As more migrants are coming to Lithuania, teaching them the local language is becoming a pressing issue. Instructors trained in teaching Lithuanian as a foreign language are in short supply.
Aknazar came to Lithuania four years ago to study. He was shocked when he realised he did not understand a single Lithuanian sound or word. Today, he shares his experiences and impressions in front of an audience – in Lithuanian, of course.
“I remember at the very beginning when I wanted to greet my friends formally, I said: ‘Well, hi there, gentlemen’,” he recalls.
In addition to his native Kazakh, Aknazar spoke English and Russian, so it was never a problem for him to communicate in Lithuania. But he wanted to learn Lithuanian as well.
“I’d never heard such a language in my life and it sounded like a song to me. And I realised [...] how much I would like to speak and sing at the same time,” says Aknazar.
It took him a year to learn to speak or sing Lithuanian.
“I attended classes for half a year, and then I started working in a shop, and there I only spoke Lithuanian to people,” he says.
Tatiana, a Ukrainian, speaks Lithuanian less fluently.
“I think it’s very important to learn and speak the local language – the language of the country where you live,” she says.
Tatiana works alone and she wonders if it would be easier if she had a job where she’d have to be speak Lithuanian with her team.
Migrants and professionals alike say that the challenge of learning the Lithuanian language requires complex measures. Not least willingness – and foreigners in Lithuania are increasingly eager to learn the language, according to the Employment Service.
“This year we have about 5,000 people who have received language training and completed a course with the help of the Employment Service,” says its director Inga Balnanosienė.
But willingness alone is not enough – there are not enough Lithuanian language courses, Balnanosienė says. And those that are on offer, she adds, are not always up to par.
“I mean that we often don’t have teachers who are trained to teach Lithuanian as a foreign language,” she explains.
It is only recently that there emerged a sustained demand from foreigners to learn the language and meeting the demand requires resources.
“We need cooperation among institutions, we need a civic position. If we want foreigners to learn Lithuanian, they will, but it all depends on our behaviour,” insists Audrius Valotka, head of the Lithuanian Language Inspectorate.
According to the Employment Service, there are about 200,000 foreigners currencty residing in Lithuania. Most of them have come for work, while the other two popular reasons are studies and marriage.
No proof of language skills are required to enter Lithuania.
“This requirement is only in place for those seeking permanent resident status. That is, those who have lived in our country for the last five years,” explains Jolita Gestautaitė, head of the Immigration Division of the Migration Department.
Specialists stress that the issue of teaching Lithuanian as a foreign language is becoming more urgent. The parliament recently passed legislation requiring that all people working in client servicing positions – including nominally self-employed food couriers and ridesharing drivers – will have to speak at least basic Lithuanian from 2026.
