
- Ask about the national cricket team or a favorite kite-flying memory; both are happy topics many people love to talk about.
Only meet people from Afghanistan
Omlet matches you Worldwide by default. To meet only people from Afghanistan, use the country filter, the only filter Omlet has:
- Open Omlet and press Country on the control panel.
- Search for Afghanistan and select it.
- Press Start. Press Next to meet someone else from Afghanistan, or switch back to Worldwide any time.
Your first day is free: you add a card through Stripe to start it, and nothing is charged that day. When the 24 hours end, the country filter costs $3 one time, charged to that card, unless you cancel before then in Settings (if you cancel, you can still pick a country until the day ends). It's not a subscription, and it stays unlocked on that device and browser. It doesn't carry over to other devices or browsers, and clearing your browser data removes it. There's one free day per device, home network and card. Payment goes through Stripe, so Omlet never sees your card number.
The filter works both ways, and matching can be slower when fewer people from Afghanistan are online. Chatting itself is free, and Worldwide matching never costs anything.
Your own country is detected automatically and shown to the people you meet as a flag.
Neighboring countries
Afghanistan borders 6 countries. Curious about the people next door? Meet them too: