Does Duolingo Have Tagalog? (If No! Where Can I Learn Tagalog From in 2024?)

While traveling to the Philippines, I was worried about how to communicate with people because not every person in every country knows English. So I decided to learn its native language and try to find the official language of that country. Tagalog is one such language that is popularly spoken there. Of course, I had to learn it, and the first thing that came to my mind was, “Does Duolingo have Tagalog? “.

I know, you may also want to learn Tagalog and may have the same doubt. Stay with me till the end to find, the answer to it and also the alternatives where you can learn it.

QUICK TAKEAWAYS

• Tagalog is the Austronesian language which is generally spoken and is most popular in the Philippines. It is most Filipinos’ first language and one of the country’s official languages.
• Duolingo does not offer Tagalog as a language course, but there are other alternatives.

What is Tagalog?

Tagalog is a language that you may not even know. I also did not know it. So, before learning it, I thought it was important to know what it is. Tagalog is one of the official languages of the Philippines is Tagalong. It is a Malayo-Polynesian Austronesian language with Spanish, Malay, Sanskrit, and English influences. It is distinguished by its subject-verb-object sentence structure. Learning it can help you understand Filipino culture, visit the Philippines, or interact with Tagalog speakers.

Does Duolingo have Tagalog?

Duolingo is a game-based language learning platform. You will also get different challenges like timed challenges that you can take up on the platform. There are over 100 languages available on Duolingo, including popular ones like Spanish, French, etc., as well as less well-known ones like Welsh, Swahili, and Klingon. Sadly, Tagalong is not one of the numerous languages available on the platform just like Cantonese. Undoubtedly, it broke my heart. Being a Duolingo fan, it is my first preference to learn it. I really wanted to know the reason why there is no Tagalog.

Reasons why there is no Tagalog

From my research, I found that many languages were not on this platform. But why? The following were the reasons for this-

• Closure of Duolingo incubator: Honestly, I was expecting it. Duolingo incubator was the program where people voluntarily created the courses. As of now, people can not take courses on this platform, which can be a reason for not having Tagalog.
• Less Demand: When I read about it, I was really confused. I mean there will be people from all over the world, who want to travel there and learn Tagalog. So how could there be less demand? On doing a deep research, I found out that there is less demand among English native speakers.
• Closure of Duolingo forum: Duolingo forum was the feature where people vote for the language they want on Duolingo. As know we can not vote for it, the Duoliongo team may be unaware of the demand.

Alternatives to learning Tagalog

Of course, it was sad to know there was no Tagalog on Duolingo, but I had to learn it. I continued my research and got some good platforms to learn Tagalog. Thus, the following are the Duolingo alternatives that can help you learn Tagalog-

1. The Mezzofanti Guild

The Mezzofanti Guild is a language learning website that offers information and reviews on language learning resources, including Tagalog courses. You can look at different courses on it. It is one of the best platforms I get to know about. Why? It is because it simplifies your work by giving you a list of the best and worst online courses. It can provide insights and recommendations to assist you in selecting the best course for your needs. As you can get a lot of options in a single place, you must try using it.

 2. Tagalog.com

From its name, you can know it is all about Tagalog. The entire focus of this platform revolves around Tagalog. Wondering what you’ll get? Well, everything needed to learn a language. From vocabulary lists to audio, it’s a library of multiple resources. Yes, it is one of the best platforms I have come across. I am sure that you may think that it will be costlier. But do you know what? It is not. It is a free platform. There is also a forum where you can post your doubts.

What I like about it	What I don’t like about it
Flashcards with spaced repetition system and good audio recording	The content on this platform is only till the intermediate level
Detailed dictionary
Free to use
Allow to download the content
Videos with Subtitles

3. Pimsleur

Pimsleur is a language learning program that uses audio to teach you Tagalog. It is on my list because of its approach based on spaced repetition and conversation practice. Pimsleur focuses on teaching spoken language skills through the competitive presentation of phrases and sentences. The best part of this platform is that you will get a free trial which will help you know if it is the right place for you. The cost of learning Tagalog on this platform is around $300.The Tagalog course on this platform is about 32 hours long and you can download the lessons in the course. It works similarly to how you can get your lessons offline on Duolingo.

What I like about it	What I don’t like about it
There is a heave-spaced repetition system	The examples on this platform are really outdated
Conversation practice	The subscription fee is high
Free trial to understand if it suits you or not	There is no immersive program which means there is a high use of English

4. Mondly

 Mondly is another platform to learn the Tagalog language easily. The features you get on this platform are amazing. When you use this platform, you will also get the 10-day free trial which helps to know if it is worth it. You will learn new words with the help of real-life scenarios. It also has various motivational resources that keep you engaged with the content. It has a great quality of the language and has several other languages available on the platform.

What I like about it	What I don’t like about it
Lots of exercises and tests to improve your language knowledge	Highly repetition of the words that you have already learned.
You will learn both – Grammar and Vocabulary.	There is no specific path of the course
10-days Free trial to understand if it suits you or not
They gave you examples of real-life situations

Price: $48 per year subscription plan

5. FilipinoPod 101

From the name itself, you must have understood what will be inside. Yes, there are audio lessons recorded in a way like Podcasts. I have used it and believe me it is worth trying. However, make sure to use it once you have learned some basics. To get fluent in a language, it is important to understand how native speakers talk. This platform helps you with it.

What I like about it	What I don’t like about it
Lot of audio lessons	The interface of the platform is really confusing
It covers all kinds of learners – from beginners to advanced-level	No speaking practice on this platform
Some words do not show even once again	Content may be unstructured

Price: Starts from $8 per month

6. Drops

Drops is another platform that will help you to learn Tagalog. I have again used this platform. Trust me, it is just like Duolingo with games for learning the language. You can learn new words in different lessons and will also get a lot of quizzes which again help you to learn new words. It is a flashcard app where you will get a repetition of words. So, if you want to increase your vocabulary knowledge, it is a must-try.

What I like about it	What I don’t like about it
5-day Free trial to understand if it suits you or not	Highly repetition of the words that you have already learned.
Flashcards to easily remember the words	Some, words do not show even once again
Quizzes to test the knowledge

Price: $9.99/month or $69.99/year subscription plan

7. iTalki

iTalki is again a language-based platform that has several different languages to learn. You will be connected with the Tagalog speakers in one-on-one live or group classes. Although I have not used it, my friend has. She had so many positive reviews for this platform. With the help of tutors on this platform, she could speak Tagalog with it for 1 month. The classes are generally taken on Skype. You can also look for tutors according to your financial budget.

What I like about it	What I don’t like about it
Teachers on this platform are quite helpful	There is no free trial on this platform
There are many free features like Language exchange partners, community groups, etc.	Sometimes, teachers do not show up
Get your doubts clear from the tutors
Practice your writing skills

8. Mango learning

Again mango learning is a language learning platform that will help you to learn Tagalog and other languages. You will also get a lot of different audio lessons and dialogues to understand how real people talk. As a language learner, it is important to know some good platforms. Trust me, I always look for it. You can also check for your communication skills with the help of the speech feature.

What I like about it	What I don’t like about it
7-day Free trial	The course is too short
It focuses on teaching the content with color code	This course is best for beginners only

Price: $7.99/month or $79.99/year subscription plan

9. Memrize

Memrize will help you to learn Tagalog with the help of different exercises like flashcards, games, etc. It uses a repetition system which helps you to get in contact with similar words again and again. Despite being a free platform, there is a subscription plan with special features. Further, if you want a subscription, you will still get a 7-day free trial, where you can cancel the subscription plan. It allows other users to create content on it. You can get different Tagalog courses and thus you may get confused about which one to choose for yourself.

What I like about it	What I don’t like about it
7-day Free trial for a subscription plan	Multiple Tagalog courses create confusion.
There are a lot of different flashcards and games with it	As people create their flashcards, they may not always be accurate
It is a free app
I can create my flashcards and can use the flashcards of others

Price: $22.99/month subscription plan

10. Tandem

Have you heard about a term – Langauge exchange partner? If know let me explain you. It is a partner with whom you can practice a language you want to learn. After using it, I get one of them. Similarly, you can connect with others on it, through text and voice conversations. There is also a video conversation that will help you to boost your confidence. It is a perfect place for users, looking to learn the language at an advanced or intermediate level. Although it is a free platform, there is still a subscription plan that removes the limitations.

What I like about it	What I don’t like about it
Connect through text and voice conversations	Limit the number of translations with the free version
Practice the conversational skills	In starting I had to send requests to multiple people to know if they were perfect for me.
It is a free app
It offers you two inbuilt tools – Autocorrections and translations.

Price: $9.99 per month subscription plan

11. Rosetta Stone

Rosetta Stone emphasizes participation learning, in which students are exposed to Tagalog through images, audio, and contextual activities. Rosetta Stone focuses on developing speaking and listening skills by immersing you in the language. It will give you life lessons and will also provide you with a lot of audio lessons on the platform. However, remember it is a paid platform.

What I like about it	What I don’t like about it
Its immersion process through photos and videos	The subscription is too expensive
Comprehensive in nature	the speech engine sometimes does not work properly
There are fewer options for practicing	There are only a few phrases in the Tagalog course

Price: $47.97 for three three-month subscription plan

Other than these apps, there are many alternatives you can use to learn the language. Some of them are –

• Hire a private tutor
• Use books
• Look for some good channels on YouTube
• Watch shows in Tagalog on Netflix and other entertainment platforms
• Always try to use more than 1 platform

Conclusion

While traveling to the Philippines, I was unsure how to communicate with others. So I wanted to learn its native language – Tagalog. Sadly, Duolingo does not have any Tagalog courses. I did some research and found some of the best platforms and alternatives to learn it. Some of them use Flashcards to teach you vocabulary, others offer teaching services. Additionally, there were platforms like Tagalog.com, that focused mainly on teaching the Tagalog language.

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