Eight Online Services for Learning Belarusian at an Advanced Level
If "thank you" and "please" are no longer a challenge, it's time to find the difference between "drawer" (шуфлядкай) and "lace/cord" (шворкай). Budzma.org has compiled free programs, tests, and videos for those who know the basics of the Belarusian language and want to go further.
Illustration created with AI
1. Mova: Belarusian Language
A mobile application for those who want to expand their vocabulary. It contains over 3000 words, broken down by topics from medicine to art. There are special lexical selections from Belarusian musicians. It provides explanations of the lexical meaning of words and example sentences in which they are used. In the settings, you can choose one of three interface languages and learn Belarusian even through English.
Interface of the mobile application "Mova: Belarusian Language". Screenshot from the mobile application for iOS
Application features:
- Stresses in words are not marked.
- Words have audio pronunciation.
- Word translation is available.
- Lexical meaning of words is available.
- Example sentences with words are available.
- Images to illustrate words are available.
- Interface language: Belarusian, English, Russian.
Mova: Belarusian Language for Android.
Mova: Belarusian Language for iOS.
2. Mova 2.0
This mobile application offers the opportunity to learn vocabulary, delve into grammar, take tests, and read interesting facts about Belarusian culture.
Interface of the mobile application "Mova 2.0". Screenshot from the mobile application for Android
The creators promise to teach everyday words "from drawer to swearing". The "Grammar" block, with its short rules, resembles a school textbook. Knowledge can be checked in the "Tests" block, but for some topics, they are not yet available as they are still under development.
The "Curiosities" block contains short texts on various topics: from proverbs to advice on dealing with housing services (ЖЭС is a communal housing service office). There's also a "Find the Word" game: you need to find hidden words in a square of letters.
Application features:
- Stresses in words are marked.
- Words do not have audio pronunciation.
- Translation into Russian is available only for some words.
- Lexical meaning of words is not available.
- Example sentences with words are available.
- Images to illustrate words are available.
- Interface language: Belarusian.
3. Sloucy
A mobile game that collects 277 words with corresponding pictures. It may seem like a small number, but the words chosen are those that are unlike Russian ones — from "needle/pin" (шыдэлка) to "lace/cord" (шворкі).
Interface of the mobile application "Sloucy". Screenshot from the mobile application for iOS
Game logic: from six photos, you need to choose the one that matches the written word. For each word, the application has several image options. Therefore, in each round, you have to carefully search for the correct one and precisely understand the meaning of the word.
Application features:
- Stresses in words are marked.
- Words do not have audio pronunciation.
- Word translation is not available.
- Lexical meaning of words is not available.
- Example sentences with words are not available.
- Images to illustrate words are available.
- Interface language: Belarusian.
4. Ŭordli (Wordle)
A word game that works via a browser. The page can be added to your phone's home screen, and it will look like a regular application. The game exists in more than 50 languages and gathers up to 10 million players worldwide daily. The Belarusian version was created in two days by programmer Dzmitry.
Interface of the game "Ŭordli" for the browser. Game screenshot
The players' task is to guess a five-letter word in six attempts. After each attempt, the program highlights letters that are not in the word, those that are in the wrong place, and those that are in the correct place.
You can play only once a day. A new word appears after midnight. If you fail to guess, the program will show the correct answer and provide a link to the dictionary page with that word.
5. Language Tests
Screenshot from the "Language Tests" page. Photo: svaboda.org
The tests on the "Radio Svaboda" (Radio Liberty) website work in a browser and do not have a mobile application. They introduce distinctive Belarusian words that differ from Russian ones. For example, in Belarusian, "скалка" (skalka) does not relate to working with dough at all.
The section is rarely updated, but there are already more than 80 tests on the page. The first test will count the number of Belarusian words you know.
6. Homan
Screenshot from the YouTube channel "Homan"
A Belarusian language video course on YouTube from the "Hodhna" project. The hosts are musician Andrus Takindang and linguist Aliaksei Shein. Each episode is dedicated to a daily topic, from greetings to weather. The hosts explain words in Belarusian but sometimes translate them into Russian.
Video format:
- Number of videos: 8.
- Duration of one video: about 40 minutes.
7. #Movazdoma
Screenshot from the YouTube page "#Movazdoma"
Short videos on YouTube from the "Art Siadziba" project. Host Sasha Babkova explains words that Belarusians often confuse: "to myself" (сабе) or "myself" (сябе), "to you" (табе) or "you" (цябе), "on the streets (dative plural)" (па вуліцам) or "on the streets (locative plural)" (па вуліцах), and others.
Video format:
- Number of videos: 11.
- Duration of one video: about 2 minutes.
8. Tolki pra movu (Only About Language)
Screenshot from the Instagram page "Tolki pra movu"
Short videos and cards on Instagram and TikTok from linguist Vintsuk Viachorka and his team. They explain the meanings of Belarusian words and the difference between Belarusian and Russian vocabulary.
The project started on Facebook, where the community still functions as a forum: anyone can ask a language question, which Vintsuk Viachorka and other participants will answer. Before asking, it's worth searching the community. An answer probably already exists.
This project stands out because its content is controlled by a linguist, which makes it more trustworthy. At the same time, we recommend subscribing to other Belarusian-language pages you like to surround yourself with Belarusian daily. And one morning, you will guess the word in "Ŭordli" on your first try and realize that there's no turning back.
-
A young man shared how he took notes of Russian-language lectures in Belarusian Latin script. This triggered a domino of memories from BNTU, BSTU, and BSU
-
Dashkevich told how he raises his children to be Belarusian-speaking
-
Where Belarusian was spoken a century ago, Polish now prevails. What remains of Belarusian dialects in Lithuania
Comments