I’ve been looking forward to the chance to review Kurdish Grammar: SORANI Reference Book, by Murat Baran, because it’s one of the single best resources available today for students of Sorani Kurdish. If you’re studying Sorani Kurdish and you don’t own this book, you should pick up a copy right away.
As the title suggests, this is not a text book that teaches the language. It’s a reference book that gives a comprehensive, quick-reference guide to Sorani Kurdish grammar. Want to understand how to conjugate a verb? Need a reminder of how to pluralize a noun or form a question? You can find help at a glance by looking inside Kurdish Grammar: SORANI Reference Book.
Kurdish Grammar: SORANI Reference Book is also available on Kindle, so you can purchase and begin using it immediately wherever you are.
The book covers all word types, but in particular it is helpful for Sorani verbs. Examples of full conjugations for each Sorani verb tense are given, including how to use the verb tense in the negative and in a question. Transitive, intransitive, and modal verbs are especially tricky in Sorani, and these are included along with examples.
This example verb paradigm is from the Kindle edition of the book. Pages of the paperback version are black and white.
The author has selected the most important aspects of Sorani Kurdish grammar, and summarized them in a clear and organized manner. Students learning Sorani can turn to this book to find clarity on many tricky or confusing parts of the language. Because of this, it’s recommended as a tool for learners studying Sorani using the Growing Participator Approach who may not receive formal instruction on Kurdish grammar.
Grammar tips go well beyond just the verbs and include all important aspects of the language, as seen in this example.
The quality of this book speaks for itself, but to make it even more user-friendly, the author has made it available in several formats: Separate versions are available with the Sorani text in Latin or Kurdish scripts1. And, in addition to the paperback version, Kurdish Grammar: SORANI Reference Book is also available on Kindle, so you can purchase and begin using it immediately wherever you are. German translations of all of these versions are available too.
Kurdish Central recommends that serious students use the Kurdish script edition, but the Latin version can be helpful for very beginners.↩︎
Not many complete, self-guided courses are available in Sorani (Central) Kurdish. In fact, Sorani Kurdish “Complete Course”, Kurdish Script 3rd edition by Şirîn and Gulzar may be the only one. More than just a book, the Complete Course is a full suite of materials for learning Sorani Kurdish. It’s enormous, which is both its greatest strength and its main liability – when you first unpack the books or take them off the shelf it’s easy to be overwhelmed by the sheer volume.
The content itself is amazing: high quality, creative, practical, easy to use, and full of exercises and activities – exactly what most students of Sorani desperately want and struggle to find elsewhere. It also has the rare combination of digital audio and corresponding text. In particular, the introduction to the Kurdish script and the Grammar Exercises are the best available.
However, the organization of the course is somewhat confusing and could cause some users to give up in frustration. On the one hand, it feels incredibly organized: detailed instructions and cross references lead learners through the course. But at the same time it feels like a maze: there are multiple books, some of which read from both right-to-left and from left-to-right and contain multiple sections.
This Sorani course is a goldmine for language learners, but it’s a goldmine that they could get lost in. This review offers a “map to the goldmine”.
In short, this Sorani course is a goldmine for language learners, but it’s a goldmine that they could get lost in. I wouldn’t want anyone to miss out on the good things this course has to offer, so I hope that this review will provide a “map to the goldmine”, empowering you to venture into the Sorani Kurdish “Complete Course” and return safely with treasure in hand. Every serious Sorani Kurdish learner can benefit from drawing on these materials.
A few additional general notes:
The Kurdish script is used in most sections of this course, but the curriculum assumes that learners do not know the Kurdish script when they start. As an aid, the first few sections use the Latin script that is used to write Kurmanji (Northern Kurdish) in Turkey. Since Latin script is used for English, English speakers will be able to pronounce many sounds immediately using this script. But there are also fifteen letters that represent new sounds or different sounds compared to English. If you are familiar with one of these alphabets and find the other confusing, see this comparison of Kurdish alphabets.
A few typos or errors can be found in these materials. As this is the case with almost all Sorani learning materials currently available, this shouldn’t be the deciding factor in whether or not students use this course.
The Complete Course is available at Amazon or by emailing: books.kiteb “at” gmail.com
How this review is organized
Because this Sorani course is so extensive, there’s a lot to say. Here’s where we’re headed in this review (click the links to jump to a section):
First, we’ll take a look at what’s included with the Sorani Kurdish “Complete Course”, giving an overview of the materials that you get when you purchase it. Then we’ll try to explain how the course is designed by taking a step back for the big picture of how the various materials fit together. Next, I outline two different approaches to using the materials. The first is to use the “Language Learning Progress Chart” included with the course, and I have provided tips that will help make using the chart easier. The second approach is to pick and choose to supplement your learning and specific sections are recommended for different kinds of learners. Finally, you’ll find a section-by-section review of Books A and B.
What’s included with the Sorani Kurdish “Complete Course”?
The full set of materials includes: six books, digital audio recordings to accompany them, reference cards, and flashcards. The materials are attractive and high quality, and books are spiral bound for easy use during study. The course is available at Amazon or by emailing: books.kiteb “at” gmail.com.
Here is what you get with the Complete Course:
Book A and Book B – Two of the main books of the curriculum, these include tips on language learning and culture, how to write the Kurdish script, grammar, listening, writing, stories, and more. See “How do I get started?”, and the section-by-section review of Books A and B, for more details.
Exercises in Sorani Grammar – The third main book of the curriculum, this book provides clear explanations for all main points of Sorani grammar. After each point examples and exercises are provided, using the Kurdish script. This is one of the best resources in the curriculum.
English-Sorani, Soranî-Înglîzî Word List and Categories of Vocabulary – These two books include the Sorani words that you’ll encounter in the course materials. The first is a basic bilingual dictionary while the second could be useful for brainstorming groups of similar words to learn together in a language lesson.
Vocabulary Cards – Flashcards for the 600 words from the wordlist books that are most frequently used. The materials sold on Amazon say that these are included electronically but I’ve also seen them as physical cards in a nice box.
Grammar Reference Cards – Provide a brief, visual summary of key grammar points as a reference.
Sentence Structure Cards (unbound) – These were not available to me at the time of writing this review.
Digital Audio Recordings for Books A & B – 95% of this audio was recorded by a native Sorani speaker. Please note that Kurdish Central has received permission to host the audio for the Sorani Kurdish “Complete Course” on our website!
Understanding how the course is designed
The meat of the course is found in three books: Book A and Book B,both of which are subtitled Sorani Language Learning Activities, and Exercises in Sorani Grammar. This is where things could get confusing… Books A & B aren’t designed to be gone through from start to finish. They are composed of multiple sections that are somewhat independent of one another – Books A & B are really collections of materials bound together. Exercises in Sorani Grammar is another giant “section” that accompanies them. Each section is designed to help learners work on specific skills, like: the Kurdish script, pronunciation, listening, grammar, and vocabulary. The trick is getting a handle on what is included with the course and identifying the parts that will be most helpful in meeting your goals.
Books A & B are composed of multiple sections that are somewhat independent of one another – they are really collections of materials bound together. Exercises in Sorani Grammar is another giant “section” that accompanies them.
How do I get started?
Here are two approaches or “maps to the goldmine” that could help you get started. No matter which approach you choose, I highly recommend putting tabs on all of the sections in Book A and Book B before you do anything else. Besides making it easier to find what you’re looking for each time you open the books, it will also help you become familiar with the curriculum’s organization by allowing you to see at a glance what’s in each book.
Approach #1: Use the “map” included with the course
The authors have included their own syllabus, guiding students through the Sorani course. It’s found in the first section of Book A and called the “Language Learning Progress Chart”. Start on page 1 of Book A which lists some important preparatory work to complete before diving into the “Progress Chart” itself. Basically learners are meant to familiarize themselves with the materials, learn the Kurdish script, get an overview of the grammar, and lay the foundation for the meat of the course which is laid out in the “Progress Chart”.
Decoding the “Language Learning Progress Chart”
“Language Learning Progress Chart”, Pages 2-3
The first pages of the “Progress Chart” are shown in the picture above. It took me some digging through Books A and B to understand what it means because it uses abbreviations extensively. Here are some tips and clarifications about the chart that will be helpful for first time users. Referring to the section headings, highlighted in yellow in the picture above:
Pronounce = “Pronunciation Exercises” found in Book A.
Express = “Expressions” found in Book A.
Listen = “Listening Exercises” found in Book A. The other abbreviations (beg-list ex, CDQ, etc.) refer to subsections that are listed in the table of contents at the beginning of the “Listening Exercises” section.
Transcribe = “Transcription Exercises” found in Book A.
Vocab (No additional note here because abbreviations are defined in the chart.)
Grammar = Exercises in Sorani Grammar. This is the title of an additional book and is not to be confused with the “Grammar Overview” found in Book B. (The “Grammar Overview” is meant to be completed as a preliminary task, before starting the “Language Learning Progress Chart”.)
Sentence Structures = May refer to the sentence structure cards, but these were not available to me so I wasn’t able to verify this…
Color-coded guide to Book A and Book B sections
The sections of Books A & B can be visualized by dividing them into three types, following Approach #1:
Sections that are to be completed as part of the important preparatory work described in Book A, on page 1 of the “Language Learning Progress Chart”. (Green in the table below.)
Sections that are found in the “Language Learning Progress Chart”, on pages 2-7 of Book A. (Blue in the table below.)
Answer keys. (White in the table below.)
These three types of sections can be seen in the color-coded table of contents for the two books, below (this chart is based on the third edition).
Color-coded guide to the sections of Book A and Book B
* The Book B table of contents lists this as being the first section going right to left, but in fact it’s the last section going left to right.
Approach #2: Pick and choose to supplement your learning
Even if you decide not to commit to the entire curriculum described in the “Language Learning Progress Chart”, it would be a shame not to draw on these materials. To facilitate that, here are the sections that I think are the most valuable. I recommend that you familiarize yourself with them and incorporate them into your Sorani learning plan. For more details on each, and for information on the sections that I haven’t listed here, refer to the “Section-by-section review of Book A and Book B”, below.
Exercises in Sorani Grammar
Everyone can benefit from the clear explanations and extensive exercises found in Exercises in Sorani Grammar. The basic outline of the books is identical to the Latin script “Grammar Overview” found in Book B, but it is much more in depth and uses the Kurdish script for examples and exercises.
This book explains all of the key points of Sorani grammar. Rules for each structure are presented in simple “grammar notes” and these are keyed to the Grammar Reference Cards which are included with the course. Examples and exercises follow each new grammar point to help learners understand and internalize it. If you use only one part of the Complete Course it should be the Exercises in Sorani Grammar.
If you use only one part of the Complete Course, it should be the Exercises in Sorani Grammar.
The best sections from Books A & B
Note that the section and page numbers given are from the 3rd edition of Complete Course. If you have a different edition the order of sections or page numbers is probably different.
“Pronunciation Exercises” – Learn to say Sorani Kurdish sounds that are difficult for English speakers. Book A, Right – Left, 2nd section.
“Listening Exercises: Reading – Listening Exercises” – Improve listening, reading, speaking, and build vocabulary using ten “Stories Told in Kurdistan” and other recommended resources. Book A, Right – Left, 3rd section, Page 29.
“Expressions” – Common phrases and dialogues in Sorani with English translation. Book A, Right – Left, 4th section.
“Stories Told in Kurdistan (Kurdish version)” – These ten stories with recordings and English translations are best used as part of the “Listening Exercises: Reading – Listening Exercises”. The stories themselves are found in: Book A, Right – Left, 5th section.
“Grammar Overview” – Quick but complete grammar introduction in Latin script with exercises. Book B, Left – Right, 3rd section.
A lot of material is available in Book A and Book B. Here is a quick overview of the sections including why I do or don’t recommend each one. Note that the answer key sections have been listed without any comments. The sections that seem most helpful are listed in “The best sections from Books A & B”, above. These “Best sections” are indicated below with an asterisk (*).
The section and page numbers given are from the 3rd edition of Complete Course.
Book A (left to right)
Language Learning Progress Chart
Book A, Left – Right, 1st section
The “Language Learning Progress Chart” is a suggested study plan for the curriculum, leading students systematically through the main elements of the course. For more on this see the review section, above, “Decoding the “Language Learning Progress Chart”.
Get Started! Teach yourself how to write and pronounce Kurdish (in the Latin script)
Book A, Left – Right, 2nd section
The goal of this section is to become familiar with the sounds in the Kurdish language and to learn to correctly identify them. Learners will listen to recordings of wordlists and dialogues and answer questions based on them on the worksheets provided. Note that the title of the section includes “write” and “pronounce” but these skills aren’t the main emphases of the section.
Get Started! Teach yourself how to write and pronounce Kurdish (in the Latin script), page 8
For Sorani learners there’s a big downside to this section in that it uses examples from Behdini Kurdish rather than Sorani. Sounds in the two Kurdish varieties are very similar but there are pronunciation differences for vowels and significant differences in vocabulary. Additionally, the recordings for this section are some of the only ones in the curriculum spoken by a non-native Kurdish speaker. For those completely unfamiliar with the sounds in Kurdish, this section could be helpful, but those who are picking and choosing might consider skipping it.
Also note that content, wordlists, examples, etc. in this section and “Get Started! Teach yourself how to write and pronounce Kurdish (in the Kurdish script)” are identical and use the same recordings. The only difference in the two sections is the script used to write Kurdish. This section, which uses the Latin script (like English) might be easier for learners who want to focus on learning Kurdish sounds without the additional challenge of the Kurdish script.
Transcription Exercises
Book A, Left – Right, 3rd section
The goals of this section are to practice writing in the Kurdish script and to continue to improve in identifying Sorani Kurdish sounds. Some of the exercises suggest activities that can be done with a language helper. In others, learners transcribe one of the recordings included with the curriculum and then check their work by looking at the correct transcription.
Transcription Exercises, Page 3, Examples 11 & 12
Book A (right to left)
Get Started! Teach yourself how to write and pronounce Kurdish (in the Kurdish script)
The goal of this section is proper pronunciation of Sorani Kurdish. The first twenty pages of the section provide helpful information about articulatory phonetics, or how we use our mouths to produce various sounds. Attention is given to each sound in Sorani with tips for producing those that are likely to be difficult for English speakers. Then each sound is reinforced by audio recordings of carefully curated wordlists. Of particular help are the exercises that contrast pairs of sounds that are difficult or easy to confuse. I haven’t seen material similar to these pronunciation exercises anywhere else and I think they are well worth every Sorani learner’s time.
Listening Exercises
Book A, Right – Left, 3rd section
This section includes activities to help you practice carefully listening to Sorani. It begins with some great suggestions for topics and Kurdish phrases that you can use to get friends talking about their lives. The following types of exercises follow:
Beginning Listening Exercises – Fill in the blanks with a missing letter or word while listening to a recording. (Suitable for very beginners).
Pronunciation Exercises: Beginning Listening Exercises, Page 2, Example 3
Listening Cloze Exercises – Listen to longer texts and songs and fill in the blanks with missing words. (Suitable for beginners).
Pronunciation Exercises: Listening Cloze Exercises, Page 12, Example 1
Dictation Exercises – Listen to and transcribe several sentences, then check work. (Suitable for more advanced beginners).
* Reading – Listening Exercises – Listen to, read, study, and retell the ten Stories Told in Kurdistan. These exercises are fantastic – they will help you improve listening, reading, build vocabulary, improve speaking, and build confidence. A list of other possible listening materials is also included. (Suitable for advanced beginners).
* Cultural Discussion Questions – Dozens of questions that will get Kurdish friends talking, help you learn the language and culture, and get to know someone better. This section is a must-use for language lessons. Questions are all provided in English and Sorani to help you get started. (Suitable for advanced beginner or intermediate learners).
* Expressions
Book A, Right – Left, 4th section
This section helps you master common phrases and conversations while continuing to improve pronunciation. It’s organized topically. Each topic has recordings and written transcriptions of key phrases and conversations. English translations are provided line by line in the book.
A few of the topics are: Getting started with your language helper, Greetings and farewells, Weather and seasons, Medical expressions, Idioms, and Tongue Twisters (and there are many more).
* Stories Told in Kurdistan (Kurdish version)
Book A, Right – Left, 5th section
Audio recordings of these ten stories are included as well as the Kurdish text and English translation (the English versions are in Book B). These stories are a good resource for listening, reading or transcription practice.
Book B (left to right)
Making Language Learning Work for You
Book B, Left – Right, 1st section
Many practical tips on language learning. It’s worth reading through this section – you might not adopt all of the ideas but you’ll come across something that will help you in your Kurdish learning journey.
Tips on Language Learning (also called “Tips for Learning Kurdish”)
Book B, Left – Right, 2nd section
Rather than presenting tips that are specific to learning Kurdish, the content in this section applies generally to students of any language. Included are the helpful sections “Ideas for Cultural Research”, which would be good topics for time with a language tutor, and a “Language Proficiency Self-Check” which is a good tool for gauging progress and giving you ideas about what to focus on to get to the next level.
* Grammar Overview
Book B, Left – Right, 3rd section
Several reference grammars are available for Sorani Kurdish but the grammar resources in this course may be the best thing available for students who want to learn the language. This overview includes clear, thorough explanations as well as helpful exercises. Grammar is taught here entirely in Latin script (the accompanying book Exercises in Sorani Grammar uses Kurdish script and is more thorough).
* A Kurdish Woman’s “Rule Book” for her American Friends’ Behavior
Book B, Left – Right, 4th section
This section highlights some of the differences between Kurdish culture and American culture, which will also be enlightening for non-Americans. It’s concise and a few minutes of reading will help you understand your Kurdish friends better and possibly save you from miscommunications or cultural blunders.
Vocabulary Pictures
Book B, Left – Right, 5th section
These pictures are similar to Lexicarry or those found in the Growing Participator Approach (GPA)Phase 1 packet. and are designed to be used to elicit and learn vocabulary during language lessons.
For many Sorani Kurdish students one of the first big hurdles is learning the Kurdish script. This section is invaluable and should be incorporated into everyone’s learning strategy. What sets it apart from other resources is that the “stroke order” – where to place the pen to start and which direction to move it – is shown step by step for each letter. Exercises are provided after each lesson to practice the letters learned so far. Some of the Kurdish words used in the examples are from Behdini, but I don’t find this to be a disadvantage for learning the script (as I did with pronunciation). The final exercises, after the full alphabet has been learned, draw on Sorani only.
The “Growing Participator Approach” or GPA is a popular language learning approach that students of Sorani might want to try either as their primary strategy or alongside other methods. Resources about this approach are widely available so only a very brief summary will be given here.
Where to find the SoraniGPA Phase 1 Guide
For those interested in using GPA to learn Sorani, the Phase 1 guide has been translated into the language! You can find them in this Dropbox folder: Sorani GPA Phase 1 Guide. On the official GPA site you can also find the other materials for Phase 1, including graphics packs and instructions for both the learner and the nurturer. For anyone interested in GPA Phase 1 materials in other languages, they are available in this Dropbox folder.
What is GPA?
GPA is a complete language and culture learning philosophy. Learners interact regularly with “nurturers” and later “mentors”. These cultural insiders join the learners on their journey from being outsiders, with little or no ability to participate in the language and culture, into an ever increasing ability to understand and be part of the culture and language. For those interested in learning more, the official Growing Participator Approach website is a good place to start.
Learners direct the study, which is structured in the following six phases1:
Connecting. Phase goal: Become familiar with sounds of the language and learn to recognize up to 1,000 vocabulary items through strategic play. Suggested timeframe for phase: 20 hrs / week for 5 weeks.
Emerging. Phase goal: Begin talking through participation in a variety of real life situations. Suggested timeframe for phase: 20 hrs / week for 8 (more) weeks.
Knowable. Phase goal: Move beyond meeting functional life needs into the world of friendships, stories and understanding new or unfamiliar information. Suggested timeframe for phase: 20 hrs / week for 13 (more) weeks.
Deep personal relationships. Phase goal: Overcome the plateau that many learners face at Phase 3 because they are able to function with what they’ve already learned. Move into a deeper understanding of the culture (and language) by joining pre-existing groups like a family or group of friends that get together frequently or a group that meets for a hobby or job. Suggested timeframe for phase: 30 hrs / week for 6 (more) months.
Widening understanding. Phase goal: Increase ability to understand native speaker – native speaker communication, which includes literature, television, and interactions in a school or professional setting. Suggested timeframe for phase: 30 hrs / week for 6 (more) months.
Ever participating / growing. Phase goal: After the first five phases, learners should be able to participate deeply in the culture and understand nearly all that goes on around them. This final phase is the continued process of participating and intentionally learning and growing along the way. Suggested timeframe for phase: Ongoing.
If you’re interested in exploring other Sorani language learning resources, check out Kurdish Central’s top recommendations.
Glossika is a language learning app offering courses for learning dozens of languages. Most courses are only available for a monthly or yearly subscription but, because of the company’s commitment to languages with fewer available learning resources, they offer unlimited use of the Glossika Sorani course free of charge.
How does the Glossika Sorani course work?
Glossika’s methodology is based on the idea that if learners are presented with natural sentences at the appropriate level of difficulty, they will gradually internalize both words and the grammatical patterns and structures necessary for fluency. The software uses an algorithm to estimate how fresh a sentence is in a learner’s memory and suggests reviewing it at intervals when it is about to be forgotten, to help cement it in long-term memory. The interface and content used to achieve this are simple: First, learners are given a placement test to identify their level in the language. Then they are presented with high-quality audio and written text of Sorani sentences (in either Kurdish script or IPA), along with their English translations. A typical study session to learn new items includes five sentences, repeated at random five times each. In the recommended study mode, learners listen to the Sorani sentences and then record themselves repeating them, but users can also skip recording on a case-by-case basis or set the app to listening-only mode. A second response option allows learners to respond by typing the example sentence instead of speaking them, but I was not able to get this mode to work when I tried it for Sorani.
Review of the Glossika Sorani course
The biggest positive that jumps out while using Glossika is the audio itself. It is very clear and pleasant to listen to. The app makes it easy to listen to high-quality recordings of natural sentences and the simple interface makes it easy to listen to difficult examples over and over. I also liked having the written Sorani text available as an aid when sounds blended together (as often happens in natural speech).
A possible downside is that Glossika may be difficult to use for students who don’t know any Sorani yet because there’s absolutely no explanation or teaching. One help page on the app’s website claims that, “Glossika’s magic happens when you recognize bits and pieces and understand half of a sentence. Your mind finds a way to figure out the other half.” Learners who don’t know any “bits and pieces” yet, might struggle. To fill in some of the gaps, Glossika does offer an excellent video briefly teaching the script and another with a concise overview of the language structure. But some background beyond what’s offered in these videos will be of benefit. As a Sorani beginner, with a few months of learning vocabulary and an understanding of the basic language structures including pronouns, prepositions, and how nouns and verbs work, I felt that while I was using Glossika I was easily able to fill in the bits that I didn’t know. Figuring things out in the language is fun for me, and I have the sense that Glossika’s learning strategy might work very well for some personalities or learning styles and a different Sorani language learning app might be better for others.
One small challenge I faced was with the placement test that Glossika gave me to identify my Sorani level. Even though I am a beginner I was able to answer several test questions correctly, so the test placed me at level B2 or “upper-intermediate”, which is the next-to-highest level. The content was far too difficult . I retook the placement test and answered the level A2 question wrong on purpose in order to start at a lower level, which was still challenging but doable. I found that the app’s design makes it difficult to figure out the appropriate level or to go back down to a lower level after starting a higher one.
For what it is, the Glossika Sorani course works well, but after a few study sessions I found the lack of variety tedious. The app is worth using for supplementary exposure to Sorani or for continued study when Sorani speaking friends aren’t available. It’s also useful for honing pronunciation and intonation and for cementing the grammatical patterns of the language. But it’s not something that I could do for more than 15-20 minutes a day.
How to get started learning Sorani on Glossika
Currently Glossika courses, including the Glossika Sorani course, can only be used via the Glossika website and it works well on mobile devices as well as computers. Android and iOS are currently under development. To get started, simply go to the Glossika Sorani course site, create an account, and get started learning Sorani for free!
Memrise is a language learning app that’s available through a web interface and iOS and Android apps. It offers an excellent, free, Sorani course that will be a good supplement to your Sorani studies. Read on for a review of Memrise and this Sorani course!
What is Memrise?
Update to the original article:
As of March 31, 2024 “Community Courses” created by Memrise users, like the one described in this review, are not available in the Memrise app. They can only be accessed through the online interface, at the Memrise Community Courses page. You can still access the course through the updated link in this article.
Beginning language learners are thirsty for comprehensible input and repetition. If this is where you’re at, Memrise is a language learning app and website that can help supplement your learning. What’s more, the Sorani (Central Kurdish) course reviewed here is free! Here are some of Memrise’s features:
New content is introduced gradually throughout the lesson and questions get harder as the student gains familiarity with a word or concept.
Multiple choice questions help students gradually learn phrases and vocabulary.
Items that have been learned are reviewed at strategic intervals and questions that are answered wrong are repeated more often to aid mastery.
Here are some of the kinds of questions you’ll see:
This is how a new item is introduced or taught.Select the English translation of the Sorani text.Listen to the audio and select the English translation.
Personally, I’m in a Sorani class at the moment, and I’ve been using the app to supplement my in-class learning. The Memrise is a great way of reinforcing new grammar and helping recall become faster and more automatic.
How to get started learning Sorani on Memrise
The Memrise app is available via a web interface, and Android and iOS apps. It hosts two kinds of courses: official Memrise courses and courses designed by users. Currently only Sorani courses created by users are available and there are about 10-15 such Sorani courses on the platform. User-designed courses, including Sorani courses, can only be found by searching on the Memrise website. After a user logs into their Memriseaccount and starts a course via the website, the course also becomes visible for that same user on the mobile apps and progress is synced across devices. But you won’t find Sorani courses by searching in the Memrise mobile apps, so don’t be confused! (See the video below for help finding the recommended Sorani course).
Quality and quantity varies greatly among the user-designed courses on Memrise. Not all of the Sorani courses include audio and several only have a few lessons. The remainder of this review is based on the recommended course, Kurdish (Sorani) with Audio, by Miranshaways.
A review of the “Kurdish (Sorani) with Audio” course on Memrise
The reason the “Kurdish (Sorani) with Audio” course on Memrise is so helpful, is that the lessons are comprehensive, covering most critical aspects of Sorani grammar. The course assumes no previous knowledge of the language. Grammar topics are shown with examples only. Topics are not taught or explained in prose, so it would be difficult for most learners to grasp everything without help from other resources. But the lessons are ordered to build on one another sequentially, from basic to more advanced topics. Each lesson includes valuable repetition to reinforce each topic, including audio from a native speaker, and written text with both Latin and Kurdish scripts for each example.
Personally, I’m in a Sorani class at the moment and I’ve been using the app to supplement my in class learning. Each day I find the lesson in the Memrise app that corresponds to what we covered in the class each day. This is a great way of reinforcing new grammar and helping recall become faster and more automatic.
Naturally, the course has its limitations. Memrise is essentially a really fancy flashcard app, so the same few phrases or sentences are repeated over and over. I grew weary of reviewing sentences like, “You are beautiful.” and “I am not ugly.” While the specific example sentences didn’t always feel relevant to me, the repetition still helped me to master the grammatical constructions that I was working on, such as the present tense “to be” verb, which was the topic at hand in the example above.
Give studying Sorani on Memrise a try!
Language learning apps like Memrise have their limitations, but the Kurdish (Sorani) with Audio is a great tool to use alongside other strategies. Go ahead and give it a try, and write us on Facebook to let us know what you think! You can also check out other Sorani language learning apps that we’ve reviewed.
Dr. Miran, author of the Memrise course being reviewed here, has helped with some of the content on this website. He was not consulted on the content of this article.
