🇬🇲Gambia, Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea
To learn Mandinka, there's no secret: you have to practice.
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Live classes
Learn Mandinka live with a native teacher
Regular live classes in small groups. Ask questions, practice conversation, progress fast.
Live classes
You speak Mandinka every week, with a native teacher
You book whichever slot suits you. The joining link arrives by email, and the session is recorded.
- 4 slots this week, across all three levels
- 2 to 5 students per class, all at your level
- Replay available the same evening, with no time limit
Live classes
Mandinka live classes
Live classes every week, in small groups, at all three levels. The second beginner slot repeats the theme of the first: miss one, you still have the other.
BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced
Week of
Aug 31 – Sep 6, 2026
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The platform
Progress in Mandinka between classes, at your own pace
Interactive lessons with native audio, vocabulary, dialogues and quizzes. Everything you need to reinforce your skills between live sessions.
The platform
Between classes, you move forward twenty minutes a day
Lessons follow one another in order, with no evening to set aside. Every word is recorded by a native speaker.
- 264 lessons across 38 modules, from beginner to advanced
- Native audio on every word, with a slow-down button
- Your progress is kept, on phone and on computer alike
Audio
You hear the language as it is actually spoken
The recordings are made by native speakers, not by a synthetic voice. The slow-down button separates the sounds when it goes too fast.
- Every sentence can be played and slowed down
- The transcription and translation sit under the audio
- You replay it as many times as you need, with no limit
Quizzes
Every module ends with a quiz, not with a ticked box
You are corrected on the spot, with the explanation. A failed quiz can be retaken, with no penalty and no record.
- Immediate correction, with the right answer explained
- An end-of-level test opens the next level
- A level certificate at the end of the course
The community
Join Targumi's Mandinka community
Dedicated WhatsApp group, exchanges between learners, resource sharing. You're never alone in your learning journey.
Join the support groupFree · Lifetime access · Native speakers present
Full program
Your Mandinka curriculum
Exactly what you'll find inside the platform: 38 modules, 264+ structured lessons, quizzes and exercises.
🇲🇱
Mandingue Débutant
👋Les bases du mandingue
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🛒Chiffres et marchés
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👨👩👧La famille et les personnes
- Les amis et les voisins10 min
- + 2 more
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🗣️Pronoms et verbes essentiels
- Les pronoms personnels10 min
- Le verbe "être" : ye et bɛ12 min
- Aller, venir, retourner10 min
- Manger, boire, dormir10 min
- Voir, entendre, parler10 min
- + 2 more
Start this module→
💪Le corps et la santé
- La tête et le visage10 min
- Le tronc : main, pied, ventre10 min
- Les organes intérieurs10 min
- Aller bien, aller mal10 min
- Avoir mal : exprimer la douleur10 min
- + 2 more
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🍚Nourriture et cuisine
- Les aliments de base10 min
- Les boissons10 min
- Les fruits et légumes10 min
- Manger et boire10 min
- Cuisiner10 min
- + 2 more
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🏠Maison, lieux et orientation
- La maison et ses parties10 min
- Le village et la ville10 min
- L'école et le marché10 min
- Les postpositions de lieu12 min
- Donner des directions12 min
- + 2 more
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🎨Couleurs et adjectifs
- Les couleurs de base10 min
- Bon ou mauvais10 min
- Grand ou petit10 min
- Beau, joli, nouveau10 min
- Cher ou bon marché10 min
- + 2 more
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🐐Animaux et nature
- Animaux domestiques10 min
- Animaux sauvages10 min
- Les arbres et plantes10 min
- Le ciel et les éléments10 min
- Les nombres avec les animaux10 min
- + 2 more
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🥁Culture mandingue
- L'Empire du Mali et Soundiata Keïta12 min
- Les jeli (griots) et la kora12 min
- Les jamu (patronymes) et le sanankuya12 min
- Le nyama : énergie vitale10 min
- L'islam et la culture mandingue10 min
- + 2 more
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💬Conversation quotidienne
- Saluer toute la famille10 min
- Demander des nouvelles10 min
- Remercier et s'excuser10 min
- Demander de l'aide10 min
- Le téléphone et les messages10 min
- + 2 more
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🎓Révision et synthèse
- Synthèse grammaticale12 min
- Synthèse vocabulaire essentiel12 min
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🇲🇱
Mandingue Intermédiaire
🔄Particules aspectuelles
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📍Postpositions et espace
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🎵Tons et vocabulaire thématique
- Le système tonal du mandingue : tons H et B13 min
- Vocabulaire : la nourriture et le marché10 min
- Vocabulaire : la famille et les relations sociales10 min
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💬Conversation et vie quotidienne
- Salutations et formules de politesse10 min
- Questions et réponses simples10 min
- Parler de son quotidien10 min
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✈️Voyages avances
- Preparer son voyage : passeport, billet, visa15 min
- A l'aeroport : enregistrement et bagages15 min
- Reserver un hebergement : hotel et famille d'accueil15 min
- Se deplacer en ville : taxi et sotrama15 min
- Demander son chemin : directions15 min
- + 5 more
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💼Travail et carriere
- Les metiers de base15 min
- Au bureau : reunions et collegues15 min
- Postuler un emploi : entretien15 min
- Decrire ses competences15 min
- Salaires et negociation15 min
- + 4 more
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📰Medias et actualite
- La radio en bambara : ORTM et stations privees15 min
- Les journaux et la presse ecrite15 min
- La television : programmes et chaines15 min
- Internet et reseaux sociaux15 min
- Donner son opinion sur l'actualite15 min
- + 4 more
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🏛️Politique et societe
- L'Etat et les institutions15 min
- Histoire politique : independances15 min
- Les partis politiques15 min
- Droits et devoirs du citoyen15 min
- Egalite homme-femme15 min
- + 4 more
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💰Economie
- L'agriculture : pilier de l'economie15 min
- Le commerce et le marche15 min
- La banque et l'argent15 min
- Les ressources naturelles : or et coton15 min
- L'inflation et le cout de la vie15 min
- + 4 more
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🎓Education superieure
- Le systeme scolaire malien15 min
- Le college et le lycee15 min
- L'universite : facultes et filieres15 min
- Les memoires et la recherche15 min
- L'apprentissage des langues15 min
- + 4 more
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🎶Arts et culture
- La musique mandingue : kora et balafon15 min
- L'epopee de Soundiata15 min
- La danse traditionnelle15 min
- Le cinema malien15 min
- L'artisanat : tissage et poterie15 min
- + 4 more
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🌍Environnement
- La nature mandingue : faune et flore15 min
- Le fleuve Niger15 min
- La desertification15 min
- Le changement climatique15 min
- L'eau : ressource vitale15 min
- + 4 more
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🇲🇱
Mandingue Avancé
🪘Les griots et la tradition orale
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👑L'épopée de Soundiata Keïta
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🤝Registre cérémoniel et salutations rituelles
- Les salutations rituelles longues13 min
- Discours cérémoniel : mariages et funérailles12 min
- L'Islam et le vocabulaire religieux mandingue11 min
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🌍Dialectes et mandingue moderne
- Le continuum dialectal mandé : bambara, dioula, mandinka13 min
- Mandingue contemporain : médias et politique11 min
- Proverbes avancés et sagesse mandingue11 min
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👑Histoire de l'Empire du Mali
- Sunjata Keita, fondateur de l'Empire18 min
- La Charte de Kurukan Fuga18 min
- Mansa Musa et le pelerinage de 132418 min
- Tombouctou et Djenne, capitales du savoir18 min
- Le declin de l'Empire (XVe-XVIe siecles)18 min
- + 5 more
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📜Litterature orale mandingue
- Le jeli, gardien de la memoire18 min
- L'epopee de Sunjata (Sunjata Fasa)18 min
- Sumanguru Kante et le pouvoir occulte18 min
- Sogolon Conde, la mere fondatrice18 min
- Les ntalen (proverbes) mandingues18 min
- + 5 more
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☪️Spiritualite mandingue
- Islam et confreries soufies au Mali18 min
- Le concept de nyama (force vitale)18 min
- Les nyamakala : castes de la parole18 min
- L'animisme bambara et les boli (fétiches)18 min
- Le christianisme minoritaire au Mali18 min
- + 5 more
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🏛️Politique contemporaine
- Les independances : 1958-196018 min
- L'epoque des partis uniques (1960-1990)18 min
- La democratisation des annees 199018 min
- Le coup d'Etat de 2012 au Mali18 min
- Les transitions militaires 2020-202418 min
- + 5 more
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💰Economie mandingue
- L'or du Mali : tradition et modernite18 min
- L'elevage : richesse traditionnelle18 min
- Le coton, l'or blanc du Mali18 min
- L'agriculture vivriere : mil, riz, sorgho18 min
- Le secteur informel : marche, artisans, taxi18 min
- + 5 more
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🌍Diaspora mandingue
- Les Soninke en France : histoire18 min
- Les Maliens en Cote d'Ivoire18 min
- L'emigration vers l'Espagne et l'Italie18 min
- La diaspora aux USA18 min
- Le mythe du retour : kɔsegi18 min
- + 5 more
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🎶Musique mandingue
- Le jeli, gardien de la parole et de la musique18 min
- La kora, harpe-luth a 21 cordes18 min
- Le balafon et le ngoni : autres tresors18 min
- Salif Keita, voix d'or du Mali18 min
- Ali Farka Toure et le blues du desert18 min
- + 5 more
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🗣️Identite linguistique mandingue
- Le continuum mandingue : 4 variantes, 1 famille18 min
- Le bambara, lingua franca du Mali18 min
- L'alphabet N'Ko, ecriture pan-mande18 min
- Le plurilinguisme au Mali18 min
- Le bambara face au français : tensions et emprunts18 min
- + 5 more
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🦁Sunjata fasa, analyse litteraire
- Le prologue cosmogonique du fasa18 min
- Sogolon Conde, la mere-buffle18 min
- L'enfance paralysee de Sunjata18 min
- L'exil et le Mema18 min
- Sumanguru Kante, le sotigi des Sosso18 min
- + 5 more
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💰Or et commerce caravanier
- Sanu, l'or du Manden medieval18 min
- Les mines de Bambuk et Boure18 min
- Le commerce or-sel transsaharien18 min
- Tombouctou, cite marchande18 min
- Le hajj de Mansa Musa (1324-1325)18 min
- + 5 more
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They talk about us
Learners talk about their journey on Targumi.
The curriculum
What you'll learn in Mandinka
A curriculum designed to get you speaking Mandinka in the situations that actually matter to you.
Start for free- 01Conversational Mandinka from The Gambia and Casamance
- 02Tones and Mandinka phonology
- 03The Mandé family: Mandinka, Bambara, Dyula, similarities and differences
- 04Mandinka culture: kora, djembe, Kankurang ceremony (UNESCO)
- 05Mandinka for travelers in The Gambia and Casamance
- 06Mandinka for the Gambian and Guinean diaspora in France
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about learning Mandinka
These three languages all belong to the Mandé family and are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Bambara is the variant spoken in Mali (Bamako), Dyula is the variant of Côte d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso, and Mandinka is spoken in The Gambia, southern Senegal, and Guinea-Bissau. Mutual intelligibility ranges from 70-85% depending on the variant. In practice, learning one gives a solid foundation for understanding the other two. Gambian Mandinka is slightly more distinct because of English influence.
Yes, The Gambia is a rapidly developing beach tourism destination, with beaches, nature reserves, and exceptional wildlife (birds in particular). In secondary towns and rural communities, Mandinka is the dominant language, and English is insufficient. A few phrases in Mandinka radically transform the welcome you receive. And for exploring Casamance (Senegal), an enclave region renowned for its beauty, Mandinka is indispensable.
Yes, the Gambian and Bissau-Guinean community in France is small but Mandinka remains the main language of community communication. Cultural associations keep the language and traditions alive. For social professionals working with West African refugees, Mandinka is sometimes more useful than French or Wolof.
Absolutely, kora songs are in Mandinka (or in closely related variants) and serve as an exceptional cultural vehicle for learning vocabulary, proverbs, and the philosophy of Mandinka culture. Singers like Toumani Diabaté, Ballaké Sissoko, or Ibrahim Maalouf (kora fusion) are excellent listening resources. Our teachers sometimes integrate musical excerpts to enrich classes beyond language alone.
Similar to Bambara, relatively simple SVO grammar, tones to master (2 levels), Latin alphabet. For a French or English speaker, 4 to 6 months of regular classes for basic conversations. The closeness to Bambara means that if you already have a foundation in that language, adapting to Mandinka is very fast, 4 to 8 weeks is enough for the key differences.
Targumi offers 3 plans: monthly, quarterly, and lifetime access. All plans include live small-group classes with native teachers, interactive lessons, and the community. See full pricing on the pricing page.
100% online. Live classes happen in small groups via Google Meet. You can join from anywhere in the world. The mobile and web app stay accessible 24/7 for interactive lessons.
Yes. Targumi offers a 30-day money-back guarantee on all plans. If you are not satisfied, just email [email protected] for a full refund.
You can cancel anytime from your profile (“My subscriptions” section) with no hidden fees. Your access stays active until the end of your paid period.
Resources
All Mandinka resources
Explore our free tools to progress outside of class.
Mandinka level test
Assess your CEFR level in 5 minutes. 30-day learning plan included.
Discover →Mandinka survival kit
A hundred words and thirty key phrases as a printable PDF, free.
Discover →Mandinka cultural quiz
How well do you know Mandinka culture? Films, music, traditions.
Discover →Mandinka articles
Guides and articles to learn Mandinka.
Discover →Mandinka vocabulary
Essential words and phrases organized by theme.
Discover →Cultural resources
Podcasts, movies, TV shows and music to progress through immersion.
Discover →Guides & articles
Guides to learn Mandinka
Beginner Guide
Learn Mandinka: complete beginner's guide
Discover how to learn Mandinka (Manding): West African Mandé language, grammar, essential phrases and Mandinka culture. Complete beginner's guide.
12 min read→Guide pratiqueBambara, Dioula or Manding: Understanding the Mande Language Family to Choose Your Language
Bambara, Dioula and Manding are three variants of the same linguistic continuum. Vocabulary, geography, diaspora and culture: how to choose the right one for your goals.
14 min read→Reviews
They are learning Mandinka with Targumi
Verified learner testimonials.
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“Been on Targumi for 3 months. The small group format is exactly what I needed. My teacher takes time to correct accent, it's precious. Made more progress in 3 months than in 2 years of regular apps.”
CamilleVerified purchase
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“What sold me is you actually speak from class one. No 10 hours of theory before opening your mouth. And the platform between classes is well-built, I revise on the morning commute.”
DamienVerified purchase
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“Honestly I had doubts at first because I'd tried plenty of methods without sticking. This is different, the teacher knows their stuff, adapts to your level, and we have fun on top of it. 6 months in and still motivated.”
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“Really good experience overall, the rhythm between live classes and independent practice is well-balanced. Small note: the mobile app lags sometimes, but the teaching content is well worth the price.”
AntoineVerified purchase
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“The thing that makes a real difference compared to other platforms: teachers are native and trained. You feel it, especially on accent and everyday expressions you don't learn in textbooks.”
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- A complete learning platform: learn to build sentences, listen to audio to pronounce correctly, practice with exercises.
- Regular live small-group classes: real practice. Schedule on the platform, everything on replay so you never miss out. Join in or not, no obligation.
- WhatsApp community with other learners and teachers: practice writing, chat every day, immerse yourself in the language.
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