Where can I learn Afrikaans for free online?

Learn Afrikaans Online

• Answer:

  Afrikaans is a language spoken predominately in southern Africa, in countries such as in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe. To learn Afrikaans online, be prepared to study using different sources. A successful study plan will incorporate basic instruction to provide language structure combined with online interactions with native speakers, through discussion groups for example. Basics A great website that provides free vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation and culture foundation for English speakers is www.openlanguages.net/afrikaans. Teach yourself Afrikaans by working through the lessons at your own pace. Allow sufficient time to absorb and reinforce new material. Hone your Africkaans pronunciation skills using a short guide (see Resources). Another resource is digitaldialects.com/Afrikaans/Links.htm which provides links to a dictionary, bible, songs and media in Afrikaans. Software Another method to learn Afrikaans involves purchasing computer software and teaching yourself, since you are unlikely to find online or distance learning courses. You can find software on linguata.com, which offers a free trial download of its Afrikaans program. A highly recommended beginners course is available on routledge-ny.com/books/Colloquial-Afrikaans-isbn9780415441735. Also check out transparent.com/languagepages/afrikaans/afrikaans.htm, multilingualbooks.com/afrikaan.html, and worldlanguage.com/Languages/Afrikaans.htm. A "Teach Yourself Afrikaans" package also is available through amazon.com, which includes a textbook plus computer software. Tips While Rosetta Stone does not offer Afrikaans software, its website sharedtalk.com provides free language partners. A similar program is available through mylanguageexchange.com and the Afrikaans Yahoo! group. Thus, you can register to find a native Afrikaans speaker who can help you practice Afrikaans. Also find radio stations that broadcast in Afrikaans so that you can work on your listening comprehension skills. For example, southafrica.info/abroad/streamingradio.htm provides a list of South African stations, like Radio Sonder Grense ("radio without borders") that broadcast in Afrikaans online.