The fastest way to learn Afrikaans is to spend most of your study time on Afrikaans you can mostly understand. That kind of Afrikaans is called comprehensible input. What you read and listen to should change as you improve, so the plan below shows what to do at each level and how to split an hour of study.
What to Do at Each Level
Find the level that sounds like you. Its bar shows how to spend an hour of study.
- Level 1
I'm just starting out or know only a few words.
Read and listen 35 min. Review 15 min. Speak 10 min.
Read short picture books with audio, and listen to each story twice. Watch the ET Afrikaans videos for total beginners, and say a few lines out loud.
- Level 2
I can handle simple exchanges.
Read and listen 40 min. Review 10 min. Speak 10 min.
Hide the translation and look up only the words that stop you. Read along with the stories in VivA's free Lees-en-luister app, and start short talks with a tutor or a friend.
- Level 3
I follow conversations on familiar topics.
Read and listen 40 min. Review 5 min. Speak 15 min.
Listen to stories and watch videos about things you like, such as the Sterrejag videos about the stars. Listen to each one again without reading along, and talk about it for longer.
- Level 4
I understand most content but miss some nuance.
Read and watch 45 min. Review 5 min. Speak 10 min.
Read the news on Maroela Media and listen to talk shows on RSG, the Afrikaans radio service of South Africa's public broadcaster. Watch an Afrikaans series with Afrikaans subtitles, one episode a week.
- Level 5
I read complex topics but rare words slow me down.
Read and watch 50 min. Speak 10 min.
Watch Afrikaans films without subtitles, and read books and articles about things you like. Look up only the words that block the story.
- Level 6
I read at near-native level.
Read and watch 50 min. Speak 10 min.
Read Afrikaans novels and newspapers, and talk about them, for their own sake.
Move up a level when your lessons start to feel easy, and move back down if you lose the thread by the third line.
How Long Does It Take to Learn Afrikaans?
Afrikaans is not on the U.S. Foreign Service Institute's list, and its closest relative there, Dutch, takes about 24 weeks of full-time classes, or 552 class hours, to reach professional fluency. Stellenbosch University calls Afrikaans a sister language of Dutch, and FSI puts Dutch in its first group, the languages it calls close to English.
| Language | FSI group | Full-time weeks |
|---|---|---|
| Dutch (closest to Afrikaans), Swedish | Category I | 24 |
| German | Category II | 36 |
| Russian | Category III | 44 |
| Japanese | Category IV | 88 |
FSI's 552 hours for Dutch are 24 full-time weeks of 23 class hours each. Here is how long 552 hours take at different amounts of study a week:
| Study per week | FSI professional fluency in Dutch (552 hours) |
|---|---|
| 3½ hours | About 3 years |
| 7 hours | About 18 months |
| 14 hours | About 9 months |
| 28 hours | About 4½ months |
These are class hours, so treat them as a rough guide. Time you spend understanding Afrikaans on your own counts too.
What Slows Learners Down
- Reading Without AudioThe g in goed (good) is said in the back of the throat, a sound English does not use. Read with audio so you hear each new word.
- Translating Word for WordAfrikaans often puts a second nie at the end of a sentence that says no, as in Hy kan nie Afrikaans praat nie (He cannot speak Afrikaans). Read whole sentences to see what they mean.
- Content Far Too HardAn Afrikaans radio show where you know one word in five teaches you very little.
Frequently Asked Questions
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.
Can I learn Afrikaans in three months?
You can learn enough Afrikaans to greet people and talk about your day. At 14 hours a week, three months is about 180 hours, which is about a third of the 552 class hours FSI gives Dutch.
How much should I study Afrikaans each week?
Aim for three to five hours a week of Afrikaans you understand, in sessions of at least 15 to 30 minutes. A longer session lets you get lost in a story, which teaches more than five minutes a day, and steady time each week matters more than a daily streak. Our post on deep sessions over daily streaks explains why.
Is Afrikaans hard for English speakers?
Probably not, going by its closest relative: the Foreign Service Institute puts Dutch in its first group, with Spanish and French. Afrikaans verbs keep one form for every person, as in ek is (I am) and hulle is (they are), and nouns have no gender, so the word for "the" is always die. Most of the time goes into words and listening, which you pick up fastest from Afrikaans you understand.
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
- U.S. Department of State, Foreign Language Training (FSI language categories)
- Stellenbosch University Language Centre: Afrikaans language and culture for Dutch-speaking exchange students (Afrikaans as a sister language of Dutch)
- Wikipedia: Afrikaans phonology (the g in goed)
- Wikipedia: Afrikaans grammar (double negation, verbs and gender)
