Learn Kannada speaking online, for Bengaluru and beyond

Survival Kannada: what you'll need first

You don't need perfect grammar to get by. In the first weeks, focus on three things: being polite, asking how much and where, and saying you don't understand. Everything else can come later.

And learn Bengaluru's favourite phrase early: "swalpa adjust maadi", "please adjust a little". You'll hear it on buses, in queues and in traffic, and using it yourself always gets a smile.

Spoken Kannada vs written Kannada

Like Tamil, Kannada is spoken a little differently from how it's written. Spoken forms are shorter, and in Bengaluru they're often mixed with English words.

Start with the spoken forms: they're what you'll hear and what people expect you to say.

A four-week plan

1. 1Week 1, greetings and politeness: namaskaara, your name, where you're from, and "Kannada swalpa swalpa gottu" (I know a little Kannada).
2. 2Week 2, numbers and shopping: eshtu?, saaku, jaasti (too much) and kammi (less). Use them on your next vegetable run.
3. 3Week 3, getting around: balakke (right), edakke (left), nera (straight), illi nillisi (stop here).
4. 4Week 4, talk about your day: five minutes on what you did today, in simple sentences, mixing in English where you need to.

Ten to fifteen minutes of conversation a few times a week is enough to see steady progress.

Common mistakes, and how to fix them

• Using ನೀನು (neenu, "you" for close friends) with everyone: use ನೀವು (neevu) with anyone you don't know well.
• Mixing up ಬೇಕು (beku, want) and ಬೇಡ (beda, don't want): they sound close, but they mean the opposite.
• Waiting until you're "ready": people in Bengaluru are used to learners. Start speaking now, mistakes and all.
• Learning only from apps: you'll recognise words but freeze in conversation. Practise speaking out loud with real people.

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