Taking Afrikaans at school is great and many South African kids have benefitted from that in the past. For many, it was a compulsory second-, if not first-, language. However, many kids encountered difficulties with the language if they did not actively make use of it on a daily basis, outside of school.
No-one wants to find themselves in an embarrassing situation and, so, it would do you the world of good to engage a tutor, who could serve as your guide as you learn this very interesting, if guttural, language. To maximise your progress, you should ensure that you use the language daily.
To learn how to become fluent in Afrikaans, read on!
There Are Several Ways to Study Afrikaans
Once you’ve decided to study Afrikaans, you have to choose the route you wish to follow. You can choose to follow a hybrid model, where you make use of a combination of methods. It’s really going to be a matter of personal choice and what works for a particular aspect of the language and what you enjoy and benefit the most from.
Primary and High School Afrikaans
In South Africa, you can study Afrikaans right up to matric level, if not as a first language, then as a First Additional Language. You would, in some cases, be able to start learning the language at school as early as grade R, if that is your choice and you have a school offering it at that tender level.
So, your opportunity to learn Afrikaans will only be limited by how dedicated you are, while in class, and how often you practise using it, outside the classroom. If you feel that you require extra help, at high school level, engage the services of a private tutor who can then follow a plan of focused intervention with you. Also, pay careful attention in class and discuss the option of a tutor with your Afrikaans teacher. He or she may even be able to direct you to an excellent private Afrikaans tutor.
A Free Online Afrikaans Course
In these modern times that we live in, you can learn almost anything online, to a certain degree. While that is great news, it will also depend on the goals that you have set yourself. Free tutorials on the Internet will help you up to a certain point, but may miss many points that would enrich and deepen your learning and understanding of the language and its proper use. For example, such a course would not be able to fix your Afrikaans pronunciation.
Find good afrikaans lessons online here on Superprof.
Enrol for an Afrikaans Course at a Language School
You could, of course, attend classes, which works well for anyone who isn’t motivated to work alone and loves being among and feeding off other people. You would then enjoy enrolling for a language class close to you. You will have to weigh up the pros and cons of this method.
For instance, this would entail travelling to whenever you have a class, creating logistical issues for you to contend with. While it may hold several benefits, your progress may be negatively impacted on by the proficiency of the rest of the class. If they struggle, your progress may be retarded, and you may become frustrated.
Find afrikaans lessons in Bloemfontein here on Superprof.
Learn Afrikaans Through Language Immersion
Another great way to learn to speak Afrikaans fluently, is to hook up with a native Afrikaans-speaker, who can help you informally every day and introduce you to numerous really cool Afrikaans words. This form of immersion has amazing benefits as your missteps will be corrected immediately and, in a fun, non-threatening way that will have you progressing without any stress!
Even if you’re located outside of a large urban area, you will not be short of Afrikaans-speaking buddies or opportunities. Many inhabitants or rural South Africa use Afrikaans as a first-, second- or even as a third language. You could also rope in the help of your English- or Zulu-speaking buddies. This is a wonderful way to boost your growth in Afrikaans.
Locate a Private Afrikaans Teacher
This is not such a weird idea since you can make use of a reputable online tutoring site like Superprof to find a private Afrikaans tutor. You may be surprised to find that may not only be cost-effective, but also be located close to you. Since this is a very useful option, let’s explore it a bit closer.
If you want to speed up your learning of Afrikaans, you cannot do much better than engaging the services of a private tutor, since one-on-one interaction with a tutor possibly is the best way to learn a new language.
Below are some of the greatest benefits of having a private Afrikaans teacher.
Individualised Attention
No-one will stand in the way of your progress. Your totor’s attention will be focused solely on you and no other student’s struggles will impact on your progress in Afrikaans. This will result in you progressing quicker because your challenges can be immediately and directly addressed, ensuring that you learn to speak Afrikaans rapidly.
Turn Your Weaknesses into Strengths
If you encounter difficulties in your Afrikaans studies, it is very important that you shine a spotlight on them. Pay very special attention to those difficult aspects of your learning, such as your Afrikaans pronunciation, so that you lay a solid foundation to build your future learnings on. In this way, you will pretty soon be a very confident Afrikaans-speaker.
Progress at Your Own Pace at Your Own Place
This means, in a sense, that you have the best of both worlds, because you can choose when to learn and where. You will find Afrikaans tutors all across South Africa and, if there isn’t any one near you, you can still connect with a tutor remotely and do your lessons over one of a number of online platforms, e.g. Skype or Zoom.
Once you have decided on your choice of tutor, you can tailor the Afrikaans lessons around your current needs and goals. Your lessons will be structured, after your input, around your reasons for wanting to learn to speak Afrikaans fluently.
For example, if it is your aim to utilise Afrikaans in a particular work environment, you can request that your tutor includes terminology that would typically be used in that profession or industry.
A good private Afrikaans tutor will design a course that will be structured to meet your needs, strengths, weaknesses and goals. He or she will work hard to make sure that you learn to speak Afrikaans fluently, as accurately and quickly as possible. Remember that mistakes are opportunities to grow and that it is your tutor’s responsibility to fix your missteps and ensure that your learning progresses steadily, if not exponentially.
Are you interested in taking courses in Afrikaans check here on Superprof.
Finding the Right Tutor for You
When you study Afrikaans, a private tutor is always a safe bet. You must then ensure that the tutor you select matches you in terms of appetite for hard work and that he or she is adequately qualified and has the relevant experience to satisfy to suit your needs.
When selecting a tutor to help you on your Afrikaans journey, it is important that you consider the following points:
- Think carefully about why you want to learn Afrikaans;
- Then, as best you can, evaluate your current level of competence; and
- List the areas of Afrikaans that are most challenging.
Using these as criteria, you will be in a good position to rank, eliminate and eventually decide on a tutor who would be best suited to accompany you on your journey of discovery and growth.
A brilliant way to learn to speak Afrikaans fluently, would be to work with an experienced, dedicated tutor at Superprof. What’s great about this approach, is that you can check out their profile online and read reviews posted by previous students. Additionally, most of these generous folks offer the first lesson free of charge, and, so, you can actually sample more than one tutor before deciding on whom to engage with.
As a parent, wishing to learn Afrikaans, you could work alongside your child and enrol for classes as well. You would then be in a good position to also assist with pronunciation, homework and any projects which have been assigned.
Keep Your Afrikaans Learning Fun and Active
There are a number of ways to spice up your learning of Afrikaans as a language. To improve your proficiency, you can read Afrikaans newspapers, magazines or books. There are also many Afrikaans movies and TV series and many great comedies to tickle your fancy and make your learning fun. Additionally, there are podcasts you can check out and very interesting radio stations to which you can listen.
Once you embark on your journey to learn the Afrikaans language, you will encounter quite a few really cool Afrikaans words, particularly because certain words are very descriptive. A magnifying glass, for example, is called 'n vergrootglas (“a glass which enlarges”), while spookasem (“ghost’s breath”) is candyfloss and your seat is 'n sitplek (“a sitting place”).
English has even adopted quite a number of cool Afrikaans words. So, the next time you use the words aardvark (“earth pig”) or meerkat (“lake cat”), know that you’re actually speaking Afrikaans. Even a word such as veld (also spelled veldt), as in Jock of the Bushveld, refers to wide, open spaces in Southern Africa.
So, how long it takes to learn Afrikaans is really up to you and how much time you devote to your learning.
Keep it fun and if all else fails, turn to Superprof to provide you with a quality guide and instructor!
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