The 5 Best Online Courses And Programs To Learn Afrikaans
If you’re looking to learn Afrikaans, there are a number of great online courses/programs that can help.
Choosing the right program is important not just for your learning success but also for your budget. It’s very easy to throw a bunch of cash at the wrong course, only to realize a few months later that you’re no closer to becoming conversational.
That’s why we’ve created this list; we’ve taken the time to weed out the poor-quality courses, and we’ve compiled a list of what we believe to be the top 5 Afrikaans programs for beginners.
All programs are either free or very affordable, are created by native Afrikaans speakers who are experienced teachers/tutors, and aim to get you to a basic conversational level (A1 – A2) in Afrikaans.
The Top 5 Afrikaans Language Programs and Courses
Cudoo: Afrikaans Language Bundle
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Program description: The Cudoo Afrikaans Course is a comprehensive bundle course that takes beginners from the basics of the language to basic conversational fluency. The course includes 4 levels of Afrikaans instruction, plus quizzes and flashcards to help reinforce new vocabulary. Upon completion of each level, learners receive a personalized certificate that can be added to their resume or shared on social media. Learning Afrikaans with Cudoo is easy, convenient and affordable, making it the perfect choice for busy adults who want to learn at their own pace. Whether you want to learn Afrikaans for personal or professional reasons, the Cudoo Afrikaans Course can help you achieve your language goals. |
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What we say: Lessons are varied and accompanied by videos, so the course never feels repetitive, which important for keeping new learners on track. Although there’s a 14-day money back guarantee, a free trial lesson or 2 would have been better, so potential users aren’t forced to buy the program blindly. It is affordable, however, and there’s always the option of buying the levels separately (though this will end up costing quite a bit more should you decide to continue). The free proficiency test is useful in determining your level before you start, which can help you skip unnecessary lessons and save yourself some time and money. |
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LESSONS |
131 (roughly 100 hours worth) |
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LEVEL |
Beginners (A1 – A2) |
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PRICE |
$24.99 |
Easy Afrikaans
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Program description: This course offered by Easy Afrikaans is a great way for beginners to learn the basics of the Afrikaans language. You’re shown both the English and Afrikaans versions of sentences together with the audio, which you can replay as many times as you like until you’re familiar with it. Then, once you feel you’re confident, you can move on to the testing phase, to see how much you’ve really learned. The audio recordings by native speakers as well as the accompanying grammar explanation guides help with pronunciation and understanding; while the tests check your writing and listening skills. The course is free and requires no sign up. Other resources on the site, like the Afrikaans crossword puzzles, are also free and useful for learners. |
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What we say: This one isn’t as structured as some of the others; lessons are listed in alphabetical order, not according to difficulty and progress level. They’re also pretty basic – no images of any kind to help with memorization. But it’s free and keeps you engaged with the varying ways to test your knowledge. After completing the first lesson, you get a real sense of achievement, because you’re able to write, read and pronounce a few simple sentences that won’t be too difficult to remember. |
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LESSONS |
51 |
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LEVEL |
Beginners (A1 – A2) |
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PRICE |
FREE |
Lingo Hut
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Program description: Lingo Hut provides a free online course designed for you to learn Afrikaans in just 5 minutes a day. The course is interactive, hands-on and full of activities and games to make learning more effective. Each lesson consists of between 10 and 19 words/phrases that you listen to and read. Then you can test your knowledge with one of the 5 games available to play, which are: flashcards, a matching game, tic-tac-toe, a concentration game, and a listening game. In addition, the voice recording feature allows you to listen to your pronunciation and get feedback to improve your Afrikaans. The course is also designed with a “drip-feed” approach which focuses on understanding Afrikaans in small increments. A wide range of topics are covered in the course, giving you a well-rounded understanding of the Afrikaans language. |
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What we say: This one’s more structured than the previous program, and comes packed with things to do to help you remember what you’ve learned. Put simply, you get a lot! The games a pretty fun and varied, meaning all of your skills will be tested and strengthened. You’re able to become conversational with very little daily time commitment, making this perfect for those with busy schedules. |
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LESSONS |
125 |
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LEVEL |
Beginners (A1 – A2) |
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PRICE |
FREE |
Udemy: Wow Afrikaans is Easy
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Program description: The Udemy Wow Afrikaans is Easy complete course teaches you the basics of reading and speaking with confidence in Afrikaans. Infused with an intuitive user interface, videos teach beginners how to read, write and say new Afrikaans vocabulary. The course includes 80 short videos with a different theme in each, as well as accompanying booklets with key vocabulary and sentences, so you’re able to download and work through them to reinforce your learning. By the end of this course, you will have learned to read and write hundreds of new Afrikaans words, and will be able to use them confidently in conversation. You’ll also have developed great pronunciation skills, and will be able to read aloud with ease. The course is available on any device, including PCs and tablets, you get lifetime access to it, and you’ll receive a Udemy certificate of completion at the end. |
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What we say: A lot is covered in this course, and though it’s slightly more geared towards children than older learners, starting with alphabet pronunciation and going from there. That’s not a big deal, however, if you’re an absolute beginner. The lessons are bite-sized, though they manage to fit in a fair amount of vocabulary. The speaker is clear and enunciates well; she speaks slowly enough that you get to really pick up the correct pronunciation. Please note: this Afrikaans course is also available for free on YouTube. It doesn’t, however, come with any of the downloadable worksheets, so you won’t get the full benefits if you choose to use the YouTube version. |
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LESSONS |
155 (80 videos) |
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LEVEL |
Beginners (A1 – A2) |
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PRICE |
$99.99 / £99.99 |
italki
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Program description: While italki doesn’t offer set Afrikaans language courses/programs, it does connect you with affordable, experienced native Afrikaans tutors who offer 1-on-1 lessons over video chat or audio call. This means that you can work at your own pace from the comfort of your home, and learn Afrikaans in a more immersive way by having real conversations with native speakers. You’ll reach your fluency goals much faster with a speaking partner. The Afrikaans tutors are a diverse mix that charge different hourly rates. Many have ratings, and you get to see how many lessons they’ve completed on the platform. This should help you choose the right teacher for you. That’s not all that italki has to offer. You can make use of italki’s resources, such as study prompts and essential vocabulary kits. The italki community is also a great place to ask questions and get support from fellow language learners. If you’re looking to take your language learning to the next level, you should definitely take italki for a test drive. |
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What we say: We all know how expensive private language tutors can be. So expensive, in fact, that they’re usually out of reach for most people. With italki, however, that’s no longer the case. You can find a native Afrikaans speaker to practice with for as little as $6 USD per hour. That’s an unbeatable price, and it’s one of the reasons why italki is such a great resource for language learners. There are dozens of tutors to choose from as well, so if you don’t vibe with one, you can always get a new one, and you won’t be down more than the price of the 30-minute trial lesson (which is around $5 USD). This platform is especially good for those people who may have been learning Afrikaans with books or some other non-communicative method and need to practice their speaking skills. |
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LESSONS |
As many as you need |
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LEVEL |
Beginners (A1 – A2) |
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PRICE |
Varies |
Conclusion
You will, no doubt, have noticed the lack of apps on this list. We wanted to keep it limited to online courses or programs that are a little more comprehensive and offer more support than what an app can provide.
We hope you found this list helpful and that it’s given you a better idea of where to start your Afrikaans learning journey. We recommend checking out some of the free offerings first, getting your feet wet, and then deciding if you want to commit to something a little more structured.
If you want to watch some free video courses, check out our list of the best Afrikaans YouTube channels for learners.
