# Best language apps for learning Ukrainian?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-language-apps-for-learning-ukrainian/1001137
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [May 4, 2024, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-language-apps-for-learning-ukrainian/1001137 "2024-05-04T17:01:23Z")
**Posts on this page:** 9
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2024, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-language-apps-for-learning-ukrainian/1001137/1 "2024-05-04T17:01:23Z")
_Disclaimer: This definitely sounds like a topic that has been discussed before (if perhaps not the language in question). Feel free to link to other discussions, thank you, and if this one needs closing because it’s too similar, so be it._
Anyway, the header is the discussion. Headed to Ukraine in 2 months, want to learn enough to fumble through with Inna, what’s the best way to go about this?
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### Author:  [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2024, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-language-apps-for-learning-ukrainian/1001137/2 "2024-05-04T17:24:51Z")
What or who is Inna?
Have you tried tapes for complete beginners like Pimsleur? You get about 15 hours of audio lessons, plus there are some reading lessons included.
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### Author:  [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2024, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-language-apps-for-learning-ukrainian/1001137/3 "2024-05-04T18:37:17Z")
[Inna](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/love-in-the-age-of-trump-or-i-fell-in-love-with-a-republican/980600).
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### Author:  [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2024, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-language-apps-for-learning-ukrainian/1001137/4 "2024-05-04T19:09:09Z")
> [@JohnT](#):
>
> Headed to Ukraine in 2 months
Is this really a good idea right now? Sounds like it would be quite an adventure, but potentially a dangerous one.
My brother visited Ukraine some years ago and it was a wonderful experience, but that was before it became a war zone.
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### Author:  [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2024, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-language-apps-for-learning-ukrainian/1001137/5 "2024-05-04T20:27:34Z")
Eh, her family lives there and, for health and age reasons, Inna wants to visit her mother.
As far as the war goes, to use an analogy, Ukraine is about the size of Texas. The war is being fought in Houston, Inna’s family lives in Midland/Odessa, and we are getting in via New Mexico…
We are also visiting Prague and Vienna as well.
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### Author:  [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2024, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-language-apps-for-learning-ukrainian/1001137/6 "2024-05-04T23:30:05Z")
Some of the major players in language courses are offering free materials for Ukrainian language learners right now.
Lonely Planet phrasebooks are geared for travelers, but will give a lot of material you can drill with Inna. Help from a native speaker will give you a big leg up.
> **[How to download Lonely Planet's Ukrainian phrasebook for free](https://www.lonelyplanet.com/news/ukrainian-phrasebook-how-to-download-for-free)**
>
> Whether you're responding to help those in need or just curious about Ukrainian language and culture, here's how to download our phrasebook for free.
.
Someone mentioned Pimsleur courses upthread. They are offering a free Ukrainian course right now.
> **[NEW Pimsleur Premium Ukrainian - Free Access](https://blog.pimsleur.com/2022/06/01/free-ukrainian-course/)**
>
> Learn to speak Ukrainian. Free Ukrainian language lessons and Zoom backgrounds from Ukraine. Pimsleur course for relief and aid workers.
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### Author:  [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2024, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-language-apps-for-learning-ukrainian/1001137/7 "2024-05-04T23:37:51Z")
Since your OP asked about apps, DuoLingo has a Ukrainian course that’s free with ads.
> **[Learn a language for free](https://www.duolingo.com/course/uk/en/Learn-Ukrainian)**
>
> Learn languages by playing a game. It's 100% free, fun, and scientifically proven to work.
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### Author:  [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)
#### Post date: [May 22, 2024, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-language-apps-for-learning-ukrainian/1001137/8 "2024-05-22T18:04:32Z")
Trip is booked, flying out on the 5th of July, heading back on the 24th.
Going to hit the following cities:
Prague
Lviv (in Ukraine - going to spend the night in this lovely city)
Kiev
Vienna
We were thinking of adding Warsaw to the list, but I wouldn’t have the slightest idea of what to do in Warsaw, so we decided a visit to [Lviv](https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/travel/go-west-to-lviv-visitor-to-ukraine/2019/04/25/5b4baf18-5d71-11e9-9625-01d48d50ef75_story.html), one of the more under-rated cities in Eastern Europe, was more suited for the time we could spare. And Lviv is not too far from her family’s village… Lviv is a stop on the train line(s) from Prague to Kiev, actually… so that’s an assist.
Inna is thrilled that I’m coming, but it was a no-brainer - am I going to let her go into a war zone _alone_? Anyway, I want to learn more about her, how she grew up, more about that part of the world, and what better opportunity to do so?
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### Author:  [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2024, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-language-apps-for-learning-ukrainian/1001137/9 "2024-06-03T15:39:17Z")
Just want to give a shout-out to the customer service team at Polrail. I fucked up in ordering the train tickets, emailed them right after, and they fixed the issue in less than 10 hours (it was 2am their time when I emailed them).
I didn’t have to go all [U-Haul](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-make-me-angry-you-wouldnt-like-me-when-im-angry-dammit-we-made-him-angry-a-tale-of-customer-service/970377) on them, I was polite, deferential, and made a clear request. Problem. Solved.