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How to learn Lithuanian: a practical plan for beginners

The short answer: start with the alphabet and its sounds, learn greetings and a few hundred everyday words, meet the cases a little at a time, listen to Lithuanian every day, review with spaced repetition, and speak with real people as early as you dare. Fifteen to thirty minutes a day beats a long session once a week.

Lithuanian has a reputation for being hard, and it does have a lot of word endings. But it is also written almost exactly as it sounds, and the first words come quickly: labas▶ (hi), ačiū▶ (thank you), prašau▶ (please). Tap any Lithuanian word on this page to hear it.

This guide gives you a step-by-step plan and an honest overview of the resources out there, from apps and tutors to university courses and free options, including our own app, Bulba. No need to rush: one small step a day is plenty.

Step 1: the alphabet and pronunciation

Spend your first days on sounds. Lithuanian spelling is very regular, so once you know what each letter sounds like, you can read any word aloud, even one you've never seen.

Most letters look familiar. The ones to learn first are the letters with marks: the hooked č, š, ž (ch, sh and the s in pleasure), the long vowels ą, ę, į, ų, ū, y, and the dotted ė. You'll hear them right away in ačiū▶ (thank you) and Lietuva▶ (Lithuania).

Stress is the one part that spelling doesn't show: it can fall on any syllable. The fix is simple: learn every word with its sound, not just its spelling. Our free guide to the Lithuanian alphabet and pronunciation covers every letter with audio.

Step 2: greetings and survival phrases

Next, learn the words you'll use in every conversation. They're short, they come up constantly, and they make people smile when a visitor uses them.

Labas▶ is the friendly hi; Laba diena▶ (good day) is the polite choice with strangers, in shops and offices. When you don't understand, say so in Lithuanian: Aš nesuprantu.▶ works better than a blank look.

• Labas▶hi (informal)
• Laba diena▶good day, hello (polite)
• Labas rytas▶good morning
• Kaip sekasi?▶how are you?
• Gerai▶fine, good, OK
• Ačiū▶thank you
• Prašau▶please; also here you are and you're welcome
• Taip▶yes
• Ne, ačiū.▶no, thank you (ne▶ is no)
• Atsiprašau▶excuse me, sorry
• Viso gero▶goodbye
• Malonu susipažinti.▶nice to meet you
• Mano vardas Rasa.▶my name is Rasa
• Ar kalbate angliškai?▶do you speak English? (polite)
• Prašau kalbėti lėtai.▶please speak slowly

Step 3: core words and short sentences

A few hundred common words cover a surprising share of everyday speech: family, food, numbers, days, places in town and the most useful verbs. Learn them in short sentences rather than as a bare list, because Lithuanian words change their endings and a sentence shows you the form people actually use.

For example, learn kava▶ (coffee) together with Kiek kainuoja kava?▶ (How much does the coffee cost?), and vanduo▶ (water) together with Vanduo šaltas.▶ (The water is cold.).

Step 4: the cases, a little at a time

Lithuanian nouns and adjectives change their ending to show their job in a sentence. These forms are called cases, and there are seven of them. That sounds like a lot, but you don't learn them all at once.

Start with four: the nominative (the dictionary form), the accusative (the object), the genitive (used after not) and the locative (where something is). One noun, knyga▶ (book), shows the idea:

• Knyga yra ant stalo.▶The book is on the table. (nominative)
• Aš skaitau knygą.▶I'm reading a book. (accusative)
• Aš neturiu knygos.▶I don't have a book. (genitive after not)
• Katė yra name.▶The cat is in the house. (locative)

Learn each new case with a handful of phrases you'll really say, and let the patterns sink in through reading and listening. The other cases can wait until you're past the beginner stage.

Step 5: listen daily, review smartly, speak early

Listen every day. Lithuanian stress and vowel length are learned by ear. Play audio of words you know, then short dialogues, podcasts and videos. Understanding a little at first is normal.

Use spaced repetition. Reviewing a word just before you'd forget it is the most efficient way to make it stick. Flashcard apps and learning apps with review systems do the scheduling for you; ten minutes a day is enough to start.

Speak with people. Talk to a tutor, a language exchange partner or Lithuanian friends, even with only a few phrases. Lithuanians are often pleasantly surprised that someone is learning their language, and real conversation is where the words finally click.

Say what you're doing. A sentence worth knowing early: Kiekvieną dieną mokausi lietuvių kalbos.▶ (Every day I study Lithuanian.)

Where to learn Lithuanian: an honest overview

Is Lithuanian on Duolingo? At the time of writing, no: Duolingo does not offer a Lithuanian course. Several other apps do include Lithuanian, for example Ling, Mondly, Pimsleur and Clozemaster. They differ a lot in approach (games, audio-only lessons, sentence practice), so it's worth trying a free sample before you commit.

Tutors. Online marketplaces such as italki and Preply list Lithuanian tutors for one-to-one lessons. A tutor is the fastest way to get speaking practice and feedback on your pronunciation.

University courses and summer schools. Some Lithuanian universities, including Vilnius University, offer Lithuanian courses for foreigners, from semester courses to intensive summer schools. They suit learners who want structure, a classroom and time in Lithuania.

Podcasts and YouTube. There are Lithuanian learning podcasts and YouTube channels for beginners, plus plenty of native content (music, news, shows) for later. Great for daily listening, though most won't give you a complete course on their own.

Most learners do best with a mix: one structured course or app for daily practice, plus listening and some speaking with people.

Tips

• Learn every word with its audio. Lithuanian stress isn't written, so your ears are your best guide.
• Learn nouns in short phrases, like Aš skaitau knygą.▶, so the case endings come naturally.
• Add a Lithuanian keyboard to your phone early, so you never drop the marks on č, š, ž and the long vowels.
• Keep it daily and short. Ten minutes every day beats an hour once a week.
• Use what you know right away: a Labas!▶ and an Ačiū!▶ in a Lithuanian shop or café go a long way.

Questions