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Punjabi is most widespread across India and Pakistan. Being the world’s eleventh most popular language, learning this would be very beneficial as you study, work, or travel!
Should you find yourself in need of lessons, get started with these 11 great Punjabi language learning apps.
Top picks
No time to check out every item on this list? That’s okay, you can simply try out one of my favorites:
- Build your conversation skills with Pimsleur
- Get interactive lessons on Ling
- Find affordable tutors on italki
Let’s dive in, shall we?
1. Pimsleur
Pimsleur is a wonderful app for daily Punjabi lessons. Should you be an aural learner who wants to speak Punjabi, then this would work best for you!
Using the Pimsleur Method, its audio strategically repeats important words and phrases in dialogues to strengthen your memory of them.
You’ll hear how Punjabi is used in everyday scenarios. Soon enough, you’ll speak with ease and build your conversational skills.
Want to know more about this app? Check out this in-depth review!
Why learn Punjabi with Pimsleur:
- Core audio lessons that stretch 30 minutes a day
- Mainly develops conversational skills
- Helps you speak and understand Punjabi in day-to-day settings
Pricing: Pimsleur subscription for Punjabi is $14.95/month (Audio-Only). Try it free now.
Devices: iOS and Android
2. Ling
For game-like lessons and playful features, one could say that Ling is—well—the master of that!
With multi-level courses on vocabulary, grammar, and dialogue, it’s a good place for beginners to start with.
Here, you won’t get tired of academics, for it’s got flashcards, mini-games, and engaging lessons for days. Paired with its interactive chatbot, you’ll get the necessary guidance to read, write, speak, and understand Punjabi!
Why learn Punjabi with Master Ling:
- Courses for beginners and up
- Integrates mini-games, flashcards, and an interactive chatbot
- Bite-sized and engaging lessons
Pricing: Master Ling starts free, while the Pro version costs only $14.99/month.
Devices: iOS and Android
3. italki
Whether you want a community tutor or a professional one, italki’s the place where you can find both!
This app and website feature a wide selection of Punjabi instructors at affordable rates. Upon selecting one, you can easily schedule 1-on-1 classes on either the italki Virtual Classroom or Skype and get lessons straight away!
New learners get discounted trial rates as well—so, if you’re set on getting personalized lessons, then head over here!
Here’s a walkthrough of italki, if you’re still on the fence.
Why learn Punjabi with italki:
- Affordable community and professional teachers
- View their introduction videos or read their reviews
- Get a personalized lesson plan and/or practice talking
Pricing: Punjabi tutors on italki start at $5/hour. You can get discounted rates too!
Devices: iOS and Android
4. Preply
More Punjabi tutors for you!
As of writing, there are 41 Punjabi teachers on Preply, all with an average rating of 4.95 out of 5 stars given by over a thousand customers. If that doesn’t sound convincing, you can simply look at the detailed tutor profiles and glowing reviews.
If for some reason, you’re not entirely happy with your first tutor, Preply offers tutor replacement at no additional cost. This means you’re getting the best fit for you!
Why learn Punjabi with Preply:
- Great for improving conversational skills
- Lots of well-rated Punjabi tutors to choose from
- Flexible scheduling and competitive rates
Pricing: You can find Punjabi tutors on Preply for as low as $10. Try it out now!
Devices: iOS and Android
5. uTalk
uTalk promises to help you speak Punjabi from day one. How? Through conversations based on practical, real-life situations!
The best thing about uTalk’s Punjabi course is that it features scores of native speaker-voiced recordings. This is great for learning authentic pronunciation.
What’s more, uTalk has a gamified interface that challenges you to stay on track and keep playing to learn over 2,500 words across 60+ topics. While that may not be enough to be fluent, that’s certainly a lot for beginners!
This uTalk review has more deets for you.
Why learn Punjabi with uTalk:
- Interactive games covering reading, listening, and speaking skills
- A large library of words and phrases in Punjabi
- Learn authentic pronunciation from native speakers
Pricing: Free starter words in each language. Full access is available for $11.99/month but you can score deals here.
Devices: iOS and Android
6. Simply Learn Punjabi
Simply Learn Punjabi is an amazing phrasebook for students and tourists alike. Filled with essential words and expressions, it presents a quick and complete guide to day-to-day Punjabi.
In fact, its flashcards are supported with high-quality audio which you can play aloud or slow down to your liking! You can even track your learning progress through its review quiz.
Why learn Punjabi with Simply Learn Punjabi:
- Access to 300+ Punjabi flashcards
- Audio recorded by a native speaker from India
- Review quiz to assess your skills
Pricing: It’s free! To get more material, in-app purchases are $0.99/item.
Devices: iOS and Android
7. Learn Punjabi by PunjabiCharm
Featuring well-structured video content and practice material, PunjabiCharm’s app teaches Punjabi script and and pronunciation in a highly interactive way.
This app lets you practice writing Punjabi letters and numbers on screen. You can make your drawings as colorful as you want, save your favorite Punjabi characters as images, and even hear how they’re pronounced!
Why learn Punjabi with Preply:
- A fun way of learning the Punjabi script and vocabulary
- Simple and user-friendly
- Progress tracker to motivate you
Pricing: Free
Devices: Android only
8. Mango Languages
Mango Languages is an excellent place to observe Punjabi speech patterns.Â
Using color-coded text, the app highlights the vocabulary and grammar used in everyday dialogue, so that you’ll learn to construct sentences intuitively.
What’s more, it’s got memory exercises, listening and reading activities, and extensive grammar and culture notes to keep you company. Sweet!
Why learn Punjabi with Mango Languages:
- Best for beginners and intermediates
- Highlights speech patterns during lessons and exercises
- Daily personalized review sessions
Pricing: The Punjabi course starts at $7.99/month. Try it FREE here!
Devices: iOS and Android
9. Tandem
If traveling to any Punjabi-speaking country is not on the table for you, the next best thing would be to find a conversation partner online! On Tandem, you can find Punjabi speakers and fellow language learners who, like you, want to put their skills to the test.
Connect with a language exchange partner via text, audio, or video call, talk about anything under the sun, and use the built-in translation and correction tools to keep the conversation flowing! It’s that easy, not to mention fun.
Why learn Punjabi with Tandem:
- Social and dynamic way of learning Punjabi
- Lots of Punjabi language partners to choose from
- Built-in language learning tools
Pricing: Free, but you can unlock more features with Tandem Pro starting at $6.99/month
Devices: iOS and Android
10. Learn Punjabi Quickly by Alter Gyan
A handy guide for both travelers and learners, Alter Gyan’s Learn Punjabi Quickly provides quick and easy text and voice translations from English to Punjabi. This app covers about 400 phrases across 13 categories such as greetings, numbers, food, time, emergency, and more.
What’s more, the app features high-quality audio from native Punjabi speakers. While the app leaves you wanting design-wise, it’s great for learning authentic pronunciation.
Why learn Punjabi with Alter Gyan:
- Translation and dictionary tool for travelers and learners
- Features most frequently used phrases in Punjabi with flashcard function
- Recordings of native speakers
Pricing: Free with in-app purchases
Devices: iOS and Android
11. Learn Punjabi by 50 Languages
Ideal for beginners, 50 Languages’ Punjabi course provides essential words and phrases that you’ll find useful when conversing with locals at a lower level. The course corresponds to the CEFR levels A1 and A2.
Each word or phrase comes with Punjabi text and native speaker-voiced audio that greatly help in developing speaking skills. You can even download the audio files from the website!
Why learn Punjabi with 50 Languages:
- Essential Punjabi vocabulary
- Downloadable audio files for speaking practice
- Beginner-friendly
Pricing: Free
Devices: iOS and Android
FAQs
Where is Punjabi spoken?
Punjabi is the official language of the Indian state of Punjab, as well as the second-most used language in Pakistani Punjab. In total, it has more than 125 million speakers.
Being an Indo-Aryan language, its popularity is mostly concentrated in the northwest, where around 48% of its speakers come from Pakistan. You can also hear it in the U.S., U.K., and Canada as part of the overseas diaspora.
What is the difference between Indian Punjabi and Pakistani Punjabi?
Punjab is a land that intersects both India (Eastern Punjab) and Pakistan (Western Punjab), so the culture around the language depends on where you’re from.
In Indian Punjab, it’s an official language and has a higher ratio of speakers (ie. considered their “mother tongue”). It also makes use of the Gurmukhi alphabet, which is based on the Indic scripts.
Meanwhile, Urdu is the official language of Pakistani Punjab, although Punjabi is commonly spoken there as well. (Some statistics even suggest that there are more Punjab speakers than Urdu dialects in those parts.)
Additionally, Punjabi in Pakistan is written using the Sahmukhi alphabet, which is derived from the Perso-Arabic script.
Is it hard to learn Punjabi?
If you’re proficient in any Indo-Aryan language (such as Hindi), then learning Punjabi would be easier.
However, its two writing systems, as well as its broad vocabulary and grammar rules, could intimidate any student. In that case, expect to study hard!
Why should you learn Punjabi?
If you’re visiting Indian or Pakistani Punjab, knowing this language would surely help you get around.
Apart from this, it’s likewise used to translate a number of religious works—so if you’re interested in their culture, then it’ll come in handy!
What is the best app to learn Punjabi?
Ling and Pimsleur are the best apps for learning Punjabi. The former will teach you the basics in a light and interesting manner, while the latter will focus on your conversational skills.
Is Punjabi on Duolingo?
Punjabi isn’t on Duolingo right now. For a similarly engaging course, Ling’s game-like lessons could do the trick!
Is Punjabi on Rosetta Stone?
Sadly, Rosetta Stone also doesn’t teach Punjabi either. You can try using Ling or uTalk with Pimsleur to get immersive lessons and find an italki or Preply tutor while you’re at it.
What is the best way to learn Punjabi?
By consulting different apps, books, games, media, language tutors, and so on, you’ll learn Punjabi effectively. This is so that you can build on your different skills, such as reading, writing, listening, and speaking.
Of course, it’s best to try out different resources to find out what works best for you.
Top apps to learn Punjabi – Pin it!
