diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index 213cfb4..eb6f0d0 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -34,6 +34,39 @@ version = "1.3.2"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "bef38d45163c2f1dde094a7dfd33ccf595c92905c8f8f4fdc18d06fb1037718a"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "block-buffer"
+version = "0.7.3"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "c0940dc441f31689269e10ac70eb1002a3a1d3ad1390e030043662eb7fe4688b"
+dependencies = [
+ "block-padding",
+ "byte-tools",
+ "byteorder",
+ "generic-array",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "block-padding"
+version = "0.1.5"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "fa79dedbb091f449f1f39e53edf88d5dbe95f895dae6135a8d7b881fb5af73f5"
+dependencies = [
+ "byte-tools",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "byte-tools"
+version = "0.3.1"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "e3b5ca7a04898ad4bcd41c90c5285445ff5b791899bb1b0abdd2a2aa791211d7"
+
+[[package]]
+name = "byteorder"
+version = "1.4.3"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "14c189c53d098945499cdfa7ecc63567cf3886b3332b312a5b4585d8d3a6a610"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "clap"
 version = "2.33.3"
@@ -49,6 +82,30 @@ dependencies = [
  "vec_map",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "digest"
+version = "0.8.1"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "f3d0c8c8752312f9713efd397ff63acb9f85585afbf179282e720e7704954dd5"
+dependencies = [
+ "generic-array",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "fake-simd"
+version = "0.1.2"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "e88a8acf291dafb59c2d96e8f59828f3838bb1a70398823ade51a84de6a6deed"
+
+[[package]]
+name = "generic-array"
+version = "0.12.4"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "ffdf9f34f1447443d37393cc6c2b8313aebddcd96906caf34e54c68d8e57d7bd"
+dependencies = [
+ "typenum",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "heck"
 version = "0.3.3"
@@ -79,14 +136,71 @@ version = "0.2.103"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "dd8f7255a17a627354f321ef0055d63b898c6fb27eff628af4d1b66b7331edf6"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "maplit"
+version = "1.0.2"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "3e2e65a1a2e43cfcb47a895c4c8b10d1f4a61097f9f254f183aee60cad9c651d"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "mblf"
 version = "0.1.0"
 dependencies = [
  "anyhow",
+ "pest",
+ "pest_derive",
  "structopt",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "opaque-debug"
+version = "0.2.3"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "2839e79665f131bdb5782e51f2c6c9599c133c6098982a54c794358bf432529c"
+
+[[package]]
+name = "pest"
+version = "2.1.3"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "10f4872ae94d7b90ae48754df22fd42ad52ce740b8f370b03da4835417403e53"
+dependencies = [
+ "ucd-trie",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "pest_derive"
+version = "2.1.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "833d1ae558dc601e9a60366421196a8d94bc0ac980476d0b67e1d0988d72b2d0"
+dependencies = [
+ "pest",
+ "pest_generator",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "pest_generator"
+version = "2.1.3"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "99b8db626e31e5b81787b9783425769681b347011cc59471e33ea46d2ea0cf55"
+dependencies = [
+ "pest",
+ "pest_meta",
+ "proc-macro2",
+ "quote",
+ "syn",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "pest_meta"
+version = "2.1.3"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "54be6e404f5317079812fc8f9f5279de376d8856929e21c184ecf6bbd692a11d"
+dependencies = [
+ "maplit",
+ "pest",
+ "sha-1",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "proc-macro-error"
 version = "1.0.4"
@@ -129,6 +243,18 @@ dependencies = [
  "proc-macro2",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "sha-1"
+version = "0.8.2"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "f7d94d0bede923b3cea61f3f1ff57ff8cdfd77b400fb8f9998949e0cf04163df"
+dependencies = [
+ "block-buffer",
+ "digest",
+ "fake-simd",
+ "opaque-debug",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "strsim"
 version = "0.8.0"
@@ -179,6 +305,18 @@ dependencies = [
  "unicode-width",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "typenum"
+version = "1.14.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "b63708a265f51345575b27fe43f9500ad611579e764c79edbc2037b1121959ec"
+
+[[package]]
+name = "ucd-trie"
+version = "0.1.3"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "56dee185309b50d1f11bfedef0fe6d036842e3fb77413abef29f8f8d1c5d4c1c"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "unicode-segmentation"
 version = "1.8.0"
diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index 08a7ffd..17ec520 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -7,4 +7,6 @@ edition = "2018"
 
 [dependencies]
 anyhow = "1.0.44"
+pest = "2.1.3"
+pest_derive = "2.1.0"
 structopt = "0.3.23"
diff --git a/example.mblf b/example.mblf
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e4c3b90
--- /dev/null
+++ b/example.mblf
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+;; An example source file, printing "!"
+var hello
+point hello
+add "!"
+print hello
diff --git a/src/grammars/mblf.pest b/src/grammars/mblf.pest
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0790d1a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/grammars/mblf.pest
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+alpha = { 'a'..'z' | 'A'..'Z' }
diff --git a/src/main.rs b/src/main.rs
index e7872e4..849a633 100644
--- a/src/main.rs
+++ b/src/main.rs
@@ -4,6 +4,17 @@ use std::io::Write;
 use anyhow::{Context, Result};
 use structopt::StructOpt;
 
+extern crate pest;
+#[macro_use]
+extern crate pest_derive;
+
+use pest::Parser;
+
+#[derive(Parser)]
+#[grammar = "grammars/mblf.pest"]
+struct MblfParser;
+
+
 #[derive(StructOpt)]
 struct Cli {
     #[structopt(parse(from_os_str))]
@@ -19,6 +30,12 @@ fn main() -> Result<(), Box<dyn std::error::Error>> {
         .with_context(|| format!("could not read source file {:?}", args.input_file))?;
 
     let mut out = File::create(args.output_file)?;
+
+    let _pairs = MblfParser::parse(Rule::alpha, "a").unwrap();
+
+
+
+
     out.write_all(&content.as_bytes())?;
 
     out.sync_all()?;