10 Super Efficient Apps to Learn Afrikaans 

With so many speakers, Afrikaans is well worth learning. So, what are the best apps to learn Afrikaans? Let’s dive in and find out!

The 10 Best Apps to Learn Afrikaans

Given that both Duolingo and Babbel have let us down when it comes to learning Afrikaans, where can we go to learn this wonderful language?

Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered with ten of the best apps to learn Afrikaans. Take your pick or try a couple alongside each other – the world’s your language-learning oyster!

1. Clozemaster

If you love the leaderboard aspect of Duolingo and have a bit of a competitive nature, you’re going to love Clozemaster.

Battle against other users, play fun and educational vocabulary and grammar-based games, and enjoy Afrikaans-language media clips to push those speaking and listening skills. 

It is advised that Clozemaster is used for intermediate and advanced users, as it is pretty comprehensive and fast-paced.

If you’re not quite at that level yet, use one of these other apps to build your Afrikaans fundamentals and then come back to Clozemaster when you’re ready to take your Afrikaans skills to the next level. 

2. Memrise

Despite not being only a language learning app, Memrise is full of amazing resources for learning Afrikaans, and plenty of other languages.

As it’s more of a revision platform, users upload their notes, slideshows, quizzes, and games that they’ve used to learn the language so that others can make use of them.

In addition to flashcards and quizzes, you can also find audio and video clips in Afrikaans to test your listening, speaking, and pronunciation skills.

Although there are plenty of great resources on Memrise, it’s not a formal or organized language course so it’s worth using this app alongside another language learning method or app.

Think of Memrise as a supplementary resource like a language dictionary or phrasebook – it’s not going to teach you the whole language, but it’s going to be a great support tool that you can use on the go. 

3. Simply Learn Afrikaans

Looking to boost your vocabulary knowledge in a fun and engaging way? Simply Learn Afrikaans has a huge library of Afrikaans vocabulary that you can learn through quizzes, flashcards, and other games.

The added bonus of this app is that you can save and copy terms for later if you think they’re going to be useful, or if you think you’re going to need to practice them a little bit more. 

Aside from vocabulary-building games, Simply Learn Afrikaans also has a bank of audio clips from real-life native speakers, so you can get familiar with the pronunciation and flow of the language before practicing your skills out in the world. 

4. Ling

Love gamification when you’re learning a new language? Well Ling has you covered. It’s similar to Duolingo in that there are set lessons with gap-filling exercises, match-ups, and quizzes that you can do each day.

Follow specific themes for each lesson and get context clues that help you understand Afrikaans more fully. 

If you’re looking to test yourself more, check out Ling’s chatbot feature. You can put your conversational skills to the test and find out where you’re going wrong in real time. It’s like having a native speaker right there in the app. 

5. iTalki

So, before I was saying how having a one-to-one native tutor is one of the best ways to learn Afrikaans. Obviously, there isn’t a native Afrikaan tutor in every town and city in the world.

That’s where iTalki comes in. It’s a platform that connects language learners and tutors all around the world. 

Choose your language and see a list of native language tutors with different hourly rates, reviews, and expertise. Pick the one you feel most comfortable with and set up regular lessons via video chat.

You can have those tailored lessons, with real-time feedback and pronunciation practice. It’s an all-around winner, especially if you’re looking to build up your confidence when it comes to speaking and listening.

6. Learn Afrikaans Daily

Looking for a practical app that will help you build up your vocabulary skills and has translation services for when you’re out and about? Learn Afrikaans Daily ticks these boxes and much more.

With over 9000 useful words and phrases to learn, and an easy-to-use interface, it’s super popular. Build sentences, play games, and quiz yourself.

The difference with Learn Afrikaans Daily is that it has a self-recording feature so you can practice your pronunciation.

As an extension of this feature, you can also translate yourself into 32 different languages, making it the ideal app if you’re traveling around different places with a whole host of different languages. 

7. Mondly

If you’re after a language learning app that’s similar to Duolingo but actually has an Afrikaans course, check out Mondly.

Complete with games, quizzes, and leaderboards, there are a lot of similarities, so if you like the style of Duolingo, this might be the closest alternative out there. 

With vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation-based lessons all included within the Mondly app, it’s a great all-around app that pushes all the key Afrikaans learning skills.

They also have hands-free recording features so you can practice your speaking and listening skills with ease if you’re on the go.

There are also levels from beginner all the way through to advanced, so if you want an app that can continue to take you through your entire language learning journey, then Mondly might just be the solution for you.

8. Learn Afrikaans by 50 Languages

Want to learn the basics of Afrikaans in a short time? Learn Afrikaans by 50 Language includes 30 quick and easy lessons that help you to build confidence and prepare you with the fundamentals.

Build up your vocabulary, and learn the basics of grammar, and common phrases that are used in real life. 

The point of Learn Afrikaans by 50 Languages is to prepare you for real-life interactions with native Afrikaans speakers, so it focuses on practical words and phrases, complete with context clues.

There are even audio and video clips from native speakers to help you get a feel for the flow of the language before you start speaking Afrikaans with locals. It’s a great little app that does exactly what it says on the tin.

9. AfrikaansPod101 (Innovative Language Learning)

More often than not, language learning apps tend to focus more on vocabulary and reading and writing skills. They’re definitely needed, but if you’re looking at speaking and listening to native Afrikaans speakers, being able to read Afrikaans isn’t going to be quite as useful.

That’s why AfrikaansPod101 can be a really helpful and valuable resource.

Jam-packed with a ton of native audio and video clips in Afrikaans, you can practice your speaking, listening, and pronunciation skills no matter where you are.

You can slow down the audio to get more of a handle on the words and phrases, or if you want to boost those reading skills, you can read along with the transcripts. 

It also has all the traditional flashcards, games, and quizzes that are commonplace in language learning apps, but the focus on speaking and listening skills is what sets this app apart from the pack.

You can even record yourself speaking and listen back to it to see how your pronunciation is coming along!

It is advised that you have a fundamental understanding of Afrikaans first because it’s obviously speech-heavy, which isn’t always beginner-friendly.

10. Learn Afrikaans. Speak Afrikaans. Study Afrikaans. by Bluebird Languages

If you love goal setting and objectives when you’re learning a new language, then Learn Afrikaans. Speak Afrikaans. Study Afrikaans. by Bluebird Languages is going to be for you. Unfortunately, though, this app is only on Google Play, for Androids.

It’s a super comprehensive app that encompasses all four of the key language learning skills and it’s packaged in a fun and engaging way that keeps you coming back for more. 

In addition to the traditional gap-filling, quizzes, and flashcard exercises, there are also a ton of audio and video clips of native speakers with space and time to repeat them over and over again. Repetition is the key to learning, and Afrikaans is no exception!

The lessons can last anywhere from 15-45 minutes, so it definitely feels more like a structured course than some of the other shorter apps. 

With translations in over 146 languages, trackable statistics so you can keep an eye on your progress, and even connections to Google Home systems for hands-free, on-the-go learning, Learn Afrikaans. Speak Afrikaans. Study Afrikaans. by Bluebird Languages is an amazing option.

You can even add your specific language learning goals and the courses and lessons will tailor themselves to try and help you achieve your Afrikaans speaking dreams! If you want one app that can do it all, this is probably it. 

Where is Afrikaans spoken?

Afrikaans is spoken across Southern Africa, including South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Similar to Dutch and spoken across South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, and more, Afrikaans is a language that is Germanic in origin and has over ten million speakers worldwide.

Stemming from the Dutch colonies that were across southern Africa in the 17th and 18th centuries, the language has taken root and is used widely.  

As it was brought over with the Dutch and adapted to fit with the native people of the land, who largely became oppressed and enslaved, Afrikaans was born as its own language, separate from classical Dutch, however, it has a lot of similarities.

Is Afrikaans Difficult to Learn?

You’ll be pleased to know that Afrikaans is commonly noted as being one of the easiest languages for English speakers to pick up. Much like English, it has one gender in terms of language, so it’s easier to master compared to other Germanic languages that have two or three genders to look out for.

It’s also remarked as being much easier to learn than Dutch, despite its similarities. 

Why Should I Learn Afrikaans?

With over ten million speakers worldwide, Afrikaans is a language that has a huge reach right across the globe. The chances that you’ll meet someone who can speak Afrikaans, especially if you’re traveling around, is pretty high.

As it’s such an easy language to learn, it’s well worth having a few words or phrases in your back pocket just in case. 

If you’re thinking of traveling around southern Africa, you should definitely consider learning Afrikaans to a conversational level. Yes, people may speak English but speaking someone’s first language in their own country is a big plus. 

What’s the Best Way to Learn Afrikaans?

As with any language, the best way to learn Afrikaans is by immersion. Being surrounded by people speaking your target language creates a necessity that makes you learn faster and more efficiently.

Obviously, we can’t all travel to southern Africa on a language-learning mission. 

The next best thing is normally a one-to-one native tutor. This way, they can tailor the lessons to suit your needs.

You might be at a certain level, or be learning Afrikaans for a specific purpose, and they’ll be able to tweak the resources to best fit those aims and objectives.

Despite Afrikaans having a global reach, unless you’re in a large city, you might not have native Afrikaans speakers to hand, but there are plenty of online tutor systems that connect learners and tutors from all around the world, I’ll go into that in more detail further on in this article. 

Is Afrikaans on Duolingo?

Unfortunately, despite the wide reach of Afrikaans, and the large number of people wanting to learn the language, Duolingo still does not offer an Afrikaans course on its app.

This is really surprising given that they have courses for more niche languages and even fictional languages, but don’t cover Afrikaans.

There also is no current plan to add Afrikaans to the Duolingo platform, so if you’re waiting for the Owl to provide an Afrikaans course, you’ll be waiting for at least a couple of years. 

Is Afrikaans on Babbel?

One of the other popular language-learning platforms is Babbel. With its great reputation and years of experience, you’d think that Babbel would have an Afrikaans course, but no.

Much like Duolingo, Babbel hasn’t stepped up to the plate and developed a course for this beautiful and useful language. So, if you’re looking for an Afrikaans course right now, you’re going to need to go elsewhere to get your fill.

It’s a Great Time to Start Learning Afrikaans!

So, if you’re looking for a language-learning app to help you master Afrikaans, there is a wide variety of options out there depending on your learning style, level, and preference.

From speaking and listening to specific apps to vocabulary builders to one-to-one video chat lessons, there really is something out there for everyone.

Afrikaans is a beautiful language and one with a global impact, so it’s well worth learning it, especially if you’re an English speaker. The parallels in grammar structure make it one of the easiest languages for English speakers to pick up. 

Try one of the apps on this list or use a couple alongside each other to get a more well-rounded language learning experience.

There’s no one way to learn Afrikaans, download a couple of these apps and see what works best for you and your language learning goals. You’ll be speaking like a local in no time at all!

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