Learn Hungarian Online Free

Hungarian is not one of the more common languages that people choose to learn. However, there are a few free Hungarian learning resources. I've compiled a list of the best ways to learn Hungarian online along with a brief introduction to each. Don't limit yourself to just one however, take advantage of as many resources as you can. I've also included some Amazon links to recommended books and audio courses for learning Hungarian.

Livemocha - In my opinion, Livemocha is the best way to learn Hungarian online as well as other languages. The reason: you'll be learning from native speakers. They have 6 million members speaking about 200 different languages. They offer courses broken up into 4 different levels (101,102, 201, 202) which are very similar to Rosetta Stone's. The first one is free, but you can get the remaining ones for free also if you participate by reviewing the lessons of other members. The greatest benefit, however, is that you can connect with native speakers (on or off the site) and learn from them. Learning from natives is the absolute best way to learn Hungarian, or any language for that matter.

101 Languages - A completely text based course. The content and organization of the course is similar to what you would find with a travel crash course book. Meaning that the lessons are largely based on the typical phrases and dialogue that a traveler would use in Hungary.

Let's Learn Hungarian - This is a blog with free Hungarian lesson podcasts. It's done by a couple living in Hungary (an American expatriate and a native Hungarian). It seems that the lessons haven't been continued for some months, but what is there is good and it's free.

Hungarotips - An older website maintained by a native Hungarian speaker. It's lesson material is divided into beginner, intermediate, and advanced sections. There are also grammar tables, puzzles, and quizzes to reinforce your learning.

Hungarian Language Course - An introductory course covering the basics of Hungarian. It is hosted by a Penn State professor and is rather dated, but it's all free. Lessons are text based with little or no sound files. It is designed for those with no prior experience with the Hungarian language.

Hungarian is part of the Uralic language group, sharing an origin with Finnish, Estonian, and a few other Baltic languages.  Uralic languages are not related to the Indo-european languages that are predominate in Europe, but they have occasionally borrowed words from them.   Hungarian is currently spoken by about 15 million people, 10 million of whom are in Hungary.  Other areas were it is spoken are Slovakia, Serbia, Ukraine, and a few other minor enclaves in Croatia, Austria, and Slovenia.  Hungarians call their language Magyar.