Afrikaans isn't on Duolingo. We read Duolingo's own course list on October 14, 2026, and there was no course that teaches it.
Several apps teach Afrikaans in short sessions you can fit around your week. Here they're grouped as game lessons, audio lessons, and word games. For reading tools, tutors, and exchange partners, see our best apps to learn Afrikaans.
Custom Lessons Made for You
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.
Poppy is your AI tutor in Bubblegum, and she writes your Afrikaans lessons. If your in-laws live in Stellenbosch, she can write the chat you'd have at a Sunday braai, and you can hear every line.
Bubblegum doesn't connect you with people to talk to. For that, see the tutors and exchange apps in our full Afrikaans comparison.
- Afrikaans lessons written for your level, about what you want to talk about.
- Afrikaans news and stories give you more to read and hear.
- Ask Poppy why a sentence is built the way it is.
- Regenerative Review™ puts your saved words back into new lessons.
- Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
- There's no way to add your own books or articles.
- A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn.
- Regenerative Review™
Mobile
Game Lessons in Order
Ling
Ling's Afrikaans course starts with sounds, everyday words, and greetings, then adds stories and travel guides.
- Lessons built by Afrikaans speakers, with game-style challenges.
- Audio for every lesson, and speaking practice.
- Flashcards
Mobile
Mondly
Mondly also has more than 50 conversations between fluent speakers, and a chatbot to talk with.
- Over 200 lessons grouped into topics like family, weather, and food.
- Speech recognition checks what you say.
MobileWeb
Audio Lessons With Teachers
AfrikaansPod101
AfrikaansPod101 builds each lesson around a short dialogue. Pick a pathway and play the lessons in order.
- Short audio and video lessons led by teachers.
- Notes for each lesson explain its words and grammar.
- Flashcards
MobileWeb
Word and Sentence Games
uTalk
uTalk's Afrikaans games take you to the restaurant, the shops, and the street when you need directions.
- 60-plus uTalk topics hold more than 2,500 Afrikaans words and phrases.
- Say each word and compare it with an Afrikaans speaker.
MobileWeb
Clozemaster
Clozemaster hides one word in an Afrikaans sentence, and you choose or type it. You see how each word is used.
- The most common words come first.
- Sentences return for review just before you'd forget them.
MobileWeb
How Each App Lets You Start Free
Every app here has a free way in.
| App | How You Can Start Free |
|---|---|
| Ling | Download it free; Ling Pro has a 7-day trial. |
| Mondly | Free download; full courses need a subscription. |
| AfrikaansPod101 | A free account with a survival phrases course of 50+ lessons and the first three lessons of every pathway. |
| uTalk | Start with the free starter words. |
| Clozemaster | Sign up free and start playing. |
Bubblegum's free plan is in the last question below.
Common 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. Or start with Ling if you want game lessons in order, or AfrikaansPod101 if you'd like a teacher to talk you through each dialogue. Afrikaans uses the Latin alphabet, and many words look like Dutch or English ones.
Where does Afrikaans come from?
uTalk's Afrikaans page says the language grew out of a Dutch dialect spoken by settlers in South Africa. It also took words from English, German, French, Malay, and other South African languages, and it's one of South Africa's official languages.
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
- Duolingo: course list (read October 14, 2026)
- Ling: Learn Afrikaans
- Ling: Ling Pro plans and free trial
- Mondly: current iPhone listing
- AfrikaansPod101: plans
- Innovative Language (AfrikaansPod101): current iPhone listing
- uTalk: Afrikaans course
- Clozemaster: Expand your Afrikaans vocabulary
- uTalk: Afrikaans plans
- Clozemaster: current iPhone listing
- Mondly: Learn Afrikaans, iPhone listing
- Bubblegum
- Ling
- AfrikaansPod101
Checked on October 14, 2026 against each app's own pages.
