Our free online courses include explanations, examples & (in some cases) audio files and activities:

Aramaic

alphabet & writing

Learn to read & write the many varieties of Aramaic from early inscriptions to ancient & medieval writing, including the square & cursive scripts.

Middle English

pronunciation grammar Chaucer (& sound files)

Our online Middle English Lessons give an introduction to Chaucer's English. Listen to an excerpt from the Canterbury Tales. Learn grammar and pronunciation.

German

Our German language FAQ gives basic answers to some questions. What is the difference between German and Dutch? What are German dialects?

Ancient & Koine Greek

alphabet & writing basic phrases pronouncing noun & article declensions help for students

Introduction to written Classical Greek for beginners, from the earliest inscriptions to the texts of the Byzantine Greek period. Learn pronunciation, the alphabet, and the difference between codices, papyri and monumental inscriptions. Great for Ancient & New Testament Greek learners.

Modern Greek

alphabet & writing

Learn how to write and pronounce Modern Greek online. Alphabet and pronunciation. Compare some of the differences between older written Greek and the modern Dimotiki ("popular") form of the language.

Icelandic

pronunciation grammar

These free introductions to the language of Iceland will get you started with grammar and pronunciation (with sound files).

Italian

pronunciation grammar

An introduction to the Italian language, with brief but informative guides to pronunciation and grammar.

Portuguese

pronunciation grammar basic phrases lessons product reviews

Our lessons site, Portuguese Online (links above), is the web's longest-running and most complete free Portuguese course.

Romance Languages

comparative grammar of Latin & Romance Vulgar Latin pronunciation Vulgar Latin basic grammar

Our old overview of the Romance language family has short beginner's guides to French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Romanian, Catalan, Galician and Latin. Learn a bit of pronunciation, grammar and basic phrases. Also, compare a dozen cognates & read about Vulgar Latin sound changes.

The Romance Languages FAQ answers some questions about this language family.

Sardinian

phrases & tips

Some basic information about Sardinian pronunciation & grammar with phrases. Learn a tad of this unique Latin-derived language.

Spanish

pronunciation grammar lessons phrases

Approachable (and free!) online Spanish lessons, pronunciation guide and phrases.

Introductory courses. Our free online lessons include text, videos & exercises:

Meta topics:

What is Linguistics? | A very short introduction to how linguists study language. Learn about theoretical, descriptive & applied linguistics, and encounter some common linguistic tools.

Language & the Nativism/Empiricism Debate | Get some perspective on the nature/nurture controversy as it applies to language. Did humans build language as a cultural artifact? Is language genetically hardwired? Is language all about variations or universals? How does any of this impact the way lessons are presented on nativlang.com?

Main lessons:

Intro to the IPA (basic phonetics) | Learn to use the IPA to boost your understanding of pronunciation in any language. These lessons teach you about the features of vowels, consonants and speech sounds, as well as how to use the IPA to represent human speech. Relates to the book IPA for Language Learning, available below.

Sounds in Language - an Introduction to Pronunciation (basic phonology) | Learn to apply the IPA and features of speech sounds to individual spoken languages. We'll work through the pronunciation system of Latin American Spanish and discover Spanish phonemes & allophones, syllable structure, stress accent, and rules for understanding sounds in their environments. Relates to some concepts in the book IPA for Language Learning, which you can purchase below.

The Grammar of Words (basic morphology) | These lessons teach the fundamentals of words and parts of words, covering the essentials of morphology for language learners. Parallels the first six chapters of the book Native Grammar, available below.

The Grammar of Sentences (basic syntax) | Introduces the basics of the arrangement of words into phrases, clauses and sentences. Builds on "Intro to the Grammar of Words" above. Relates to the final two chapters of Native Grammar, available below.

The Verb and Its Arguments (basic morphosyntax) | On this page you will learn the basics of morphosyntax, which will provide you with a first step towards a more sophisticated understanding of verbs, nouns, and the grammar of sentences.

Computing Grammar: Parse Trees, X-Bar Theory & Ambiguity | The fundamentals of building syntax trees to break down and process natural language grammar. This lesson builds on morphology, syntax and the verb and its arguments (lessons above).

How Languages Develop, Change & Relate (historical linguistics) | This webpage will teach you about language families, language relationship and change over time. You will learn how to look for and compare cognates in related languages and how to reconstruct parent or proto-languages based on sound correspondences. Please take the intro to phonetics and intro to phonology (above) before this course.

Word Origins (etymology) | Learn to research and discuss the origin of individual words, with attention to sound change and meaning change over time. We'll look at the etymology of the Modern English word "queen", which is a story unto itself, but also sheds light on the key concepts in etymology.

Types of Sound Change | The intro to historical linguistics and the lesson on basic etymology both brought up the topic of "sound changes". Now dig deeper into the various types of ways that sounds change over time in a language.

Backup resources:

Glossary of Grammar Terms in Linguistics | A short dictionary of words with definitions, ranging from the easy stuff of nouns and verbs to more challenging concepts like allomorphs, focus and transitivity. Includes examples from world languages for some terms.

Language Family Maps | Maps that detail the geographic location of languages in select language families. Includes an informative overview of each language family.

Linguistics Questions | Answers to some questions about linguistics, language and individual languages.

Introductory courses. These free online lessons include videos, text & activities:

Logic & Language | Learn to translate ordinary language into precise logical statements. Use logic as a tool for analyzing human language. Covers constants, variables, subjects, predicates, quantifiers, connectives/operators and sets.

Logic of Arguments | Learn to evaluate arguments using logic. Covers form & content, premises & conclusions, truth & validity, deduction versus induction, and formal & informal logical fallacies.

Truth Tables | Expand your understanding of truth values in logic through truth tables. Compare binary (true/false) truth values of propositions and operators, including the negation NOT, conjunction AND, disjunction OR, implication/conditional IF...THEN and the biconditional IF AND ONLY IF. The analogy of a lightbulb and lightswitch are used to illustrate each operator.

Inverse, Converse & Contrapositive | See how to switch around statements in propositional logic. Use the example 'if it's a bike, it has 2 wheels' to explore inverses, converses and contrapositives. Abstract your understanding to any propositions A and B, where A implies B.

The Grammar of Romance | A comparative introduction to Vulgar Latin and the entire Romance family. Organized by grammatical feature and filled with examples that compare and contrast major and minor Romance languages. If you're an student or enthusiast of the Romance languages and you enjoy the free online version of this grammar, purchase this handbook for class or your home reference library. Extra features include maps and a thorough index.

Native Grammar: How Languages Work | Learn the essentials of grammar and learn how to apply that knowledge to languages the world over, including any language you're studying. Dozens of activities and seven review tests introduce verbs, nouns, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, particles and how to put words together. Hone your linguistic skills on this challenging, educational journey!

The IPA for Language Learning | The International Phonetic Alphabet is one of the most important linguistic tools available to language learners. Build a solid foundation in speech sounds and how to "read" spoken languages, then go on to conquer pronunciation in any language.

Portuguese QuickGrammar | Portuguese grammar can be tricky, so this handy companion book travels along with you. Easy-to-read explanations, plenty of examples and useful grammar charts. Irregular verbs? Direct & indirect object pronouns? Prepositions? Adjective number & gender agreement? Filler words? No problem! Adapted and expanded from the Portuguese Online QuickGrammar.

Learn to Write Ancient Greek | A workbook that introduces you to all the letters, marks and punctuations you'll need to write Greek. Learn the alphabet, then build syllables, words, phrases, sentences and paragraphs. Activities and space to practice writing and rewriting each letter until you get it just right.

Learn to Write the Medieval Greek Minuscule Script | This workbook covers a rare topic: the Byzantine Greek calligraphy found in medieval manuscripts dating 800-1800. Learn medieval Greek calligraphy - including accents, ligatures and manuscript conventions - through examples and copy practice exercises.

Learn to Write Modern Greek | This workbook is modeled on the Ancient Greek book above, but teaches you to write the modern language. Learn the alphabet, spelling, accents, punctuation, and how to write words and sentences in Greek. Emphasizes practice and provides plenty of writing opportunities.

Learn to Write Aramaic | A thorough practice workbook with copy & practice exercises. Write letters, words and sentences in the Jewish square and Christian cursive scripts, then take on a variety of historical and modern scripts. Includes information about character composition, vowel diacritics and writing words & phrases in every script, as well as activities relevant to each of those topics.

The Two Ways | A fresh English translation of the Koine Greek Two Ways with an introduction and commentary. This lost document stands behind the Greek text of three ancient Christian works: Didache, Barnabas and Doctrina. Cross references and appendix invite further investigation. Commentary gives original Greek & alternate translations for difficult passages.

Italian Language Learning Reviews | If you're looking to buy Italian language books and resources, read these helpful reviews and ratings first!

Japanese Language Learning Reviews | Reviews of recommended Japanese language learning lessons, books, audio CDs, software and other products. Take a look if you're planning to buy any Japanese learning resources. Get solid linguistic advice and product descriptions before you buy!

Portuguese Language Learning Reviews | Reviews and ratings of Portuguese language learning courses, lessons, books, materials, CDs, multimedia software and more. Includes overviews of books, CDs, software, travel products and websites, along with in-depth reviews of individual products. Longtime, highly experienced language learner constantly reviewing new products and giving great recommendations - why not make Native Language your #1 guide to your next language learning purchase?

Ancient Greek Language Learning Reviews | Like the pages above, this page gives recommendations for Ancient Greek language resources, with an overview of what's available and detailed reviews of specific products.