I'm 18 and my Igbo is whack at best. I go to school outside Nigeria and as you can tell, I want to perfect my Igbo. What do you good Nairalanders suggest ?

Marry an igbo chick that has never left her village.

(1) At your leisure, read more of Igbo novels, (2) try communicating with the language among your parents,siblings... (3) the most important one during xmas, Easter etc..try &visit your village while you are there, listen to the elderly ones' discussions. (Dnt go eavesdroping oo!)

Chesus Suzie is that you on ur profile are u single and searching

NnamdiN: Marry an igbo chick that has never left her village.

that one na another thing oo.na to go hire a tutor for her be that.

Suzie 0.:
that one na another thing oo.na to go hire a tutor for her be that.

its the best. If u wanna learn a new language. Stay with a child that is still learning to speak. he/she teaches you as you try to communicate.
Same thing applies here. When the op jam girl wey no sabi English, he'll learn by force.

@OP, determination is the key. You must throw away shyness and embrace the language in its entirety. I want to believe you are referring to Central Igbo and not your dialect. Try to speak in Igbo to any Igbo person you see and don't mind any mockery and jests that come from your listeners as a result of the numerous mistakes that you will make. Gradually, your confidence will be boosted. Try to upgrade your knowledge on the lists of names of commonly used items in Igbo and use them appropriately while speaking. Endeavour to skip the pot hole called Engl-Igbo where english is basically spoken with Igbo intonation.
You can make it for if I did make it starting barely a decade ago even without being in an Igbo class for a day you surely can.
BOW OP!

Divergent:

I'm 18 and my Igbo is whack at best. I go to school outside Nigeria and as you can tell, I want to perfect my Igbo. What do you good Nairalanders suggest ?

First off, i'll say a big congratulations to you for the bold step at trying to improve your Igbo language fluency.

I'll give you the best advice based from my experience. I was once in your shoes. At 18 years I wasn't speaking Igbo. I started speaking at 21. And today i'm a very fluent native speaker. Igbo language isn't that difficult. The best way to learn Igbo is to speak, just as any other language. Practice Igbo by speaking Igbo. Keep speaking and speaking. Speak it the first time, second time, before the third time, o malu gi aru(it becomes part of you).

Where are you from? Anambra? Enugu? Delta Igbo? Imo? Learn your own dialect first. Central Igbo can come later. Central Igbo is easy to speak from a few modification of your dialect words. Central Igbo(Igbo Izugbe) is embedded in all the Igbo dialects.

At the initial stages you'll make a few mistakes here and there. But after a few months you'll overcome it.

Your best bet would have been to spend some years in Igboland, around native speakers. However, since you're outside take these extra tips to help you. I know some Igbo people living outside Igboland who grew up in US and UK that speak fluent Igbo, with some having never visited Igboland before, and the rest with one or two visits.

Tips:
1) Practice Igbo by speaking it. There's no better way to learn a language than by speaking it.

2) Listen very attentively to Igbo speakers around you when they are speaking and pay attention to how the words are spoken and pronounced. Make quick several repetitions in your head. Then pronounce them repeatedly. It works magic. Speaking will be much easier. Speech proceeds from thoughts. Speeches are thoughts translated into words.

3) Download Igbo native songs on your mobile device, Ipad, laptop etc and listen to them. You'll pick Igbo a lot from Igbo songs. While listening to these songs, don't just listen to them for their feel. Listen attentively to the musician's words. Practice the sentences in your head severally and also pronounce them out as you practice. Igbo native songs are over the internet. You can download many of them from the internet.

4) Download and watch Igbo language movies on your system. This is one of the best ways to learn Igbo. There are so many of them on the internet. You can download some here:
http://www.bunitv.com/movies/igbo


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5muYYw3KsG4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJ18zi_83U0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtFZHaPjF4I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lj5OZ50R6kA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8J4eCSz6SA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clMfXlKS1qA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIOux7dX9Uw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Derpo3S5zQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsXFv7V_3aE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Bfkdsc6a2Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDYbmM-89qE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqiwLxKJVNM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2p2Eix66U9U

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCZqP4NBqYc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3D-TdAsXLc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5F0vmmC5YU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l80psNbsZfg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8lERKr3L24

5) Finally, speak, speak and speak! It took me a year to be very fluent in Igbo. If you dedicate yourself, in a year or at most two you'll become as good as Nnamdi, Ofili or Uju who lives in Igboland.

Bigfrancis and others who have posted before me have said it all. Learning Igbo requires dedication and sincere effort and isn't something that should be approached as an academic course. It should be incorporated into your lifestyle.

I also left Nigeria at a young age, so I somewhat understand your struggle. I was already fluent in my dialect of Igbo when I left, however I did not learn as much Igbo in the diaspora as I would've learned living at home. Because of this, from the period in between age 5 and age 13, the quality of my Igbo dropped and I began finding if hard to remember certain words and make sentences without adding English here and there. When I was 15 (that was when I joined Nairaland), I began actively learning Igbo through music, movies, asking questions, and taking notes. I started listening attentively to adults as they conversed (especially those that did not speak my dialect) and made a list of words that I found unfamiliar and later asked them questions about it. By the grace of God, three years later, here I am.

It shouldn't be difficult for you since you already know something. Take the advice you've received and before you know it you'll be exceptionally fluent. Nwanne, gbagide aka!

bigfrancis21:

First off, i'll say a big congratulations to you for the bold step at trying to improve your Igbo language fluency.

I'll give you the best advice based from my experience. I was once in your shoes. At 18 years I wasn't speaking Igbo. I started speaking at 21. And today i'm a very fluent native speaker. Igbo language isn't that difficult. The best way to learn Igbo is to speak, just as any other language. Practice Igbo by speaking Igbo. Keep speaking and speaking. Speak it the first time, second time, before the third time, o malu gi aru(it becomes part of you).

Where are you from? Anambra? Enugu? Delta Igbo? Imo? Learn your own dialect first. Central Igbo can come later. Central Igbo is easy to speak from a few modification of your dialect words. Central Igbo(Igbo Izugbe) is embedded in all the Igbo dialects.

At the initial stages you'll make a few mistakes here and there. But after a few months you'll overcome it.

Your best bet would have been to spend some years in Igboland, around native speakers. However, since you're outside take these extra tips to help you. I know some Igbo people living outside Igboland who grew up in US and UK that speak fluent Igbo, with some having never visited Igboland before, and the rest with one or two visits.

Tips:
1) Practice Igbo by speaking it. There's no better way to learn a language than by speaking it.

2) Listen very attentively to Igbo speakers around you when they are speaking and pay attention to how the words are spoken and pronounced. Make quick several repetitions in your head. Then pronounce them repeatedly. It works magic. Speaking will be much easier. Speech proceeds from thoughts. Speeches are thoughts translated into words.

3) Download Igbo native songs on your mobile device, Ipad, laptop etc and listen to them. You'll pick Igbo a lot from Igbo songs. While listening to these songs, don't just listen to them for their feel. Listen attentively to the musician's words. Practice the sentences in your head severally and also pronounce them out as you practice. Igbo native songs are over the internet. You can download many of them from the internet.

4) Download and watch Igbo language movies on your system. This is one of the best ways to learn Igbo. There are so many of them on the internet. You can download some here:
http://www.bunitv.com/movies/igbo


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5muYYw3KsG4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJ18zi_83U0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtFZHaPjF4I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lj5OZ50R6kA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8J4eCSz6SA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clMfXlKS1qA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIOux7dX9Uw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Derpo3S5zQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsXFv7V_3aE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Bfkdsc6a2Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDYbmM-89qE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqiwLxKJVNM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2p2Eix66U9U

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCZqP4NBqYc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3D-TdAsXLc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5F0vmmC5YU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l80psNbsZfg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8lERKr3L24

5) Finally, speak, speak and speak! It took me a year to be very fluent in Igbo. If you dedicate yourself, in a year or at most two you'll become as good as Nnamdi, Ofili or Uju who lives in Igboland.

I can't thank you enough for the encouragement, the resources you provided and the time you took to write this post. I have a big problem with speaking igbo to my mother or my fluent friends for fear of embarassment but your words have inspired some motivation to overcome this. Nwannem, dalu! Chineke goziri gi .

odumchi: Bigfrancis and others who have posted before me have said it all. Learning Igbo requires dedication and sincere effort and isn't something that should be approached as an academic course. It should be incorporated into your lifestyle.

I also left Nigeria at a young age, so I somewhat understand your struggle. I was already fluent in my dialect of Igbo when I left, however I did not learn as much Igbo in the diaspora as I would've learned living at home. Because of this, from the period in between age 5 and age 13, the quality of my Igbo dropped and I began finding if hard to remember certain words and make sentences without adding English here and there. When I was 15 (that was when I joined Nairaland), I began actively learning Igbo through music, movies, asking questions, and taking notes. I started listening attentively to adults as they conversed (especially those that did not speak my dialect) and made a list of words that I found unfamiliar and later asked them questions about it. By the grace of God, three years later, here I am.

It shouldn't be difficult for you since you already know something. Take the advice you've received and before you know it you'll be exceptionally fluent. Nwanne, gbagide aka!

Thank you so much for the answer! Really appreciate it.

Divergent:


I can't thank you enough for the encouragement, the resources you provided and the time you took to write this post. I have a big problem with speaking igbo to my mother or my fluent friends for fear of embarassment but your words have inspired some motivation to overcome this. Nwannem, dalu! Chineke goziri gi .

Jisie ike nna. A dana mba. Melu gaba maka na nwobele oge kita, I bulu dimkpa n'asusu Igbo.

Carry on. Don't give up. Continue, in a little time now, you'll become formidable in Igbo language.

In a few months time you must have improved so greatly that you'll look back in this time and laugh at this time when you were such a novice. I do that everyday.

@ OP.
We are in the same shoes. I grew up in 9ja quite alright but in a neighborhood where people where from different states and so, the only way we knew how to communicate with each other was by speaking English. Plus, my parents spoke English to us almost every time.

Anyway, I started the "speaking Igbo" journey in October of this year and I can say I have really improved. I have people that I disturb when I need an answer in Igbo. I have made my mom to start speaking Igbo to me all the time and now, I understand her in about 80%. My dad likes English a lot so even when I speak to him in Igbo, he replies in English. I bought a lot of Igbo films to watch and they are really helping me. I even downloaded a lot of Igbo apps on my phone.

Am a really determined person. I won't deny that sometimes, I feel like am not good enough and I even start getting embarrassed when am in the presence of igbo people when they are having conversations(cos they speak so fast) but still, I make sure I stay back and hear them speak. I even eavesdrop on peoples conversations. I really wish I had this ginger a long time ago.

So, divergent, we are going to make it. My target is to be able to understand peoples conversations a 100% by april of 2014 (and not just with my mom cos she tries to speak a little slower so I can grasp it). And before October 2014, I should be able to speak fluently like I have been living in an Igbo land. I want a situation where I not only speak Igbo but think Igbo.

Please, big Francis, I went to the Igbo film site and I can't find where I can download the films. It doesn't look like there is a provision to even play it. Please, how do I go about it?