How to learn High Valyrian: Game of Thrones Tribute

Do you know it’s been more than 6 months since Game of Thrones’ shocking finale? The last episode aired on May 19 when the world got hit hard by many twists of events. But today we can say that we finally got over it. Personally, I feel a lot less angry and sad. Thank you, HBO, for giving us Chernobyl just in time to forget about the Mad Queen and worry about real-life problems.

Being a big Game of Thrones fan, I recently rewatched all eight seasons for the third time. This time around, all I kept thinking of was the following.

How do I learn High Valyrian? Is that even possible?

Why, yes, it is very much possible. The most popular language-learning app Duolingo recently launched a course called Learn High Valyrian from English to honor this amazing TV show. The course was created with the help of David J. Peterson. He is the linguistic mastermind behind this made-up language. Not only he has written the course, but he has also voiced it. And when do you get the opportunity to learn a foreign language from the creator himself?

Naturally, I enrolled in this course myself. Before you do the same, read this article to get more familiar with High Valyrian, with how Duolingo generally works and how this specific course is organized.

High Valyrian is one of the languages made for Game of Thrones purposes

Valyrian languages are a language family used in the Game of Thrones world. Both Valyrian and Dothraki languages have been developed by David Peterson, who was hired by HBO to continue where George R.R. Martin started. Where does High Valyrian stand in this language group? It is the language of Essos that is no longer used for daily communication, but it is rather used for education among the people of Essos and Westeros. That sounds to me like our world’s Latin language. 

The books already included some of the most popular High Valyrian words, like valar morghulis (all men must die) and valar dohaeris (all men must serve). But it was David Peterson who had supplied the show with much more.

Nyke Daenerys Jelmāzmo hen Targārio Lentrot, hen Valyrio Uēpo ānogār iksan. Valyrio muño ēngos ñuhys issa.

"I am Daenerys Stormborn of the House Targaryen, of the blood of Old Valyria. Valyrian is my mother tongue."

-          Game of Thrones

The writing system was originally supposed to be similar to the Egyptian system of hieroglyphs, but ultimately, creators have decided to stick to the Latin writing system.

Some of the most common phrases in High Valyrian remain to this day:

You know nothing, Jon Snow. 
Daoruni gīmī, Ionos Sōnaro.

A Lannister always pays his debts. 
Lannister va moriot zyha gēlȳnī addemmis.

When you play the game of thrones, you win, or you die. 
Skorī dēmalȳti tymptir tymis, ērinis iā morghūlis.

Learn with Duolingo

If you are not familiar with Duolingo, it’s one of the most popular language apps, and it’s free. I’ve taken on Spanish myself, but the lessons started to feel a bit too easy for my level because I’m more in need of conversational practice than theoretical. For this reason, I decided to hire a native Spanish tutor and speak with them regularly. On another hand, since I am a beginner in Portuguese, Duolingo is a good choice. What I like about this app is that it all feels like a game, not studying. But you are, in fact, learning a lot due to a lot of repetitions and practical tests. I also like that they are reminding me regularly via email and encouraging me to proceed with my course.

Given the fact, even the High Valyrian creator David Peterson admitted that he wouldn’t be able to speak his language fluently, I do see why learning with Duolingo is an obvious choice. At least now it doesn’t seem possible to communicate in High Valyrian with others, however, don’t underestimate the power of Game of Thrones fanatics. I’m sure that over the years, people will go up and beyond to talk casually in High Valyrian. Nevertheless, I have to admit that learning a made-up language can be quite interesting and pretty unique. And who doesn’t like to feel special?

How to learn High Valyrian with Duolingo

As soon as you open the course, you get a small introduction and description, which is typical for Duolingo courses. Then you are prompted to choose your level. Great news for Game of Thrones fans who have already learned a bit of High Valyrian by themselves – they don’t have to start over. Right from the start, you get to see all the categories and lessons along with Duolingo’s overview of what you can expect in each one. The moment I clicked on the first lesson, I heard that amazing High Valyrian accent, and apart from feeling nostalgic, I felt totally confused. Usually, foreign languages sound a little familiar, but this one sounded really made-up. The good thing is that when you hover your cursor over the words, you get to see their translation, which means that there’s no need to overthink – do pay attention to every lesson or else you will get lost in those High Valyrian strong rolling Rs.

Final thoughts

I still have a long way to go to achieve a higher level of High Valyrian, but if you love Game of Thrones as much as I do as well as giving your brain some practice, you should definitely take on this course. Duolingo keeps on working hard and adding new skills and updates to the course. So far, over 700k learners have enrolled in this unique experience, and for them, it’s like the show never ended.

Share your tips in the comments section below and let us know how you made the most out of this course – Kirimvose and Geros ilas.