RESOURCES FOR LEARNING AFRIKAANS
Here are the resources I consider essential to learn how to speak Afrikaans.
NATIVE
SPEAKERS:
7,000,000
OFFICIAL
LANGUAGE IN:
SOUTH AFRICA
Full disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
FAVORITE COURSES AND APPS TO IMPROVE YOUR AFRIKAANS
AfrikaansPod101 - Offers an innovative, fun, and easy to use language learning system that is designed to get you speaking from the very first lesson. Learn at your own convenience and pace with our short, effective, and fun audio podcast lessons, a comprehensive, state-of-the-art Learning Center, and a vibrant user community.
Ling - Learn and play with Master Ling, an interactive platform filled with language courses, quizzes, and fun mini-games! Lessons are taught through engaging games, such as picture matching, flashcards, and sentence arrangement to keep you up and going. Plus, it’s got an engaging chatbot you can practice with!
Mondly - Is a great starting point for beginners, but it’s also full of lessons for intermediate and advanced students! Improve your Afrikaans pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary with this handy app, as it arranges its lessons into short, digestible units. Complete with games and an achievement leaderboard, it’s the perfect platform to study and practice with! On top of that, you can use Mondly’s hands-free format to record and practice your speech.
Cudoo - Cudoo's self-paced courses are accessible anytime, anywhere, and on any device. All courses are designed to accommodate most learning styles. You will be introduced to practical words and phrases for real-life situations, minus the unnecessary vocabulary that can slow you down.
Bluebird Languages - Bluebird uses the proven “spaced repetition” learning method to optimize both acquisition and retention. This, combined with instruction in 97% of the world’s most-spoken languages and our special building-block approach, will have you speaking and understanding the language of your choice in record time.
AFRIKAANS TUTORS: PRACTICE WITH NATIVE SPEAKERS
My method to learning a new language is to speak it from the beginning. I recommend the following tool for this:
Italki - On Skype, it links you with native Afrikaans speakers for spoken practice. You may pay for (affordable) one-on-one video sessions with Afrikaans teachers or discover a free language exchange partner! This link will take you directly to the site's Afrikaans instructors.
LEARN HOW TO READ AND WRITE IN AFRIKAANS
Colloquial Afrikaans - Colloquial Afrikaans provides a step-by-step course in Afrikaans as it is written and spoken today.
Teach Yourself: Complete Afrikaans Beginner to Intermediate Course - A Teach Yourself Guide provides you with a clear and comprehensive approach to Afrikaans, so you can progress quickly from the basics to understanding, speaking, and writing Afrikaans with confidence.
Teach Yourself Afrikaans - This completely revised and updated edition of Teach Yourself Afrikaans is for all those who seek to communicate in Afrikaans It has been written for students with no previous experience or knowledge of the language, and is especially aimed at those who wish to study at home.
RESOURCES FOR INTERMEDIATE AND ADVANCED AFRIKAANS LEARNERS
LingQ - 1000s of hours of Afrikaans podcasts, audiobooks, interviews, courses, and more immerses you in a world of engaging Afrikaans material. Then, whenever you come across a word you don't recognize, you may use LingQ's SRS learning features to store it for later review.
Clozemaster - Answers the question: after Duolingo, what's next? Clozemaster aids in the quick expansion of your vocabulary by allowing you to learn Afrikaans in context. You'll utilize the Cloze technique to fill in the blanks in thousands of Afrikaans phrases. The sentences you'll learn are far more practical than the ones you'll learn on Duolingo.
AFRIKAANS LEARNING WEBSITES YOU MUST USE
In your Afrikaans study sessions, you'll come back to these materials again and again.
Forvo – Find out how to pronounce any Afrikaans word. Simply put the word you're looking for into the search bar in Afrikaans!
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