The best way to learn Afrikaans is a mix: mostly Afrikaans you can understand, plus review and real conversation, with the balance set by your goal. Afrikaans you can mostly understand is called comprehensible input. Below, you'll see what each way of learning builds and the mix that suits six common goals.
Which Ways of Learning Afrikaans Work Best?
Reading and listening to Afrikaans at your level works best, and each other method adds one skill on top of it.
| Method | What it builds | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Reading and listening at your level | Words, grammar and listening | Most of your time |
| A structured course | An order for the basics | Your first months |
| A tutor or conversation partner | Speaking and quick replies | Using what you know |
| Flashcards or other review | Words that stay with you | A few minutes each session |
| Radio, series and the news | Natural, everyday Afrikaans | Fun, once you follow most of it |
| Grammar study | Why a sentence works, such as where the second nie goes | Patterns that confuse you |
Input is the base of the mix: a 2016 review of 49 studies in Reading in a Foreign Language, a University of Hawaii journal, found that reading a lot of easy material improves reading in a new language.
What Is the Best Way to Learn Afrikaans for Your Goal?
For every goal, the best way is the same base of reading and listening, with the rest of your time on the skill that goal needs most.
- Talk With Family or FriendsRead and hear lots of everyday conversations, and spend the rest of your time talking with them or with a tutor.
- Travel to South AfricaSpend most of your time on short dialogues about ordering food and getting around, and say each one out loud.
- Watch Afrikaans SeriesPut most of your time into listening, starting with videos made for learners and moving on to series with Afrikaans subtitles.
- Enjoy Afrikaans MusicRead and listen at your level most of the time, and read the lyrics of songs you like with a translation beside them.
- Follow the NewsRead and listen at your level most of the time, and move on to Maroela Media and the news bulletins on RSG once everyday conversations feel easy.
- Work in AfrikaansRead and hear Afrikaans about your field most of the time, and practice with a tutor when to use the polite u and when to use jy.
To see how many hours Afrikaans takes, read how long it takes to learn Afrikaans.
What Are the Best Resources for Each Part?
Each part of the mix has a good free option, such as South Africa Reads for stories or the VivA dictionary portal for looking up words, and an app or service for when you want more. Bubblegum, which appears in a few rows, is a language app where Poppy, an AI tutor, writes Afrikaans lessons at your level about things you like.
| Part | Free option | App or service |
|---|---|---|
| A first course | Selected lessons with a free AfrikaansPod101 account, each with grammar notes | Ling, or Stellenbosch University's live online course Afrikaans 123 |
| Reading and listening at your level | Picture books with audio on South Africa Reads, or VivA's free Lees-en-luister app | Bubblegum, LingQ or FluentFiction |
| Radio, series and news | RSG for radio, Maroela Media for news | Language Reactor, which shows Afrikaans subtitles beside a translation |
| Review | Clozemaster, free to sign up and play once you can read simple sentences | Bubblegum's Regenerative Review™, which brings saved words back in new lessons |
| Conversation | A language exchange on HelloTalk | A tutor on italki or Preply |
| Looking up words | The VivA dictionary portal, which searches many dictionaries at once | Readlang, which explains a word you tap on a web page |
What Should You Avoid?
Avoid anything that keeps you from reading real Afrikaans sentences you can follow.
- Reading Afrikaans Like EnglishLetters like g and pairs like oe have their own sounds in Afrikaans, as in dag (day) and koek (cake), so play the audio as you read.
- Lists With No SentencesSave words from lines you have read, so each one comes with an example of how it is used.
- Series You Can't Follow YetSave Afrikaans series for when you can follow an episode with Afrikaans subtitles on, and watch videos made for learners, like ET Afrikaans, before that.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it better to learn Afrikaans with an app or a teacher?
Use an app for the hours of reading and listening, and a teacher for speaking and corrections. Lessons with a tutor on italki or Preply are paid, so spend that time talking, and do your reading and listening on your own.
Should I learn Afrikaans grammar first?
No. Learn grammar from the Afrikaans you read and hear, and look a pattern up when it confuses you. A rule is easier to learn once you have seen it a few times: after Ek het koffie gedrink (I drank coffee) and Ons het brood gekoop (We bought bread), the way Afrikaans talks about the past, with het and a verb that starts with ge-, is easy to spot.
Which kind of Afrikaans should I learn?
Start with standard Afrikaans, which is what Bubblegum's lessons use and what you will read in the news. Afrikaans also has regional kinds, such as Kaaps, which is spoken mostly in Cape Town. Once standard Afrikaans feels easy, the friends and family you talk with can teach you the words they use.
Which Afrikaans app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning Afrikaans, start with Bubblegum. Poppy writes lessons at your level about things you like. Our Afrikaans app comparison covers courses, tutors and speaking apps too.
Is Bubblegum free?
Yes. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn. It holds lessons that other learners asked Poppy for. A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons.
Sources
- Jeon and Day (2016), The effectiveness of ER on reading proficiency: A meta-analysis, Reading in a Foreign Language 28(2), University of Hawaii
- AfrikaansPod101, pricing (what a free account includes)
- Stellenbosch University Language Centre, Afrikaans 123 (live online course for beginners)
- South Africa Reads, stories with Afrikaans text and audio (Global Storybooks)
- Clozemaster, learn Afrikaans
- HelloTalk, learn Afrikaans (free language exchange)
- VivA, the Virtual Institute for Afrikaans, dictionary portal
- Wikipedia, Kaaps (a regional kind of Afrikaans spoken mostly in Cape Town)
