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Archive for the 'Tips & Techniques' Category

How Long Will it Take to Learn Afrikaans? A Practical Guide!

Hoe lank neem dit om Afrikaans te leer? (How long does it take to learn Afrikaans?)  Well, it's not possible to tell this with 100% accuracy, because the speed of one’s learning progress depends on a few variables. Any answer to this question should probably start with the sober truth, though, which is that learning any new language (at least to a level of reasonable proficiency) normally takes many hours of study and practice. That's simply the nature of language studies. Of course, one can speed up the process with good learning tools and study habits. But mastering it overnight or in only a couple of weeks from scratch? That only happens in the movies. But don't be discouraged! It is possible to be a winner at learning... Show more

Useful Phrases for Conducting Business in Afrikaans

So, you're dealing with an Afrikaans client and really want to impress them. Excellent! You can do this instantly by speaking good business language in Afrikaans!  As you know, speaking someone's native language is a speedy and easy way to gain their favor. To Afrikaans business owners, this could demonstrate that you're serious about...well, business! It will also show that you've invested personal effort into the business relationship. Why not start straight away with our excellent video, "Learn Afrikaans Business Language in 15 Minutes," featured at the beginning of this article? Or read our blog post about How to Find a Job in South Africa! AfrikaansPod101 employs numerous means to support you while you learn business... Show more

The Best Videos to Learn Afrikaans on YouTube

Hopefully, you've gathered by now that at AfrikaansPod101, we love to keep things easy and fun for our learners! We also don't insist that you only stick to our site (which is crammed with a great amount of awesome goodies, of course!), but we encourage you to broaden your Afrikaans-learning horizons using one of the Internet's top video-sharing platforms. In this article, we’ll show you the best channels to learn Afrikaans on YouTube. Created in February 2005 by three guys, YouTube was bought over by Google just over a year later for more than a billion dollars, because people loved it. And we're still loving it. As you very probably know, the site is still being kept alive by the people, for the people, and it's choc-n-bloc full of... Show more

How Hard is it to Learn Afrikaans?

This is not an easy question to answer! How hard it is to learn Afrikaans depends on a few things, really. Afrikaans is the world’s youngest official language. Known as "Cape Dutch" or "Colonial Dutch" back in the day, Afrikaans was only considered a "real language" in the previous century. Over the years, it has been influenced by many other languages, including Arabic, French, and Russian. So it can appear pretty daunting to learn! However, AfrikaansPod101 is an easy way to learn Afrikaans because we simplify the learning steps for you. We introduce many simple but effective ways to learn Afrikaans while having fun at the same time! And our blog posts are informative and culturally relevant, such as this one on Afrikaans Etiquette... Show more

The Most Common Afrikaans Language Learning Mistakes

We tend to experience mistakes as either Tyrants or Teachers. Sometimes, we make regrettable mistakes that we berate ourselves over; other mistakes slide off us like rainwater. In Afrikaans, we have a popular idiom: Probeer maak die beste geweer. (Lit. "Trying makes the best gun.") This roughly means that you won't know if you can hit a target unless you shoot! The secret is simply to not give up, no matter how often you repeat a mistake in Afrikaans! We understand this very well at AfrikaansPod101.com. Dig into this guide to avoid making any of these common Afrikaans language mistakes! Table of Contents Vocabulary and Grammatical Mistakes Pronunciation Mistakes Spelling Mistakes - Compounds and Emphasis Other... Show more

Your List of the Top 10 Afrikaans Questions and Answers

Questions are language constructs we use to elicit information from other people, making them crucial in communication! Knowing stuff helps you navigate your way in this world—every child knows this.  And any parent will tell you that even babies know how to "ask"! So, if your plan is to connect and communicate with Afrikaners, it's very important to learn or brush up on the  most common Afrikaans questions and answers.Afrikaners are nice—like the country's climate, they're warm and friendly. And they love to chat, especially with new friends! So at AfrikaansPod101.com, we make sure that you master the Afrikaans you need to connect with them. Learn the most useful Afrikaans questions and answers quickly and easily in this... Show more

Your Best Guide for Easily Passing the OPI Afrikaans Exam

No more biting your nails over your pending Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) Afrikaans proficiency test! Anxiety only serves a good purpose if it motivates you to prepare well, because, as the saying goes, "Good preparation makes its own luck."Also, uncontrolled anxiety is bad for you and can definitely spoil your chances of performing well. We truly understand this at AfrikaansPod101.com, so we aim to help you reach your language goals so you can ace any Afrikaans exam with ease and confidence! In this article, we'll start with a look at why taking the OPI standardized language competency test can be helpful to you.  Then we'll move on to: A) more details about the OPI, which is one of the oldest and best-known international... Show more

Afrikaans Keyboard: How to Install and Type in Afrikaans

You asked, so we provided—easy-to-follow instructions on how to set up your electronic devices to write in Afrikaans! We’ll also give you a few excellent tips on how to use this keyboard, as well as some online and app alternatives if you prefer not to set up a Afrikaans keyboard. Table of Contents Why it’s Important to Learn to Type in Afrikaans Setting up Your Computer and Mobile Devices for Afrikaans How to Activate an Onscreen Keyboard on Your Computer How to Change the Language Settings to Afrikaans on Your Computer Activating the Afrikaans Keyboard on Your Mobile Phone and Tablet How to Practice Typing Afrikaans 1. Why it’s Important to Learn to Type in Afrikaans Learning a new language is made so much easier when... Show more

Secret Revealed: The Best Way to Learn a Language on Your Own

Can You Really Learn Afrikaans Alone? Learning a language on your own or without traditional classroom instruction may seem quite daunting at first. What if you run into questions? How do you stay motivated and on track to achieving goals? Don’t worry, not only is it possible to learn Afrikaans or any language without traditional classroom instruction: AfrikaansPod101 has created the world’s most advanced and extensive online language learning system. Not only is AfrikaansPod101 specifically designed to help you with learning a language on your own, it’s actually faster, more convenient, and less expensive than traditional classroom options! Let’s look at some of the benefits of learning Afrikaans or any language alone. Also, don't... Show more

Language Learning Tips: How to Avoid Awkward Silences

Yes, even beginners can quickly learn conversational Afrikaans well enough to carry on real conversations with native speakers. Of course, beginners won’t be able to carry a conversation the same way they could in their native language. But, just knowing a few tips like which questions to ask to keep a conversation going are all you need to speak and interact with real native speakers! But before we get to specific suggestions, let’s first take a closer look at how having real Afrikaans conversations is so vital to your mastery of the language. Learning to Carry a Conversation is Vital to Mastery of Any Language Communicating with other people is the very point of language and conversation is almost second nature in our native tongue.... Show more