Schools and learning
Learn English for free: the best free courses for Somali speakers (baro Ingiriisi bilaash)
You can learn English to a good level for free with BBC Learning English, VOA Learning English, the British Council and USA Learns, and check your level free with the British Council's EnglishScore app. A smartphone and data help most, but some lessons work on radio and slow connections.
Why English
English is the language of most university teaching in Somalia, of scholarships abroad, of online work and of the international agencies that hire in the country. It opens the door to the scholarships on this site.
Free courses, from beginner to advanced
BBC Learning English
- Short daily lessons with audio, video and quizzes, from beginner to advanced. Courses run in levels, so you always know what comes next (BBC Learning English).
- Good for: listening and pronunciation (British English).
VOA Learning English
- Daily news read slowly in simple words, with the text on screen. It teaches "vocabulary, listening and comprehension lessons through daily news" (VOA Learning English).
- Good for: reading and listening every day. Pages are light and load on slow connections.
USA Learns
- A free website "to help adults learn English online", with video courses for beginner and intermediate learners (USA Learns).
- Good for: adults starting from zero, including parents in the diaspora.
British Council LearnEnglish
- Free grammar, vocabulary and listening lessons by level (British Council LearnEnglish).
Duolingo
- A free phone app with short daily lessons (Duolingo). It does not teach English from Somali yet, so you learn through English or Arabic. Duolingo offers an English course for Arabic speakers (Arabian Business).
Check your level for free
- EnglishScore (British Council): a free test on your phone in under 40 minutes, covering grammar, vocabulary, reading and listening, with your score at once (British Council). A certificate costs extra, from about US$25 (EnglishScore). The British Council says it does not replace IELTS.
The exams scholarships ask for
Scholarships and foreign universities usually ask for one of these. They are not free.
- IELTS (ielts.org)
- TOEFL (ets.org)
- Duolingo English Test, taken online at home (englishtest.duolingo.com)
Check which one your university accepts before you pay.
A simple plan
- Take the free EnglishScore test to find your level.
- Do one BBC or USA Learns lesson a day, at your level.
- Read one VOA news story a day, out loud.
- Every month, take the free test again.
- When you reach upper intermediate, book IELTS, TOEFL or the Duolingo test for your application.
If you only have a basic phone
Most free courses need a smartphone or a computer. If you have only a basic phone, a shared smartphone or a computer at a school, library or internet café is enough for one lesson a day. VOA's pages are light and load well on slow connections.
Why it matters
English is one of the cheapest keys a young Somali can own. It is free to learn, and it opens study, work and a voice in the world.
Sources
- BBC Learning English · bbc.co.uk
- VOA Learning English · learningenglish.voanews.com
- USA Learns · usalearns.org
- British Council LearnEnglish · learnenglish.britishcouncil.org
- Duolingo · duolingo.com
- Arabian Business · arabianbusiness.com
- British Council · britishcouncil.pt
- EnglishScore · englishscore.com
- ielts.org · ielts.org
- ets.org · ets.org
- englishtest.duolingo.com · englishtest.duolingo.com
Toosoo!
Since 1895, every generation has worked for one united, prosperous Somalia. Now it is our generation.
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