The Marathi language is becoming more and more popular nowadays and there are quite a few language learners who want to learn Marathi. If you’re one of them, We’re aware of your problem: There is no Marathi on Babbel and Duolingo which are known as the most popular language learning apps.
However, it doesn’t mean that you can’t find any other reliable resources! In this article, we will recommend you the three best language learning resources to learn Marathi at home.
Page Contents:
- About The Marathi Language
- Where Is Marathi Spoken?
- About Marathi People
- Other Spoken Languages In India
- Is Learning The Marathi Language Hard?
- No Marathi On Babbel?: 3 Best Resources For You
About The Marathi Language
Marathi is one of the 22 recognized languages of India and ranks 10th in the list of languages with the most native speakers in the world.
The Marathi language has 85 million native speakers and about 13 million L2 speakers worldwide. It belongs to the Indo-Aryan language family and it is the native language of the Marathi people and the official language of Maharashtra, a state in India.
Marathi is also a co-official language in the Goa state and the territory of Damaon, Diu & Silvassa in India and it is the third most spoken language in India, after Hindi and Bengali.
The major dialects of Marathi include Standard Marathi, Kokni, Khandeshi, and the Varhadi dialects.
Where Is Marathi Spoken?
The Marathi language is widely spoken in western and central parts of India. Its range extends from north of Mumbai down the western coast past Goa and eastward across the Deccan. It became the official language of the state of Maharashtrian in 1966 and the standard Marathi dialect belongs to the city of Pune.
About The Marathi People
The Marathi people (मराठी लोक) belong to an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who are native to Maharashtra in the western part of India.
The term “Maratha” usually refers to all native speakers of the Marathi language, regardless of their caste.
A vast majority of Marathi people are practicing Hindus while other minority religious groups include Muslims, Buddhists, Jains, Christians, and Jews.
Other Spoken Languages In India
India is home to two major language families: Indo-Aryan and Dravidian which make up 98% of the spoken languages in India. Other languages spoken in India belong to the Austroasiatic and Sino-Tibetan language families.
Did you know that India doesn’t have a national language? Hindi, having the highest number of speakers, is the official language of the Indian government.
Also, the English language is widely spoken in business, administration, and education, therefore, it is called the “subsidiary official language” which makes English an important thing to know.
Each state and union territory has one or more official languages, but the Indian government recognizes 22 official languages spoken throughout the country:
- Bengali
- Hindi
- Punjabi
- Marathi
- Maithili
- Nepalese
- Sanskrit
- Tamil
- Urdu
- Assamese
- Dogri
- Kannada
- Gujarati
- Bodo
- Manipur
- Oriya
- Santali
- Telugu
- Sindhi
- Malayalam
- Konkani
- Kashmiri
Is Learning The Marathi Language Hard?
I can say that it is challenging for English speakers since it has a whole different non-Latin alphabet, writing system, and pronunciation. The learning process of Marathi will take longer than learning, let’s say, Spanish.
Learning a new language is always challenging but you will need to put more effort if you want to learn the Marathi language quickly. But, of course, it is possible with an efficient learning resource plus practice!
No Marathi On Babbel?: 3 Best Resources For You
As we mentioned at the beginning of this article, there are three language learning apps where you can learn Marathi instead of Babbel, and we’d like to introduce them to you.
YouTube
Recently, YouTube has become the number one platform to learn anything new, and learning a new language is no exception. It’s a great place where you can get useful tips from native speakers, polyglots, and teachers.
So, we’ve discovered a channel that teaches Marathi, it is called Learn Marathi With Mahesh. You can easily access their Marathi lessons for free. They have a huge playlist ranging from daily expressions to grammar.
Italki
Italki is a brilliant language app that brings language learners and language tutors together. You can learn the Marathi language with professional help from a tutor whose native language is Marathi.
Italki is especially suitable for intermediate or above learners who already have a Marathi background. You can also find a Marathi native speaker to practice your daily conversational skills and exchange different cultures.
If you don’t mind paying tens of dollars for live lessons, you can consider purchasing regular lessons from a Marathi tutor on Italki.
Before you spend tons of money on Italki, make sure to read our Italki review here!
Ling App
If you want to learn Marathi but you have zero background, the Ling App is the perfect fit for you! It is a language learning app that offers a Marathi course from a beginner to an advanced level.
Ling has a top-quality learning program, so you can master specific skills including speaking and comprehension. When you log into Ling App, you’ll find interactive lessons ranging from vocabulary and grammar to speaking and listening exercises.
The Ling App offers you everything you’re looking for in a language learning app. Trust me; you won’t regret it if you give it a try for FREE by simply downloading it from the App Store or Play Store.
Start learning Marathi or any other foreign language among 60 language courses with Ling App now! Until next time!
