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Are you interested in Ethiopian culture? Do you like learning Semitic languages? Would you like to challenge yourself with an ancient and fascinating language?
If you answered yes to any of those questions, I implore you to learn Amharic (አማáˆáŠ›). And seeing that you’re reading this, then you’ve probably made that decision earlier. A wise decision, I should say, given that Amharic is not just the official language of Ethiopia but is also spoken by many communities around the world.
With over 60 million Amharic speakers worldwide, a rich history, and a thriving literary tradition, learning Amharic gives you access to a whole new culture and opens up new career opportunities. But where and how do you start learning?
For many language learners, gamified apps like Duolingo are the obvious jump-off points. Alas, there’s no Duolingo Amharic course.
The good news is, there are some Duolingo alternatives that can help you learn Amharic. To save you some time, I’ve listed the best ones below. እንሂድ!
Why is Amharic not on Duolingo?
Duolingo has more than 500 million registered users and 74 million monthly active users. It’s not an exaggeration to say that it’s the most popular language learning app today. Its short, game-like lessons, a wide range of languages available, and freemium model have made it a favorite among language learners, especially beginners.
Despite having 40 languages on its roster, however, it currently doesn’t offer Amharic.
One possible reason is that Duolingo prioritizes languages with a larger user base and demand for learning. While 60 million speakers is certainly not a small number, Amharic is a less commonly learned language.
Another plausible reason is the language’s complexity. Amharic uses an Ethiopic syllabary writing system, has punctuation marks not found in other languages, and has unique grammar rules. Creating an effective language course will require a solid team of fluent speakers, language experts, developers, and resources. With Duolingo shutting down its Incubator, building comprehensive courses has become a hefty investment.
We can keep on speculating as to why a Duolingo Amharic course is yet to exist, but the sad reality is that Duolingo hasn’t made any announcements about adding this language to its list. The best thing to do is to find other Amharic language learning apps.
The best Duolingo alternatives for learning Amharic
Whether your goal is to learn the Amharic fidäl (alphabet), expand your vocabulary, or grow your conversational skills, there’s an app for you.
1. Ling
If you’re looking for gamified apps to learn Amharic, Ling is the one for you.
Ling Amharic offers comprehensive lessons on a wide range of topics and competencies, from vocabulary and grammar to pronunciation and conversational skills. Forget textbook-like drills — these lessons feature interactive exercises and games that will keep you motivated.
One of Ling’s best features is its finger-tracing exercises that teach you how to write non-Latin scripts. This is very helpful if you want to master Amharic characters. The lessons also come with native speaker audio and there’s also a chatbot to help you grow your listening and speaking skills!
Key features:
- Gamified exercises for fun learning
- Builds both vocabulary and grammar knowledge
- Offers listening and speaking practice
2. uTalk
uTalk is another option for short, game-like lessons that cater to learners of all levels.
With interactive lessons, real-life conversation scenarios, and speech recognition technology, it’s an engaging and effective tool for improving your vocabulary and pronunciation.
uTalk’s lessons combine audio, text, and images to teach you vocabulary, comprehension, and pronunciation. As uTalk is more of a gamified phrasebook, you won’t learn grammar here. But its listen-and-repeat exercises, paired with good speech recognition technology, can help improve your conversational skills.
Key features:
- Quick lessons for busy learners
- Teaches vocabulary across a wide range of topics
- Lots of listening and speaking drills
3. Speak Amharic – Learn Amharic
Try Speak Amharic – Learn Amharic
Designed for learners of all levels, this app provides a wide range of features to help you master Amharic vocabulary and pronunciation.
Speak Amharic is great for expanding your vocabulary. With thousands of Amharic words and phrases at your fingertips, you can easily grow your vocabulary and learn new words in context. The app also provides audio pronunciations for each word, helping you perfect your accent.
In addition to vocabulary building, the app also comes with an online voice and text translator. Should be handy when traveling!
Key features:
- Over 1,000 phrases and words covering various topics
- High-quality audio recordings featuring native speakers
- Works offline
Other great resources for learning Amharic
In addition to the above apps, here are more resources you can turn to when studying Amharic:
italki: Learning Amharic on iTalki is a great way to connect with native speakers and practice your conversational skills. You can find qualified tutors who can tailor lessons to your specific needs (and budget), whether you’re a beginner or an advanced learner.
Cudoo: With Cudoo’s Amharic courses, you can build your vocabulary, improve your grammar, and practice your pronunciation at your own pace. There’s also a Business Amharic course for those who want to learn business terms for seamless communication with clients and business partners in Ethiopia.
The Essential Guide to Amharic: Learn grammar (including 200+ verbs and conjugations!), phrases, and vocabulary all spelled phonetically, as well as in the Amharic alphabet. This straightforward guide explains grammatical concepts in a practical (not overly technical) manner so it’s great for new learners.
LinGo Play: With its gamified approach, this app lets you practice vocabulary and grammar through various exercises like flashcards and quizzes. You can also compete against other learners in online tournaments to stay motivated and track your progress.
Clozemaster: This is a great app for expanding your Amharic vocabulary. It uses a cloze test format, where you fill in missing words in sentences, to help you learn new words and phrases in the context of natural language.
Colloquial Amharic: This well-rounded resource is designed for beginners to learn Amharic as it’s spoken today. It offers a step-by-step approach that progressively builds speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills. Expect clear explanations of grammar, practical exercises, real-world dialogues that cover everyday situations, and cultural insights.
Live Lingua FSI: Learn Amharic from the Foreign Service Institute’s ebooks online, listen to the Amharic audios, and practice your Amharic pronunciation with its online recorder or download the files to use whenever you want. The best part? It’s free!
How to Speak Amharic: This YouTube channel has short videos teaching essential Amharic vocabulary, grammar, and Ethiopian culture. The videos about traveling to Ethiopia are particularly useful.
Conclusion
By now, it’s clear that the lack of a Duolingo Amharic course shouldn’t deter you from studying this beautiful language. Even without Duolingo, you can learn and even master Amharic through the resources above.
Just remember, these tools won’t work if you don’t. You can make the most out of your chosen learning resources once you commit to a learning schedule and regular practice. Keep your eye on the prize and soon, fluency will be within reach!