Do you know in Bangladesh and India, about 300 million people speak in Bengali? Are you fascinated by Bengali language as a foreigner? Well, Bengali is a melodious and eloquent language and with its growing popularity, it is quite fascinating to learn the language. However, similar to Sanskrit and Hindi, Bengali language is definitely not a simple language to learn.
Don’t worry, if you are a foreigner who wants to learn Bengali language, then check out this complete guide that will help you know how to learn Bengali language.
1. Find your right resource
Finding the proper language learning resource is one of the most important steps. But as different styles suit different people, it is hard to navigate through. For the Bengali language, there are several online resources to learn from.
Live Lingua is one of the notable ones through which you can access a short course with materials. It covers the basics and you can learn to carry a basic conversation. Some apps to learn the language are uTalk.
2. Immerse in Bengali language
Bengali language has different pronunciations which might be hard to grasp for non-native speakers. The best way for learning Bengali is to immerse yourself in it. Bengali literature is rich and beautiful to explore. You can listen to free online Bangla audio, radio, podcasts and more. You can grasp the natural sounds and resonate the rhythm of the language.
3. Connect with Bengali native speakers
Our world is connected through many social media platforms. If you want to speak and understand Bengali language as a native, it is best to interact with a native. You can find native speakers in Reddit’s Bengali language forum. In Instagram and other social media platforms, you can search for native speakers and hit them up to help you practice.
You might also like these educational YouTube channels in Bangladesh.
4. Take small steps
As mentioned earlier, the Bengali language is not an easy one. You need to start with transliterations and then move to learn scripts. Your first step is to memorize the Bengali language alphabets and then as you grasp the pronunciations, you can move to learn words and phrases.
As Bengali language is similar to the Hindi and Sanskrit language, you need to familiarize yourself by writing and practicing the consonants, vowels and more.
5. Practice
You might often find yourself frustrated with learning the scripts of Bengali language. To practice better, you can download the script on your mobile device or computer so you can start practicing. The grammar should be your last concern.
The Bengali language forms sentences in the subject-object-verb word order. Linguistically, it comes out very natural so you do not need to concentrate on sentence structures. Step by step, you can grasp the concepts.
6. Find people
If you want to practice speaking, then the best place to practice is by meeting up native or advanced Bengali speakers is at Meetup. You will find a global list of language meetups that are available across different time zones.
Like any other language, learning Bengali language has its challenges and struggles. But once you start and maintain consistency, you can become a great speaker and listener. The language is beautiful and you will enjoy the exposure to culture and literature through learning Bengali language.