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Signing up for a speaking class when you're nervous about speaking takes courage. It helps to know exactly what you're walking into. This guide takes you through a Soro class from sign-up to the end of your first hour, so there are no surprises.
Before your first class
- Choose a plan. Most people start with Try Soro, a single class you can get refunded if it isn't for you.
- Pick your class window. You choose a weekly time slot when you sign up. The open windows change with guide availability, so check the sign-up page for the schedule that works best for you.
- Pay online. By card, or by bank transfer, which is activated once the team confirms your payment.
- Get your details. Within 24 hours, Soro emails your group and meeting details.
- Meet your group. You're added to a group chat with the two other people in your Ẹgbẹ́ Sọ̀rọ̀ (speaking group) and your guide.
Your group starts once it has three people. If it hasn't filled within seven days, the team will offer you a place in the next group that's forming.
During the hour
Every Atọ́nísọ̀nà runs a session in their own way, but every Soro class is built around the same things.
Three people, one guide, one conversation
It's you, two other learners and your guide on a live video call. With only three learners, nobody can hide at the back, and nobody gets stuck watching others talk for an hour. Everyone gets real time to speak.
Topics to get you talking
Your guide brings conversation prompts: everyday topics and questions that give everyone something to say. Think family, work, food, plans for the weekend, things that happened this week. The aim is real conversation, not reciting rehearsed answers.
Getting stuck is part of it
You will reach for a word and not find it. That's expected. You can describe around it, ask Báwo ni a ṣe ń sọ "…" ní Yorùbá? (How do you say "…" in Yorùbá?), or drop in the English word. Your guide helps you swap English words for Yorùbá ones as you go, so the conversation keeps moving.
Gentle correction
Your guide corrects you kindly, in the flow of the conversation, without stopping you every sentence. You'll hear the better way to say it, try it, and carry on. No one keeps score of your mistakes, and no one will make fun of you. Not even your Atọ́nísọ̀nà.
No reading, no homework required
Sessions are spoken conversations. You don't need to read or write Yorùbá to take part, and there's nothing you have to prepare beforehand.
After the hour
- Your group chat stays open. It's where your group keeps in touch between sessions.
- Next week is a fresh conversation. Each session stands on its own rather than following a sequence, so you never have to catch up on a previous class.
- Try Soro refund. If you took the Try Soro class and it wasn't for you, email payments@sorobiyoruba.com within 24 hours of the class for a refund.
What a Soro class isn't
Knowing what to expect also means knowing what not to expect.
- It isn't a grammar class. You won't copy tables of verbs. You'll speak.
- It isn't a test. Nobody grades you in the session. Quarterly plan members get a quarterly assessment to see how far they've come.
- It isn't a performance. Your group is two people at your level who are just as nervous as you were in week one.
- It isn't for complete beginners. Soro is built for adults who already understand Yorùbá. If you don't yet, a beginner course will help you more first.
- It isn't a class you can make up later. A missed class uses that week's credit unless Soro cancelled or moved it. Since every session stands on its own, you won't fall behind, but choose a slot you can keep.
Who your Atọ́nísọ̀nà is
Atọ́nísọ̀nà means guide. Your guide is fluent in Yorùbá and there to hold the space: keep the conversation flowing, give you the word you're missing and help you stretch a little further each week. Soro only approves guides who are friendly, focused and fluent, because people learn best when they're relaxed enough to try.
Why the class is built this way
Every part of a Soro class comes from one idea: you get better at speaking Yorùbá by speaking it.
- Three people means everyone talks, which a big class can't offer. There's a Yorùbá proverb behind it: Àrò mẹ́ta kì í d'ọbẹ̀ nù. Three hearthstones don't let the pot of soup spill.
- One hour a week is realistic for busy adults, and regular practice beats occasional cramming. Read why learning Yorùbá works like the gym.
- Live conversation trains the skill apps can't: finding your words in the moment. Read why speaking is the fastest way to learn Yorùbá.
- No mockery because fear is the biggest thing holding most heritage speakers back. Read how to get past the fear of speaking Yorùbá.
Questions people ask
How long is a Soro class?
One hour, once a week.
How many people are in a Soro class?
Three learners and one guide. Couples on the Tọ́kọ Tàyà plan have a private group of two.
Do I need to be able to read Yorùbá?
No. Sessions are spoken conversations, so you can join without reading or writing Yorùbá.
What if I only understand a little Yorùbá?
Soro is designed for adults who already understand Yorùbá, even if they speak very little. If you understand only a few words, a beginner course may be a better first step.
Can I speak English in the class?
When you're stuck, yes. Most people mix in English at the start. Your guide helps you swap English words for Yorùbá ones as you go.
What if I don't enjoy the first class?
If you took Try Soro, email payments@sorobiyoruba.com within 24 hours of the class and you'll get a refund.
What happens if I miss a class?
It uses that week's credit and isn't made up, unless Soro cancelled or moved it. You'll pick up again the next week without falling behind.
Can I take a class with my partner?
Yes. The Tọ́kọ Tàyà plan gives the two of you a private group with your own guide. Read learning Yorùbá with your partner.
Ready to start speaking?
One live class with two others at your level, led by an Atọ́nísọ̀nà.