Ready to dive into learning Afrikaans but not sure where to start? If you’re a beginner eager to kickstart your Afrikaans language journey, look no further!
With an abundance of language-learning resources online, finding the right one that fits your learning style can be overwhelming. That’s why we’ve done the legwork for you. We’ve tested various Afrikaans resources from courses, apps, podcasts, YouTube, and other local media to make a curated list of the best apps to learn Afrikaans.
Whether you’re a complete beginner or looking to brush up on your skills, these top-rated apps will have you speaking Afrikaans with confidence in no time. Let’s get started!
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Where Can I Learn Afrikaans: Resources for Learning Afrikaans
Although Afrikaans courses and books are harder to come by, there are more language-learning resources than you might expect.
Best Afrikaans Courses
Afrikaans.us is a great starting point. Once you get over the dated appearance, you’ll find that it’s full of well-organized and easy-to-understand material for both beginner and intermediate-level learners, as well as instructions on how to organize your studies. It was created by Dr. Jacques de Plessis at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and the website’s pedagogical foundations are evident.
Freemium course AfrikaansPod101 has a strong focus on listening (you can read more about our thoughts on it here) as well as flashcards and other tools. Combining it with Afrikaans.us would give you a good balance of vocabulary, grammar, and listening practice.
We’re also a fan of Easy Afrikaans. It’s slightly less comprehensive than Afrikaans.us but is easy to dip in and out of if you have a specific query. Meanwhile, 17 Minute Languages also has an Afrikaans course, but we found it was plagued with mistranslations.
You might also see adverts for paid Afrikaans courses with Cudoo, which has three beginner-level modules and one course for business Afrikaans. We tested their Albanian course and found the quality to be very low, and would expect their Afrikaans courses to be similarly disappointing. So, take that as a word of warning to avoid this one.
Subscription-based Transparent Language is focused on memorizing word lists, but doesn’t teach basic sentences and quickly feels repetitive (you can read more about this here). Instead, for drilling vocabulary, we recommend the free-to-use iLanguages.org.
Not keen on self-directed study? iTalki has 31 Afrikaans teachers. Find out more about using this platform in our detailed review.
Best Apps to Learn Afrikaans
You won’t find Afrikaans on Duolingo, unfortunately. However, there are other options.
Memrise doesn’t have any official courses, but there is a wide range of community-made ones. Their quality will vary, but they are free. They also offer one significant benefit compared to all the other apps: they were made specifically for Afrikaans. That means you won’t miss out on culturally specific differences in how the language is used.
The paid-for apps Mondly and Learn Afrikaans with Master Ling have official Afrikaans courses. We’re not a huge fan of Mondly, but either of these apps will help you drill vocabulary along with pronunciation.
Clozemaster is a mostly free, retro-esque, gamified way to improve your vocabulary. What we like about it is that you learn the language in context. However, there is limited Afrikaans content. We recommend using it, but bear in mind that you will exhaust it quickly.
Subscription-based uTalk is an affordable way to memorize set phrases, which can be useful ahead of a short trip. We like that they use native speakers for all the phrases and that you can record yourself speaking Afrikaans and listen back to it.
Ankidroid is highly recommended, once you’re ready to create your own flashcards. It will help you drill new vocabulary intelligently, and you can create your own decks based on what you’re currently studying or the words and phrases that you find challenging.
Tandem, HelloTalk, and Speaky will also help you find a language exchange partner. Not sure which one is best for you? We’ve compared Tandem and HelloTalk and reviewed Speaky to make the decision easier.
Best Podcasts for Learning Afrikaans
It’s hard to find podcasts suitable for beginners, no matter the language, but AfrikaansPod101 (also mentioned under courses) is a good start.
As your Afrikaans improve, you can move on to podcasts that aren’t just designed for language learners. We like AudreyStories, which has a selection of short stories from around the world, along with Audrey’s personal travel experiences and opinions of South Africa.
Even more challenging, but highly rewarding, are Ek hou van travel!, a short-lived podcast about traveling, and the eclectic Van die os op die jas. If you’re interested in business and entrepreneurialism, you might pick up useful vocabulary from Klipkouers Potgooi, while Afrikaans Preke explores religious themes. And music fans should try WAT met Willim Welsyn – but be warned that these can be long.
Struggling to choose between them? Or looking for more ideas? We’ve already written an entire article about podcasts in or about Afrikaans.
Best YouTube and TV for Learning Afrikaans Language
The YouTube channel Teach Me Afrikaans has plenty of beginner-level content, and their video Sounds in Afrikaans is a great place to start working on your pronunciation.
Afrikaans with Lindie has only 17 videos, but they are all useful. Our favorites are the cooking and culture ones, since Lindie speaks in Afrikaans but adds English subtitles. Her main channel Lindie Botes also contains videos on general language-learning tips and experiences, while you can download her PDF on the 100 most common Afrikaans words with example sentences for free here.
Looking for something a little more challenging? Perhaps you’re ready to try content that’s not just designed for language learners. Katinka Oosthuizan is a popular vlogger praised for her sense of humor. If her videos aren’t to your liking, try the Vetkoek Paleis comedy series (although it was last updated in 2014, so some elements might seem a little outdated by now.)
The award-winning South African soap opera 7de Laan is also popular among Afrikaans learners. Not only will it give you the chance to improve your listening skills, but you’ll also get an insight into South African culture and humor. Launched in April 2000, thousands of episodes have been streamed, and you’ll be able to find the most recent episodes on SABC2’s official YouTube account.
Not into comedy? AKTV’s videos are related to the arts, culture, and society, and range from 2 to 50 minutes long. Afrikaans entertainment channel kykNET (channel 144) is also on YouTube, with short clips from 30 seconds to 10 minutes long.
If the big screen is more your thing, you’ve got plenty to choose from. Roepman is an excellent coming-of-age movie, and the humorous and award-winning Die Windpomp is also worth seeing. Hard-hitting Tess has received positive reviews, while Vaselinetjie and Noem My Skollie will give you an insight into South Africa’s recent history.