Looking for resources to learn Latvian?

By /
Izglītība
Looking for resources to learn Latvian?

From the Facebook group LATVIANS…Across the Generations

Over the past two months I have tried to immerse myself in the Latvian language. But since I don’t have Latvian speakers to talk to (my grandparents passed away), I’ve had to look for multiple resources.

Here are some gems that I’ve found to help you if you’re interested:

Mobile app: Mondly. Mondly is great for daily vocabulary. It’s relatively cheap and is one of the only apps with Latvian. Much like DuoLingo though, Mondly won’t get you to the point of having conversations anytime soon.

Online class: Learn Latvian with Dace. Outside of university classes, this is the only class that I’ve found that gives you a comprehensive overview of basic Latvian. You’ll learn grammar, vocab, have speaking/reading/listening exercises.

Conversational practice/Tutoring: iTalki. Italki has been a great resource for conversational practice. I meet with a tutor once a week to get practice speaking.

Chat app: TalkPal AI. This is an AI chat bot that gives you instant feedback on texting, phone calls, and scenarios. It’s great if you’re a little shy to start because you’re not meeting with a real human.

Best book: “Complete Latvian”. It will not get you to an intermediate level like the book claims but it does give you a great foundation for future learning.

Language learning podcast: Fluent Fiction Latvian. This can be found on Spotify. It’s a series of short stories read in Latvian then translated to English. This is great for listening in the car.

I use all of these resources on a weekly basis and I’ve definitely seen growth in a very short period of time.

John Roy

(republished with permission of the author)