Frequently asked questions

Most learners complete one lesson per week, so 21 lessons takes about 5–6 months of regular practice. Each lesson is 15–20 minutes of listening plus optional quiz and Anki review. You can go faster or slower — there are no streaks or timers.

No. KannadaMaadi deliberately avoids Kannada script. You learn spoken Kannada using transliteration (Roman letters that approximate the sounds) and native audio. This lets your ear lead, which is how children acquire languages naturally.

Yes, significantly. Kannada shares vocabulary with Sanskrit (which underlies Hindi), and has borrowed words from Tamil and Telugu. The course notes cognate connections where they exist, so prior Indian-language knowledge is a genuine advantage.

The situations, vocabulary, and cultural references are all Bengaluru-specific — auto rides, darshini breakfasts, Koramangala office culture. If you're moving to Bengaluru, already there, or planning to work there, the course will be immediately practical. The course still covers standard spoken Kannada but the flavour is unmistakably Bengaluru.

Duolingo teaches vocabulary and grammar in isolation through gamified exercises. KannadaMaadi teaches through complete story-driven conversations — you hear how real sentences flow with native rhythm and intonation. There is no gamification, no streaks, and no penalties for stopping. The course is designed to be finished, not maintained forever.

21 audio-first conversations with native Kannada voices, vocab tables for each lesson, 6-question quizzes, and downloadable Anki decks for spaced repetition. Lessons 1–3 are always free. The full course is a one-time payment of ₹999 — no subscription.

Yes. Once you've loaded a lesson in your browser, the audio files are cached by the service worker and play offline. The app is installable as a PWA (Progressive Web App) on iOS and Android — no app store required.

The course covers CEFR A1 (greetings, introductions, basic directions) through B1 (expressing opinions, discussing work, handling complex social situations). By lesson 21 you should be able to hold a sustained conversation in everyday Bengaluru Kannada.

KannadaMaadi was built by Deepanshu, a product builder who moved to Bengaluru from North India and found that no existing course taught the Kannada you actually hear on the streets. The audio uses native Kannada voices.

Yes. If you've paid and aren't satisfied within 7 days, email hello@kannadamaadi.com and we'll refund in full, no questions asked.