Learning a language takes a long time and Maori is no exception. While there are plenty of places that will promise fluency in a short time, the truth is that most language learners have to commit hundreds of hours just to be able to have basic conversations.
That isn't to say that learning a language isn't worth it, but if you were to pay for every single hour you have to spend to learn a language, it'll quickly add up.
Fortunately for you, there are plenty of ways to study and learn Maori online without having to pay for anything.
These are some of our favourites.
Online Language Learning Communities
For anyone wanting to learn a foreign language, we recommend searching for online language learning communities. Whether this is via a website, forum, or social media, anywhere you can find groups, you can search for language-learning groups.
Within these groups, you can ask questions, find people to practise Maori with, and even get recommendations for the best resources (both free and otherwise).
Places like Facebook and Reddit are good for finding communities with shared interests and if you can't immediately find any Maori groups, you can always start your search with language-learning communities and ask around there.
While general language communities won't be able to directly help you with Maori, they may still be able to help you with tips and advice on studying languages, the approaches that have worked best for them, and help you find other members of the community interested in learning Maori.
Change the Language Settings on Your Devices
A free way to learn Maori is by changing the languages on all your digital devices to Maori. While not every device will be able to do this, a lot of smartphones, computers, and operating systems can be used in Maori.
It's easy to change the language on some devices and we recommend that you only do this with devices you're intimately familiar with or once you have a decent enough level of Maori that you can always find the language settings again if you find it too difficult.
Once your devices are in Maori, you'll be passively learning Maori every time you use any of your devices and even if it's just the specific terminology for smartphones or computers, you'll also pick up some commonly used vocabulary through system notifications, alerts, etc.
Language Exchanges
Even though you don't have to pay for language exchanges, we'd argue that they're not technically free.
A language exchange is when two people agree to meet up either in the real world or virtually to practise their target language with somebody who in turn wants to learn their language.
For example, you could regularly chat with a Maori speaker who wants to learn English. Rather than each person speaking the other's language, language exchanges are usually split so that half the time is spent with both participants speaking one language and then the other.
Across an hour, for example, you could spend thirty minutes helping your partner practise their English before then shifting to Maori and practising that for the next half an hour.
You can find language exchanges online and in person and while there are lots of websites that facilitate language exchanges, they often charge a fee. You can find language exchange partners through online language learning communities or online Maori communities.
Language Learning Apps
Anyone with a smartphone can study a language and there are a few apps out there that don't cost anything to use.
Much like with a language exchange, these apps don't require you to pay any money, but they tend to make money by either offering a premium version of the app or by forcing you to watch ads.
If you have time, but not money to spend learning Maori, then free (or freemium) apps are certainly worth considering.
Drops, for example, is free for 5 minutes each day. This means it can't be the only resource you use if you're serious about learning Maori, but the free version could complement a plethora of other resources.
Memrise is another app that has a mix of free and paid-for content and versions. Again, even the paid version wouldn't be enough to fully learn Maori so only consider paying for it if you find the free version really useful.
YouTube and Video Content
YouTube is another resource that's free other than the time you have to spend watching ads. There's lots of content in Maori as well as tutorials on Maori and videos about the language itself.
YouTube is fairly intuitive so you just need to search for what you're looking for and you're bound to find some video content to help you out.
There are also free language learning resources in the language section on Maori Television's website that you can use.
Maori Social Media Accounts
If you spend a lot of time on social media, how about using it to learn some Maori for free?
Hēmi Kelly's Everyday Maori group on Facebook is particularly popular as is his Instagram account. He also had a podcast which is no longer going, but you can listen back to the older episodes.
Reo Māori Mai is a popular Instagram account that shares Maori vocabulary, expressions, and concepts.
There are many more and you'll likely hear about other popular ones once you start learning so don't rule out social media as a great way to learn some Maori for Free.
Maori Podcasts
Even though you can download podcasts and listen to them anywhere, since you still have to download them, we definitely count them among some of the best online Maori resources.
There are many popular podcasts on Maori language and culture and since you can't really separate one from the other, we recommend that you learn as much as you can about Maori culture as part of your language-learning journey.
Language Learning Websites
Online, there are plenty of websites offering Maori language courses. Some are free and some you have to pay for, but most are a mix of the two with basic free content and premium content you have to pay for.
Here are some of the websites we recommend for their free content.
MaoriLanguage.net
MaoriLanguage.net is a website with plenty of free resources for learning basic Maori and is a good place for any absolute beginner to start.
Te Whanake
Te Whanake is another website for learning Maori with plenty of free resources including videos, a podcast, a dictionary, and even apps.
There's content you can buy from the site, too, including textbooks, study guides, teachers' manuals, and a bilingual Maori dictionary.
Maori Radio
A free way to get better at Maori is by listening to Maori-language radio stations online. The National Maori Radio Network or Te Whakaruruhau o Ngā Reo Irirangi Māori includes radio stations run by Maori tribes or sub-tribes and while most of these do also produce English-language programming, because of the way they're funded, they have to both product Maori-language programming and promote Maori culture.
While radio is still probably the best way to listen to these, you can listen to many radio stations around the world online and these could be valuable resources.
Maori Language Events
During Maori Language Week, which takes place during the third week of September, there are also online events. If you want to learn more about the Maori language and Maori culture, this is definitely one way to go about it.
Of course, you don't have to wait until Maori language week to get started, though!
Going Further with Maori
If you really want to take your Maori further, you're probably going to have to pay for it. There are lots of ways to learn to speak a language, but we're obviously big fans of private Maori tutoring.
With private Maori tutoring, not only will you have someone whose sole focus in class is you, but you'll also have someone who can point you in the direction of the best resources.
There are plenty of Maori tutors all over New Zealand for all budgets and levels as there are many factors that affect the cost of private tutoring.
Many offer the first lesson for free so you can even try a few different ones before choosing which one's right for you, how you like to learn, and your goals for speaking Maori.
If you find face-to-face tutoring to be beyond your budget, don't forget that online tutoring and group tutoring (both online and offline) tend to be cheaper as the tutor doesn't need to travel or the cost of their time is split between all the students in the class.
Learning Maori can take a long time, but there are lots of benefits to learning with a private Maori tutor and it's arguably one of the most cost-effective ways to learn the language!
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I want to learn how to speak Maori
very interesting
thank you so much i love you guys i wish you all the the best with your lives and health !