Learning Yorùbá with your partner: why it works and how to practise together

Many couples arrive at the same moment from different directions. You both grew up hearing Yorùbá and answering in English. Now you're planning a family, visiting parents more, or simply want Yorùbá back in your home. Doing it together makes it easier, more fun and more likely to last.

Why learning Yorùbá as a couple works

You have a practice partner in the house

The hardest part of learning to speak Yorùbá is finding someone to speak it with, regularly. A partner who's learning too solves that. Five minutes over breakfast, a Yorùbá-only drive, a voice note in the afternoon: small chances to practise add up.

You keep each other going

When one of you wants to skip a session, the other is there to say "we said we'd do this". Shared goals are easier to stick to.

It's safer to make mistakes

For many heritage speakers, the fear of being laughed at is what keeps them quiet. Practising first with the person who knows you best, and who's making the same mistakes, takes the sting out of it.

It changes the language of your home

If you want your children to speak Yorùbá, they need to hear it at home. Two parents practising together can turn Yorùbá from "the language Grandma speaks" into the language of your house. Read want your children to speak Yorùbá?

Is learning together right for you two?

The main thing that can go wrong is correction. If one partner corrects the other too often, or laughs, practice turns into a fight. Agree ground rules first (see below).

Ground rules for practising as a couple

1. No laughing at mistakes. Laugh together at the funny ones, never at each other.
2. Don't correct every sentence. Pick one thing to correct per conversation, or leave correcting to a guide.
3. Ask before you correct. "Do you want me to tell you, or shall I let it go?"
4. Both of you speak. If one partner is stronger, they should listen more than they talk.
5. Keep it short and regular. Ten minutes a day beats one long, tense session a week.

Ways to practise Yorùbá together at home

• A Yorùbá meal. Pick one meal a week where you only speak Yorùbá.
• Morning and night greetings. Káàárọ̀ when you wake up, Ó dàárọ̀ at night. Small, daily, automatic.
• Voice notes. Send each other one Yorùbá voice note a day about anything: lunch, traffic, work.
• Rehearse real conversations. Take turns playing a parent or in-law and practise the conversation you'll have on your next visit.
• Describe and guess. One of you describes something in Yorùbá; the other guesses what it is.
• Watch together. A Yorùbá film, then talk about it in Yorùbá for five minutes.

A few words for each other

The Tọ́kọ Tàyà plan: Soro for couples

Tọkọtaya means husband and wife in Yorùbá, and Soro's Tọ́kọ Tàyà plan is built for two. Instead of joining a group of three, you and your partner get your own private Ẹgbẹ́ Sọ̀rọ̀ (speaking group) with a friendly, fluent Atọ́nísọ̀nà (guide).

• Four live weekly sessions a month, just for the two of you.
• Your own schedule, separate from the group classes. You choose from the couples' slots when you sign up, and the couples' sign-up page shows what's open now.
• ₦40,000 a month for both of you (prices as of October 2026).
• One sign-up: you enter your details and your partner's, and Soro sets up your private group.
• Quick start: your session and meeting details arrive by email within 24 hours of payment.

The plan works best for couples who both understand some Yorùbá and want to speak it with confidence.

Questions people ask