The best way to learn Luxembourgish is a mix: mostly Luxembourgish you can understand, plus review and real conversation, with the balance set by your goal. Luxembourgish 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 Luxembourgish Work Best?
Reading and listening to Luxembourgish 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, TV and the news | Natural, everyday Luxembourgish | Fun, once you follow most of it |
| Grammar study | Why a sentence works | 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 Luxembourgish 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.
- Pass the SproochentestRead and listen at your level most of the time, and try the example tests on the language institute's Sproochentest page as the test gets close.
- 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.
- Settle in LuxembourgSpend most of your time on short dialogues about shops, doctors and neighbors, and say each one out loud.
- Work in LuxembourgRead and hear Luxembourgish about your field most of the time, and practice with a tutor when to use the polite Dir and when to use du.
- Follow the NewsRead and listen at your level most of the time, and move on to RTL.lu and the news on Radio 100,7 once everyday conversations feel easy.
- Watch Luxembourgish TVPut most of your time into listening, starting with podcasts made for learners and moving on to RTL Play shows marked LU.
To see how many hours each stage takes, read how long it takes to learn Luxembourgish.
What Are the Best Resources for Each Part?
Each part of the mix has a good free option, such as LLO.LU for a first course or LOD.lu for grammar notes, 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 Luxembourgish lessons at your level about things you like.
| Part | Free option | App or service |
|---|---|---|
| A first course | LLO.LU, the free online course from Luxembourg's Ministry of Education and its language institute | Aurelux, or classes in person and online at the Institut national des langues |
| Reading and listening at your level | Poterkëscht, the language institute's podcast, with transcripts for most episodes | Bubblegum, or Sproo, an app built for Luxembourgish with lessons and audio |
| Radio, TV and the news | RTL Play for shows, Radio 100,7 for the radio | Readlang for RTL.lu articles, Language Reactor for Capitani on Netflix |
| Review | Free vocabulary games on LuxVocabulary | Bubblegum's Regenerative Review™, which brings saved words back in new lessons |
| Conversation | A language exchange on Tandem | A tutor on italki or Preply |
| Grammar | Notes on spelling and grammar in LOD.lu, the official dictionary | LuxLessons, a course taught in English with teacher feedback |
What Should You Avoid?
Avoid anything that keeps you from reading real Luxembourgish sentences you can follow.
- Learning From German MaterialMany everyday Luxembourgish words differ from German, such as Gromperen (potatoes), so learn from material made in Luxembourgish from the start.
- Lists With No SentencesSave words from lines you have read, so each one comes with an example of how it is used.
- Shows You Can't Follow YetMany RTL Play shows are made for people who already speak Luxembourgish, so listen to podcasts for learners first and save the shows for later.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it better to learn Luxembourgish 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 Luxembourgish grammar first?
No. Learn grammar from the Luxembourgish 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 Ech wëll iessen (I want to eat) and Ech wëll schlofen (I want to sleep), the pattern for "I want to" is easy to spot.
What level do I need for the Sproochentest?
The speaking test is at level A2 and the listening test is at level B1, according to the Institut national des langues, which runs the test for Luxembourg citizenship. The listening test plays a radio message, an everyday conversation and a talk on one topic, so hours of listening to Luxembourgish at your level prepare you well for it.
Which Luxembourgish app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning Luxembourgish, start with Bubblegum. Poppy writes lessons at your level about things you like. Our Luxembourgish app comparison covers courses, tutors and language exchange 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
- Institut national des langues Luxembourg: Sproochentest (speaking test at level A2, listening test at level B1, example tests)
- Institut national des langues Luxembourg: Luxembourgish courses
- Institut national des langues Luxembourg: Poterkëscht, the podcast in Luxembourgish from the INLL
- LLO: Léier Lëtzebuergesch Online (free course)
- LOD.lu, the Luxembourgish online dictionary (Gromper, potato)
- Wikipedia: Luxembourgish (Dir as the polite form of you)
