You can listen to the audio version of this post (there may be some slight variations).
Mongolian is a hard language to learn (check out our post here explaining why) but if you have already made up your mind and are determined to learn this awesome language, fantastic! This, of course, won’t be the easiest learning journey you will have ever undertaken so why not make it at least a little bit easier for yourself? If you want actual Mongolian resources that you will actually use, then keep reading!
Mongolian isn’t exactly the easiest language to find resources online but we here at Goldigobi have compiled a list of the most useful and actually practical resources you can use. Some of these resources are free, some paid and some a mixture of both. If you are going to learn Mongolian or have already started then you need to check out these resources which will make your learning experience more enjoyable and achievable. Let’s go through them below.
LookTV:
LookTV is the first one on this list that you may have never even heard of. If you haven’t lived in Mongolia it’s even less likely that you have heard of it. LookTV is great as a practical resource that you can actually find enjoyable! Filled with many Mongolian movies that are locally produced and many international titles, you can find something to watch here that will be great listening and recognition practice. Now, you will need to sign up and a lot of the movies or shows are paid content, but not all of them. You can also access some TV channels like Mongolian news channels for free. A lot of its content is also available with Mongolian subtitles which is even better! If you want to start learning Mongolian from your favourite movie then make sure to try LookTV now.
As we said, there is paid content. LookTV offers two plans one for 4900 Turgiks and 9900 Turgiks. For the basic plan, you can watch all the Mongolian TV channels and Hollywood movies you can get your hands on. Now, by no means are we recommending you buy this because we get an affiliate commission or something (we don’t) we are simply trying to show those learning Mongolian where they can find some awesome resources that we wish we had known when we started learning Mongolian. Besides, for less than 2 USD a month you can have access to a great amount of awesome Mongolian content that you can enjoy watching at the same time, we think that’s well worth it!
Simply Learn Mongolian: The App
This resource is on our list because of its simplicity to help you learn your vocabulary and phrases in Mongolian from your phone. What’s awesome though is that a lot of their material is free! They do have more paid content for more advanced topics, but for everything you need to get you started, it is a great option. With over 1000 important travel phrases you really should be set for your epic adventure to Mongolia without having to pay a thing! What’s also cool is their mark your favourite content so you can come back and revise it later. Simply Learn Mongolian also has flashcards available which is an added help for beginner and advanced users. If you want all 1000 phrases you will need to pay a one-time payment of roughly $10 USD which we think is a pretty good deal. However, the downside to using this app is you don’t learn much of the culture and history as you go and it doesn’t go in-depth into topics but if you just want phrases it’s got you covered!
MongolianLanguage.mn
MongolianLanguage, also known as Nomin Ger, seems to be one of the prominent players when it comes to offering Mongolian courses. What is also positive about using them and their resources is that they are in fact based in Mongolia and you would be supporting a Mongolian company. They solely focus on Mongolian so you know you are getting what you need. They offer a good range of free resources too from learning the Alphabet to restaurant conversation. This is really helpful for beginners and allows you to dip your toes in before committing to the language. ‘
Nomin Ger also offers online lessons over skype for anyone who wants to learn remotely which is a good option to have. Many courses offer some material online but nothing beats actually having someone to be able to explain something in person, especially a Mongolian native speaker. Sadly though, they don’t offer self-study online courses which is a real shame. Apart from that though it’s a good place to get started and find some really handy material that is practical and also cultural.
Ling Learn Mongolian: The App
Ling offers a very polished Mongolian language course straight from your phone from beginner to advanced/expert. They offer over 200 lessons which is quite a lot but you will have to pay to get access to all of them as they only offer the first several free. What is quite good about this resource is that they offer writing practice, something so far others on this list haven’t offered. However, Goldigobi is working on this so keep your eyes open for when it’s added to our courses. They offer a wide range of features to help you learn Mongolian which is great because 10 years ago that wasn’t available. What I would say you miss out on is the incorporation of culture and history which is in fact quite helpful to learn as it is tied intricately to the Mongolian language. In order to really understand Mongolian, you do need to know some of the culture, otherwise, you can learn phrases and words but they don’t make sense. Apart from that though, it’s a great place for a beginner to start who is looking for some solid all-around resources to learn Mongolian.
Goldigobi: Simply Mongolian
We have of course saved the best till last (but we are biased so we will let you decide). Goldigobi is a newcomer compared to the other resources on this list. However, it offers something that each of the other resources is lacking. Goldigobi has a range of awesome free resources and features on offer for anyone who wants to learn Mongolian including a Basic Course with all the phrases you need to get started and you can even save your favourites for later too. Goldigobi also has a massive amount of Mongolian flashcards you can use online that are absolutely free!
We also offer courses designed for beginners all the way to advanced and when we mean advanced we actually mean advanced! Our online Mongolian courses are at your fingertips with hours of audio to listen to, speaking practice and so many more interactive activities. All this is integrated with cultural and historical learning because Mongolian as a language is so tied to its culture.
Goldigobi on the downside isn’t as well polished as some of the other resources on this list but you do get a lot for the one time price of $12.99, which is actually one of the cheapest options available for the quality and quantity on offer (each course is broken into 25 lessons which consist of several topics and resources each lesson). As we said before, Goldigobi also doesn’t offer interactive writing practice but we are working on it! If you want a warm feeling from a small company that loves Mongolian and is continuing to improve, you should check out Goldgobi’s courses as we are continuing to add to our ever-growing materials.
Sum Up:
There are now a lot more resources out there for those looking to learn Mongolian and these are only a few resources that are available for an ever-growing list of places you can find materials. If you are wanting to learn Mongolian you should give these a try. Otherwise, we have compiled a few other resources that you also may want to check out that could be useful, otherwise, we really hope this helps you to get started.
Happy learning everyone!
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