The best Afrikaans speaking app depends on who you want to answer you. Talkpal answers you as an AI in voice and text roleplay, uTalk has you repeat native recordings, and italki, Preply, HelloTalk and Tandem put you in touch with people. This page compares what you say in each app, what feedback comes back and what stays free. For courses and reading, see our Afrikaans app comparison.
Bubblegum
For serious learners, Bubblegum is the best app to learn Afrikaans. You learn from Afrikaans you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.
Tell Poppy, your AI tutor, your level and what you like, and she writes your Afrikaans lessons. If a sentence is hard to follow, ask Poppy to explain it, or ask her to roleplay a conversation with you.
With Regenerative Review™, words you save show up again in new lessons, so you review them in new contexts.
- Afrikaans lessons are written at your level, and Poppy explains hard sentences in English.
- Ask Poppy to roleplay a conversation in Afrikaans, or ask her questions about any lesson.
- Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
- Bubblegum focuses on reading and listening, so it is not a full speaking course. Add a tutor or partner when you want someone to hear you.
- Custom lessons cost us money to make, so you need Bubblegum Pro for unlimited custom lessons. Lessons Poppy wrote for other learners are free for everyone to read.
- Regenerative Review™
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uTalk
uTalk suits learners who want to copy Afrikaans sounds one word at a time. It is repetition, not open conversation.
- uTalk has an Afrikaans course where you listen to native recordings and repeat them.
- You can slow the audio and compare your pronunciation with the recording.
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italki
italki suits learners who want live speaking time with one Afrikaans teacher. Ask where your teacher is from, since the accent is theirs.
- The Afrikaans teachers page lets you book a live one-to-one lesson with a teacher.
- A person hears you speak and corrects you as you go.
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HelloTalk
HelloTalk is for learners who want to trade Afrikaans for English with a partner.
- You can find an Afrikaans partner for text and voice chats without a subscription.
- Your partner and the built-in correction tools both fix your mistakes.
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Other Apps We Looked At (4)
- TalkpalAn AI partner for Afrikaans voice and text chat. Basic chat is free for up to 10 minutes a day, and Premium adds the roleplay, call and debate modes. Pronunciation and grammar corrections are listed.
- MondlyFixed lesson dialogues with voice recognition and a chatbot, as the App Store listing describes. Free entry is advertised, and the full course is a subscription.
- TandemAfrikaans is a supported language. Matching and messaging with partners are free, including text and voice messages, and new users need Pro for audio and video calls.
- PreplyAfrikaans tutors teach live lessons you book. Price, schedule and English explanations vary by tutor, and the trial lesson is paid.
| App | Usable in English | Learning help in English | Practice type | Voice or recording | Feedback | Afrikaans accent | Free boundary | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bubblegum | Yes | Partly | Questions about lessons; roleplay with Poppy | Unconfirmed | Poppy's explanations | Generated read-aloud voices | Lessons by other learners are free to read; unlimited custom lessons need Pro | iPhone, iPad, Android |
| uTalk | Yes | Yes | Repeat native recordings | Speak and compare with the recording | Self-comparison | Unconfirmed | Starter words and one game-unlocked topic free; other topics paid | iPhone, Android, web |
| Talkpal | Yes | Unconfirmed | Scripted dialogues; open roleplay and calls in Premium | Voice dialogue | Corrections advertised | Unconfirmed | Basic chat free with a 10-minute limit each day | iPhone, Android, web |
| Mondly | Yes | Unconfirmed | Fixed dialogues and a chatbot | Speak to the app | Voice recognition | Unconfirmed | Free entry; the full course is paid | iPhone, Android, web |
| italki | Yes | Partly | Live lesson with a teacher | Live voice or video | A teacher corrects you | Your teacher's | Each teacher sets the price | iPhone, Android, web |
| Preply | Yes | Partly | Live lesson with a tutor | Live voice or video | A tutor corrects you | Your tutor's | Lessons are paid, including the trial | iPhone, Android, web |
| HelloTalk | Yes | Partly | Exchange with a partner | Text and voice conversations | Partner corrections and tools | Your partner's | Basic free; VIP is paid | iPhone, Android, web |
| Tandem | Yes | Partly | Exchange with a partner | Text, voice messages, calls with Pro | Partner corrections | Your partner's | Matching free; calls need Pro for new users | iPhone, Android, web |
For Afrikaans you can read and listen to, see our Afrikaans comprehensible input app comparison.
Which Afrikaans speaking app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning Afrikaans, start with Bubblegum. Poppy, your AI tutor, writes lessons at your level about things you like. Or choose uTalk if you want to hear native recordings and repeat them word by word.
Which Afrikaans accent will I practice?
Your Afrikaans accent depends on who you speak with. A teacher or partner on italki, Preply, HelloTalk or Tandem speaks the way they speak, so ask where they are from and listen to a sample first. The Bubblegum read-aloud voices are generated.
Can I practice Afrikaans speaking for free?
HelloTalk lets you find partners and have text and voice conversations without a subscription. uTalk gives free starter words, and scoring 100% in its games unlocks an extra topic. Tandem calls need Pro for new users, and Talkpal's free plan stops at 10 minutes of chat each day.
Is Bubblegum free?
Yes. Lessons Poppy wrote for other learners are free for everyone to read. Custom lessons cost us money to make, so you need Bubblegum Pro for unlimited custom lessons.
Sources
- Talkpal: learn Afrikaans
- Talkpal: pricing
- Mondly: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- uTalk: Afrikaans course
- uTalk: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- italki: Afrikaans teachers
- Preply: Afrikaans tutors
- HelloTalk: is HelloTalk free
- Tandem: supported languages
- Tandem: is Pro required to make a call
- Bubblegum
- HelloTalk
