Frequently Asked Questions about Learning Na'vi

Your learning journey can vary greatly depending on your methods, amount of study, and consistency of engagement. A brand new learner can reasonably expect to be able to hold a conversation in Na'vi in anywhere between 2 weeks to 3 months, so long as they take time to study and practice what they've learned several times a week. Obviously if you don't practice, you won't magically be able to speak it in two weeks.

As you learn, your vocabulary will grow over time. Essential vocabulary can be picked up in a matter of a few months- the kind of thing you'd use every day to communicate with others. A comprehensive vocabulary can take many years, as there are many words that you may not encounter often without dedicated practice. Even the most experienced speakers of any language don't know every single word, and this is true for Na'vi, too.

If your goal is true fluency, which is the ability to effortlessly and reflexively converse in Na'vi like you do your natural language, this will require many years of dedication and regular practice. Gauge your expectations accordingly.

One of the first things to learn should be the Na'vi alphabet and proper pronunciation. If you are coming from an English language background, your assumptions about how words are pronounced is likely to be incorrect. The last thing you want to do at the outset is pick up a bunch of vocabulary and assume it is pronounced one way, and then have to unlearn it all after you learn proper pronunciation. Check out our Na'vi Alphabet and Pronunciation page!

Absolutely. Just putting words from the dictionary together will almost never produce valid Na'vi. Na'vi grammar is fundamentally different from languages you are likely familiar with. However, don't be intimidated! The best thing you can do is begin learning with an open mind, and try not to hold on too tightly to assumptions you might have about how languages work. Kelutral resources make it fun and easy for anyone to pick up Na'vi grammar!

Languages are all about communication, so one of the best things you can do to set yourself up for success is to find other Na'vi language learners to chat, learn, and practice with. The Kelutral Discord community is full of others on their learning journey who are just as excited about this as you are. We've got dedicated spaces on the Discord for learners to practice and ask questions. Come join us!

There are three factors that give learners a huge advantage: consistency, helping others, and having fun with it.

To build up a strong memory of vocabulary and grammar, it's not good enough to just read about it once. You must use it, repeatedly, and regularly. Your brain won't hang on to something you saw once, but it will remember something you need to use over and over again. The longer you go without recalling information, the easier it is to forget. Consistent repetition over an extended period of time will lock it in forever. Cramming all your studying into one study session won't be successful- space repeated practice out over a period of time.

Helping others is a great way to really solidify your knowledge. Explaining something to someone else forces you to approach the knowledge you have from another angle, which further solidifies and strengthens that memory. You don't need to be an expert to teach somebody else, you just need to know something that someone else doesn't. If you see another learner having trouble with something you've already studied, help them out! It feels great, and you'll both come out of the experience better at Na'vi!

Finally, and we know this sounds super cheesy, but have fun with learning! Nobody needs to learn Na'vi to pass an exam or for a business trip. Everyone is here because that's where curiosity lead them. We know how exciting the idea of speaking Na'vi is, but if you're too hard on yourself or make studying a chore, you'll be far less motivated to try. Come up with ways to keep the learning journey enjoyable and tailored to what you want to do with it!