Does Duolingo Have a Thai Language? (What You Need to Know in 2024)
Thai is the official language of Thailand and is widely spoken by 50 million people. If you are thinking of traveling to Thailand or want to explore some new languages due to your personal interest then you may be thinking of learning the Thai language. One of the best platforms where you can learn a new language on your own is Duolingo. If you also want to learn this language through Duolingo then you must be interested in knowing does Duolingo has a Thai language or not. Thus here we will discuss more about it and will also find out various alternatives to learn the Thai language.
Quick Takeaways
1. Mondly
- There is no Thai on duolingo.
- The main reason why there is no Thai language on this platform is the closure of voluntary programs and Duolingo forums.
- Following are some of the great alternatives that can help you to learn the Thai language-
2. Using Books
3. iTalki
4. YouTube
5. Pimsleur
6.Glossika
7. Preply
8. Watching shows in the Thai language
9. Ling
10. Mango languages
11. Listening up to podcasts in the Thai language
12. Drops
13. 50 languages
14. Write it! Thai
However, you must read till the end so that you get a better understanding of whether there is Thai on Duolingo or not.
Does Duolingo have a Thai language?
Duolingo is one of the biggest platforms where you can learn various languages easily by sitting at home. There are more than 100 languages on this platform including fictional as well as nonfictional languages. However, if you are using this platform to learn the Thai language then you may feel disheartened. It is because this platform does not offer the Thai language just like Ilocano.
If you are really interested in learning the Thai language then don’t lose your hope. There are a lot of different language learning platforms start will help you to learn the Thai language. Although I will discuss them later on, let me first help you understand the reasons why there may be no Thai language in Duolingo.
What are the reasons for not having Thai on Duolingo?
Following are the reasons why there is no Thai on Duolingo-
- The major reason why there may be no Thai on this platform is the lack of demand for this language. The major focus of this platform is to help you learn the English language. However, an important point over here is that there are over 50 million people in the world who speak this language and therefore we cannot consider it an unpopular language.
- This language follows a particular alphabet system that may be hard to teach. According to the US Foreign Service Institute, this language falls in category 3 which is the hard language category.
- The closure of the voluntary program in the Duolingo incubator is again a major reason for not having the Thai language on this platform. Earlier Duolingo allow volunteers to make courses for their native language. Due to this, there are many courses easily available for language learners.
- The last reason for not having the Thai language is the closure of the Duolingo forums. Duolingo forum was the community where you can vote for the language you want to learn. Due to this, the platform gets to know which language is currently in demand.
Is Duolingo planning to bring on the Thai language?
The biggest informative feature that you get on this platform is the incubator that provides you with information about the upcoming languages. At present there is no such information about bringing up the Thai language on this platform. Of course, it does not mean that you will never get to see this language on the platform. Maybe in the future, you may see Thai courses on this platform. Although you now know the reasons for not having this course, let me introduce you to some alternatives where you can learn this language easily.
What are the alternatives to learning the Thai language?
Following are the alternatives that can help you to learn the Thai language easily-
1. Mondly
One of the greatest advantages of using this platform is that the lessons are designed for people at all levels of fluency. There are a lot of engaging lessons that will help you to learn vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation. You will also see audio recordings that have free integrations. Just like Duolingo, it follows the gamified approach that makes lessons more interesting. There is a variety of topics that will help you to learn the language such as basic conversation, travel, etc. An interesting fact about this platform is that it has been named the app of the year by Facebook and the best new app by Apple.
2. Using Books
The most important tool for learning any new language is a book written specifically for that language. Suppose you are trying to learn French or Thai (in our case), you may search for some of the best French (or Thai) language learning books. Several books are available to assist you in learning the language of your choosing. You can always go for online ebooks if you feel that the cost of books is too expensive.
Additionally, you can use services like Chegg, which lets you rent any textbook. Naturally, not everyone enjoys reading the book. If you are also a person who is not interested in reading the book then you can always check for the audio books.
3. iTalki
If you are a language learner and looking for an online tutor to teach you high language then you may enjoy this platform. This is a platform where you get two types of tutors which are community as well as professional tutors. There are both categories and you can choose on your own preference. You can filter the features on the basis of which you can decide which tutor you want. The professional tutors are the ones who have teaching experience and related degrees. On the other hand, the community tutors are the ones who only have the basic knowledge of the language they want to teach.
4. YouTube
YouTube is a platform that is a hub for learning a new language or any new thing. If you want to learn up a new language you can always take advantage of this free platform. There are a lot of videos that you will be getting that will help you to learn the language. It is a great platform that will provide you with information related to different important factors of the language. If you want to boost your basic grammar then you can search for grammatical videos. On the other hand, if you want to increase your vocabulary knowledge then you can go for vocabulary videos.
5. Pimsleur
Pimsleur is a great platform that helps you to learn the language with engaging content as it has 30-minute lessons. If you want to increase your listening skills then it is a perfect choice for you. This platform has listening exercises that help you to understand how native speakers talk and understand the basic language. This platform is a great tool for building pure conversational skills by keeping you in realistic scenarios. It will also help you to correct the pronunciation and accent of the Thai language.
6.Glossika
The major reason for learning a new language is to have a conversation with the native speakers. If you also want to learn the language just to have quick conversations and prefer learning through listening and speaking exercises then Glossika is a perfect choice for you. With this platform, you can practice a lot of sentences in different contexts and also with meaningful vocabulary and pronunciation.
You can also do intensive practice that will help you target your reading writing and listening skills. The best part of this platform is that the lessons are also available in audio format and you can use them while you are performing other activities. It follows the repetitive way of teaching you the language.
7. Preply
Again a platform where you can find a lot of online tutors to teach you the Thai language. When you are learning the vocabulary you can easily get it through online videos and other online learning platforms. However on the other hand when you are learning the grammatical rules it becomes difficult for you to do them on your own. In such a scenario it is very important for you to learn the language from a tutor. Therefore, you can use Preply to find a tutor that can fit into your budget and schedule.
8. Watching shows in the Thai language
One of the most interesting ways to learn a specific language is by watching shows in that particular language. Choose the show that you would love to and change their language to the Thai language. When you watch your favourite show in the targeted language it helps you to improve your language knowledge and also helps to develop various conversational skills. One of the major ways of learning the language is by repeating the dialogues in the Thai language.
9. Ling
If you are also looking for a platform that has a gamified approach after Duolingo, then it is the Ling platform. This is a platform where you can learn the language at the beginner to the advanced level. The course on this platform is created in such a way that you get to learn the language from the beginning to the advanced level. It also follows a specific path by which you can master the particular language.
There are a lot of exercises that you will get to test yourself in the language you are learning. Not only this you will also be getting a lot of vocabulary lists and grammatical explanations that will help you to become fluent in the Thai language.
10. Mango languages
Mango Languages is a platform that has a lot of languages on this platform. It is a comprehensive course that covers the grammar and vocabulary of every language. The Thai course on this platform helps you to learn the basics quickly through interactive lessons and that understanding. You can get everything from the greetings to the culture of Thailand. The cultural teaching of this platform is the major reason which makes it different from the other learning platforms.
The best part of this platform is that the structure of the lessons on this platform is similar to the traditional language course. If you want to unlock more features then you will need to get the subscription plan of this platform which starts from $7.99 per month for a single Language like Thai and if you want to learn more languages then you can take the subscription of $17.99 per month.
11. Listening up to podcasts in the Thai language
A great method to understand how two native speakers speak is to listen to podcasts. Podcasts come in a variety of forms and may be found on multiple platforms like Spotify and YouTube. You can look for and listen to the Thai version of them. You are able to understand how native speakers converse with one another by listening to their podcasts. It might help you improve both your listening skills and conversational abilities. You may get transcripts for several of the episodes as well. Try using the transcript to help you understand things better if you have any doubts.
12. Drops
If you are looking for a language that helps you to boost up vocabulary knowledge then this platform is for you. Drops is a platform that increases your vocabulary knowledge with the help of various flash cards. The vocabulary lists have useful words in phrases that you can choose to study. This app is very user-friendly and can help you to stay focused. As it is a vocabulary-learning app, you cannot become fluent in the Thai language. It is a perfect place to keep track of what virtual have learned so far and also to stay motivated in learning the Thai language.
13. 50 languages
If you are a person who is on a tight budget and cannot invest in premium versions then this is a perfect choice for you. This platform provides you with a solid introduction to the Thai language and also helps you in boosting up the basics of the language. It is a Phrasebook that helps you to learn new vocabulary and you can practice them whenever you want. If you are planning to move to Thailand or going for vacations over there then this platform is a perfect choice for you.
14. Write it! Thai
The major reason which makes this language difficult is the reading and writing aspects of it. There are a lot of different characters in this language including 44 constants and 28 vowels. Obviously remembering them is difficult and so is the writing part. To make it easy for you this is an app that can help you in improving your writing skills in the Thai language. This platform has a lot of different activities that will help you to learn and write the letters and identify them in different contexts. This platform will only focus on alphabets writing which will help you to remember them quickly.
Conclusion
Duolingo is one of the major sources for learning a new language and if you are a person who is travelling to Thailand then you may be interested in learning Thai. Unfortunately, there is no Thai on this platform. To major reason for not having this language is the closure of the voluntary program and Duolingo forum. However, it does not mean that you cannot learn this language. There are various alternatives like using books and listening to podcasts to learn this particular language. You can also find online tutors on platforms like iTalki and Preply. If you want to learn the language on your own then you can definitely use other platforms like Mondly, 50language, etc.
FAQs
How fast can I learn Thai?
If you are interested in learning the Thai language you must know that the standard amount of time taken to become proficient in general conversation is about 44 weeks. However, if you do not do it with full concentration then you may not be able to learn it faster.
Is Thai harder than Chinese?
To be honest the pronunciation system of both languages is similar. However, Thai is more difficult than the Chinese language as it has 5 tones and Chinese has only four tones.