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Ìgbó kán a ó gbó, kì í gbó ìgbó méjì. In Yoruba, this translates to “One ear hears one truth, it doesn’t hear two.”
If you’ve decided to learn Yoruba, then you probably already know that this beautiful language has a unique melody and a vast vocabulary. It’s not uncommon to hear wise sayings like the one above as they are easily woven into everyday conversations.
Yoruba, with its vibrant tones and rich history, stands as a cornerstone language of West Africa. Spoken by over 44 million people primarily in Nigeria, Benin, and Togo, it boasts a linguistic history thousands of years deep. And for the Yoruba people, it’s a cultural expression felt in literature, music, and even religious practices.
As impressive as this language is, it’s a pity that a Duolingo Yoruba course does not exist. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t study Yoruba on your phone. There are a few Duolingo alternatives that can help you learn Yoruba.
Why is Yoruba not on Duolingo?
I think it’s no exaggeration to say that Duolingo has become synonymous with gamified language learning.
Available in over 40 languages, the app offers bite-sized and fun lessons. Whether you’re a seasoned language enthusiast or a curious beginner, Duolingo gives an accessible entry point to tackling foreign languages.
The app’s gamification is key to its success. Points, streaks, and achievements reward progress, keeping users motivated and engaged. The lessons themselves are short and varied, incorporating translation, vocabulary building, listening exercises, and even writing practice.
However, Duolingo isn’t without its limitations. The focus on basic skills and short lessons means it can’t replace in-depth language immersion or formal education. And for some, its biggest flaw is the absence of many languages such as Ojibwe, Urdu, Albanian, Croatian, and yes, Yoruba.
While there’s no definitive answer to why Yoruba isn’t currently on Duolingo, there are possible factors that we can consider. First, despite Yoruba’s significant number of speakers, the demand for it isn’t as high compared to more widely spoken languages like Spanish or French.
What’s more, Yoruba has its own complex features, such as tonal distinctions, that can be challenging to represent and teach effectively in an app like Duolingo.
Duolingo used to rely on volunteer contributors (a.k.a. the now-defunct Duolingo Incubator) but now that course development is done in-house, that means creating courses requires a new team of experts.
At any rate, a Duolingo Yoruba course wasn’t announced in the last Duocon so we can’t count on it in the next couple of years at least. My suggestion? Explore the apps below instead!
The best Duolingo alternatives for learning Yoruba
Whether you’re aiming to boost your vocabulary or develop your Yoruba pronunciation, these apps will get you there.
1. Ling app
First up on the list is Ling, which offers a fun and effective way to pick up Yoruba.
With its interactive lessons and bite-sized content, you can easily fit learning into your daily routine. Ling Yoruba covers a wide range of topics, from greetings and introductions to everyday conversations, helping you build a solid foundation in the language. And you’ll be learning through gamified lessons!
Through listening exercises, quizzes, and speaking practice, Ling enhances your listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. The app also features an AI chatbot so that you can practice having conversations.
Key features:
- User-friendly interface and gamified exercises
- Teaches lots of vocabulary and extensive grammar
- Native speaker audio and chatbot to boost conversational skills
2. uTalk
Packed with games and practical phrases, uTalk makes learning Yoruba engaging from the get-go.
This app focuses on essential words and phrases with a fun, gamified approach. Through interactive exercises and colorful visuals, uTalk can get you comfortable with Yoruba greetings, numbers, basic questions, and common expressions.
You’ll also benefit from listening to native speakers, improving your pronunciation and comprehension for everyday situations.
Key features:
- Learning Yoruba through games and fun exercises
- Building solid foundations for conversational Yoruba
- Self-paced vocabulary building
3. Memrise
Ever dreamt of ordering “ewa agoyin” (beans) like a pro at a Nigerian market? Or impressing your friends with a witty Yoruba proverb? Thanks to Memrise, learning Yoruba feels like an exciting adventure and not a dusty textbook chore.
With the Memrise Yoruba course, you can forget about memorizing endless lists. Instead, you’ll match pictures to words and listen to native speakers.
The lessons are scenario-based so you’re learning within context. You can learn the words’ pronunciation by listening to how they are pronounced by native speakers. You’ll learn over 80 words — a bit thin, I know, but still helpful for beginners.
Key features:
- Learn practical and contextual Yoruba vocabulary
- Hear Yoruba pronunciation from native speakers
- Reinforce knowledge with exercises
Other great resources to learn Yoruba
uTalk, Memrise, and Drops are great tools to jumpstart your Yoruba learning journey. But if you’re committing to long-term learning, I recommend going beyond apps. Check out these Yoruba learning resources:
Italki: Connect with passionate Yoruba tutors who can tailor lessons to your pace and goals, whether you’re a curious beginner or aiming for conversation mastery. Choose from professional teachers or community tutors and get speaking from day one.
Cudoo: Although the tonal nature of the language can be slightly tricky for English speakers, the Yoruba course on Cudoo is structured to be easy to learn. The course provides a variety of native-speaker audio and vocabulary. There’s also a special Yoruba for Business course. Certificates are available upon course completion.
Speak Yoruba in 24 Hours: Craving a crash course in Yoruba? This interactive book offers bite-sized lessons on greetings, numbers, and basic grammar. While fluency might be a stretch, this book with quizzes and exercises lays a foundation for further learning, perfect for curious beginners or travelers wanting to impress with essential phrases.
Colloquial Yoruba: The Complete Course for Beginners: This coursebook dives deep into the language, offering a structured path from greetings to complex grammar. I love that this book has clear explanations, focused exercises, and cultural insights. Plus, you can listen to the audio materials from the publisher.
Live Lingua: Although Live Lingua doesn’t have live tutors for Yoruba, its vast library of free FSI courses proves handy. You’ll find two Yoruba courses, one for beginners and another for intermediate learners, and both are great for self-study.
Yoruba-English/ English-Yoruba Dictionary & Phrasebook: This two-part guide offers 4,000 dictionary entries for navigating daily interactions, while the phrasebook equips you with essentials for transportation, dining, and business. Comes with intuitive phonetics and concise grammar sections ideal for travelers, students, and anyone seeking a quick yet immersive introduction to Yoruba.
Bluebird Languages: Bluebird features interactive exercises and native speaker audio clips that guide you through the nuances of high, mid, and low tones, making pronunciation fun and intuitive. Learn core vocabulary words across various topics — and master the pronunciation for each of these words!
Yoruba Basics Online School: This online school for kids and adults has instructor-led live virtual classes that meet every Saturday, self-paced virtual classes, and video materials. The lessons focus on teaching sounds and tones plus lots of cultural insights.
uTalk: This handy app packs punchy, game-like lessons into bite-sized chunks, making learning fun and efficient. You can master everyday phrases, essential vocabulary, and basic grammar through interactive exercises and engaging quizzes.
Blessing Kayode: This Nigerian London-based YouTuber has lots of playlists focusing on Yoruba language lessons — from skits to collabs with friends to vocab-centric videos. But that’s not all. She also has travel, lifestyle, and even cooking content!
Conclusion
If there’s one thing you can take away from this article, I hope it’s this: the absence of a Duolingo Yoruba course isn’t a valid excuse for not learning this lovely language. As you can see from the list above, there are plenty of Yoruba resources for you!
Which one are you most excited to try out? Let us know in the comments!