How To Learn Lithuanian In Vilnius?

Lithuanian Language

Lithuanian is the official language of Lithuania and the language of Lithuanians. It is basically one of the eastern Baltic languages originating from the Baltic region. It isn’t much popular but you might be amazed to know that Lithuanian is included in the European Soviet’s list of official languages. Statistically, there are more than 200,000 international Lithuanian speaker and about 2.8 million natives who speak Lithuanian language. The dialects of this language are closely related to Germanic, Slavic, Latvian and Indo-European languages. So, how to learn Lithuanian In Vilnius? Lithuanian is a language that you can learn in Lithuania but not all parts of the world. However, in Vilnius, foreigners can take Lithuanian language courses, offered by different institutes and online classes to learn one of the difficult languages of the world.

Is Lithuanian Hard to Learn?

If you have heard about Lithuanian before, you should know that it is among the oldest languages in the world. However, this historic language is very difficult to learn. That is why many foreigners find it hard to learn it in Vilnius. There are many reasons why it is a complex language. The primary cause being:

Lithuanian is basically an Indo-European language that is spoken in different parts of all the continents. All these languages originate from an individual proto-language. During all this time, the people changed and simplified all the language except for the Lithuanian language. In other languages, some complex words from the single proto-language are lost. However, Lithuanian has those words and if not, the words that are lexically equivalent to those.

In short, the reason why people are unable to speak Lithuanian is because of its morphological structure that it has inherited from Indo-European languages. Most of the languages have a simplified structure now. So, if you have command on any other Indo-European language, it still is not very easy to learn Lithuanian. 

The language experts say that it is easier to learn Chinese than to speak Lithuanian because it has different tones and is made up of various tones. For Chinese, it would be very difficult to learn this language because it contains a cluster of words that has no pronunciation. 

Lithuanian is a language with the hidden treasure of cultural materials of Lithuanians. It reflects one of the oldest dialects and structures of Indo-European languages. So, understanding it might be a bit too overboard for the foreigners. 

Is Lithuanian the Hardest Language to Learn?

Do you live in Vilnius and interested to write and speak one of the oldest languages of the world, the Lithuanian? For that, you would have to study. It is not the most difficult language on earth. However, its accentuation and punctuation are quite perplexed and complicated. However, the word order and sentence structure are quite easy. Words’ pronunciations are the same as they are written. So, with little dedication and mind, you can learn this language in a short course of time.

Lithuanian is a more expressive language as compared to the English language. Although it is confusing to see so many pronounce clustered together in one sentence they are useful if you want to be descriptive. 

If the English language seems a language in which you have to speak or write a lot, Lithuanian is completely the opposite. It basically has 7 cases. Generally, for a foreigner, it would take twice the time to learn Lithuanian than it took him to learn German. 

Where to Learn Lithuanian in Vilnius?

There are many language institutes and colleges where you can learn the Lithuanian language in Vilnius. However, you must have the dedication to learn it as its quite difficult for a foreign, especially if you are an English language speaker.

Some institutes in Vilnius that offer Lithuanian language speaking and writing courses are:

  • Department of Lithuanian language and studies, Vilnius university.
  • LINGUA LITUANICA, culture and language institute.
  • SIH (Soros International House of Lithuanian studies).
  • Foreign Language Center. (Different language courses are offered here but you can opt for Lithuanian studies).
  • Rukla Refugee Reception Center. (This institute offers Lithuanian language courses free of charge. However, the course fees are covered by Lithuania. These language courses are only offered for people who have taken asylum in Lithuania and wish to be part of their cultural society. 

Other than that, you can also learn the Lithuanian language by taking online courses. Many Lithuanian institutes provide teaching sessions all across the globe. 

Lithuanian Language Courses in Vilnius?

There are many courses for the Lithuanian language in Vilnius. They are different in terms of study duration. From 4 months, 2 weeks, 4 weeks to 3 months, you can opt for the course that best suits your needs. 

The courses are also available for advanced, intermediate and beginner students at Vilnius University, depart of Lithuanian studies. However, some courses exclude grammar explanations. If you want a full-fledged course with a grammar explanation, you might have to pay an additional cost. 

In the intermediate and advanced courses, the course also covers the political, social, historical and cultural background of Lithuania and Lithuanian language. 

If you want to spice up your language course, you can also add a cultural program where you would get guided tours, visits to museums and classes on Lithuanian culture. After the completion of the language course, the students are awarded a certificate determining course attendance. 

Lithuanian Language Classes

Here are some of the Lithuanian course classes offered by Vilnius university to help foreigners learn the ancient Lithuanian language with ease:

  • Course A, offered by the Lithuanian studies department has a duration of 4 months. It is offered in spring and autumn. Usually, the student has to cover 352 academic hours in total. It’s priced at 1448 EUR.
  • The Course B2 is of barely 2 weeks, offered in the summer season. The student or participant usually has to cover 50 academic hours. 
  • Another Course in the line is CB4 that is of 4 weeks. It is also offered in summer. The student has to cover up to 100 academic hours. 
  • Course E is of 3 months, offered in the winter season. The student has to cover a maximum of 50 academic hours. It’s priced at 174 EUR. 

A Lithuanian language class with course code F is offered in spring and summer with a 3-month duration. The student has to submit a fee of 261 EUR to complete 70 academic hours.