Stories, audio, and videos can all help you learn Basque when you can follow what they mean. That is the idea behind comprehensible input: learning from Basque you can mostly understand. Basque has its own public TV and radio, but much less is made for learners. HABE, the Basque Government's institute for teaching Basque to adults, fills part of that gap with Ikasbil, a free site that sorts videos, audio, and texts by level, from A1 to C2.
These apps and sites help you find Basque at your level, or make the Basque you choose easier to follow. For courses, speaking practice, and tutors, see our Basque app comparison.
Custom Lessons Made for You
Bubblegum
Learn Basque with a path made just for you. Start with your level, what you like, and why you want to learn. Your path grows as you learn, with new lessons that fit you. Bubblegum also has news and stories, so you can read and listen to a mix of Basque about food, music, travel, or daily life.
Poppy, your AI tutor, writes each lesson for you. If a word or a sentence is hard to follow, just ask her to explain it.
The trade-off is that Bubblegum can't help with Basque you found yourself. For shows and radio with real Basque voices, the EITB apps below are the better fit, and Readlang helps with web pages you pick.
- Read and listen to lessons, news, and stories about things you like.
- Each new lesson fits your level, interests, and goals.
- Regenerative Review™ brings saved words back in new lessons, so you review them by reading instead of using flashcards.
- Ask Poppy about a sentence while you read.
- You cannot bring in your own books, shows, or articles.
- AI voices read each lesson, not recordings of Basque speakers.
- A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so you can ask Poppy for a free one, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn.
- Regenerative Review™
Mobile
Read and Listen to Stories for Learners
Duostories
Duostories is a volunteer project that brings Duolingo's short stories to more languages, under a license from Duolingo. Its Basque stories are about everyday moments, from a date to a trip to the station. It suits beginners who know English.
- Listen to each story as you read it.
- Answer short questions as you read each story.
MobileWeb
Watch Shows and Cartoons in Basque
These apps come from EITB, the Basque public broadcaster. Their shows are made for people who already speak Basque, so start with something you know or something made for children.
Primeran
Primeran is EITB's streaming service for films and series in Basque, and it is free once you sign up. Basque speakers and learners on Reddit suggest it more than any other app. One learner there says the series Desagertuta and Itsaso are easy to follow, and another started with cartoons such as Detective Conan and Doraemon.
- Basque films and series, series and films from other countries, documentaries, and shows for children.
- Every show has Basque subtitles, and some have Spanish subtitles too.
- Download many shows on your phone to watch offline.
MobileWeb
Makusi
Makusi is EITB's free video platform for children and teens. Cartoons are a gentle place to start, because the stories are simple and the pictures help you follow them. People on Reddit's Basque forum suggest it when learners ask for easy Basque to watch.
- Cartoons, anime, series, and films in Basque for children and teens.
- Shows such as Doraemon, Naruto, Miraculous Ladybug, and Paw Patrol, dubbed in Basque.
- Sign in with the same account you use for Primeran.
MobileWeb
Listen to Basque Radio and Podcasts
GUAU
GUAU is EITB's free audio app. It brings together radio, podcasts, and audiobooks from EITB and other Basque groups. Start with a short podcast on a topic you already know well, or an audiobook for children.
- Listen to EITB's radio stations, such as Euskadi Irratia and Gaztea, live or later.
- Podcasts on many topics, including culture and the Basque language, plus audiobooks and audio dramas.
- Download audio to listen offline.
MobileWeb
Read Basque You Choose
Readlang
Readlang works in your web browser with the Basque news, blogs, and articles you want to read. It suits learners who already know what they want to read.
- Tap a word or short phrase on a Basque web page to see what it means.
- Hear Basque words read aloud.
- Review the words you looked up with flashcards.
- Flashcards
WebBrowser extension
More Basque to Watch, Hear, and Read
On Ikasbil, many activities start from a real news report or TV show, and its reading list suggests books for each level. INGURA, HABE's online course, has free videos of everyday situations at A1 and A2, with subtitles in four languages.
For reading, Elkar's ARIAN graded readers are stories, novels, and news texts adapted for levels A1 to B2, and every book comes with an audiobook. Booktegi shares Basque books, audio, and videos for free, thanks to the authors who give them.
To hear more Basque, Euskal Irratiak streams four Basque radio stations from the French side of the Basque Country, and one learner on Reddit finds that people there speak more slowly than on radio in Spain. Euskal Kazeta reports that Netflix has films and series dubbed in Basque, and a few made in Basque, such as the series Itxaso and the Sea. ZerNonIkusi shows where to watch each film or series in Basque.
Learn Basque in Your Language
These counts cover menu-language choices, including script variants. Other apps’ counts and full lists come from their iPhone listings, except Primeran (its website's language menu) and Readlang (its help forum). Word meanings, lesson explanations, and other platforms may differ.
| App | Supported Display Languages | Full List |
|---|---|---|
| Bubblegum | 74 | Full list
|
| Duostories | 1 | Full list |
| Primeran | 2 | Full list |
| Makusi | 3 | Full list |
| GUAU | 3 | Full list |
| Readlang | 1 | Full list |
Other Apps We Looked At (6)
- ETB ONEITB's free app for live TV and shows to watch later, from news and quiz shows to documentaries.
- BerriaA daily newspaper written in Basque, with an app for iPhone.
- TxikipediaA Basque encyclopedia for children aged 8 to 13, written in clear, easy Basque.
- OrainBaiA Basque course app with short lessons, audio, and stories to read and listen to, from the basics up to C1. It is new and growing.
- BarnetegiA Basque course for Spanish speakers from A1 to C2, with graded readings and a grammar reference. It is new and growing.
- IkasuztaritzeYouTube videos of simple conversations in Basque at three levels, with a second version of each that adds the words on screen. Euskal Kazeta recommends it for listening practice.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I choose Basque at the right level?
Pick something where you already know almost every word. In one study, readers needed to know about 98 out of 100 words in a story to follow it well. If you stop on almost every line, try something easier.
Which Basque will I hear?
Schools, the news, and most books use Euskara Batua, the standard Basque that the Basque Language Academy agreed on in 1968. Spoken Basque also has five main groups of dialects, so people on the radio or in a village may sound quite different.
Is Bubblegum free?
Yes. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn. It holds lessons that other learners asked Poppy for. A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so you can ask Poppy for a free one, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons.
Sources
- HABE: Ikasbil, Basque learning resources from A1 to C2
- Primeran: Frequently asked questions (Ohiko galderak)
- INGURA: HABE's online Basque course
- Basque Government: The Basque Government relaunches INGURA (October 2025)
- Elkar Hizkuntzak: ARIAN graded readers (Irakurgai mailakatuak)
- Booktegi: free Basque books, audio, and videos
- Euskal Irratiak: Basque radio from the Northern Basque Country
- r/basque: Comprehensible input in Basque? (2024)
- r/basque: Where to watch shows and such online in Basque? (April 2026)
- Euskal Kazeta: Learn Euskera With Netflix Movies (July 2024)
- ZerNonIkusi: where to watch films and series in Basque
- Hu and Nation (2000), Unknown vocabulary density and reading comprehension
- Etxepare Basque Institute: What is the Basque language?
- Bubblegum
- Duostories
- Makusi
- GUAU
- Readlang
Checked on October 8, 2026 against each app's own pages.
