Tervist! Minu nimi on Anhelina. Ma olen ukrainlane. Ma elan Tartus ja õpin eesti keelt. (Hello. My name is Anhelina, I’m Ukrainian. I live in Tartu and learn Estonian language).
This post is dedicated to my experience of learning the Estonian language. In the beginning, I will share a couple of facts about Estonian. Then I will reveal my personal reasons for learning the language. I will introduce to you some resources that I use to advance my skills, as well as give tips that might help you strive to learn Estonian. I hope you enjoy reading the post!
I have just started learning the Estonian language, and recently, I successfully passed Basic Estonian language course I, level 0 > A1.1. It is just the beginning, but I already have a story to tell those planning to start their learning journey. Let me return to autumn 2022 when I selected courses for my first semester at the University of Tartu. Back then, I wasn’t sure If I wanted to learn Estonian because I was informed from the beginning about the difficulties of the language. I was convinced that it would be a time-consuming and lengthy process. There are many unique facts about Estonian! For instance, did you know there are 14 cases in this language? Estonian is considered one of the most challenging languages to learn, ranking fifth on the list after Japanese, Chinese, South Korean, and Arabic. Also, Estonian lacks the category of gender, and it has no future tense.
Despite those stunning facts, I have my personal reasons that evoke and nurture that idea of getting closer to the language. First, I was highly thankful to the country and its citizens for all the support they provided to me and all the Ukrainians after the start of the full-scale war. I felt learning the language was one of the ways to express gratitude to Estonia and its citizens. Moreover, getting closer to the Estonian language, I find connection with locals much easier than if I didn’t know the language. Estonians are aware of the difficulties of their language and appreciate the efforts of non-residents to master it. Learning Estonian also helps me better understand the country’s culture, traditions, etc.
One of the first and most important steps when learning a language is to create a list of links and resources that will be helpful throughout the learning process so that you can achieve progress faster. The resources that I use were recommended to me by my professor, and I use them a lot for practice. First and foremost is the dictionary called “Language learner’s word web,” where I can look for the meaning of words and find needed endings of nouns and verbs. I also use Picture Dictionary because it helps me to memorize words quicker. The University of Tartu launched SayEst, the first mobile app for learning Estonian pronunciation, so try this app out as well.
From my experience, I can also suggest using Quizlet cards for repetition. Also, my favorite method to expand my vocabulary is to listen to Estonian songs. Through that, I discovered Estonian artists and musicians who now occupy a special place in my playlist and heart.
I definitely recommend you take Estonian as soon as you start your studies at the University of Tartu. You will experience how beautiful this language is and how enthusiastic and welcoming Estonians are when it comes to their culture and language! I wish you luck in the learning process!
