Comprehensible input means Hindi that's just easy enough. A few words are new, but you still know what's going on.
There isn't much Hindi made for learners, so the list below is short. Look for about one new word in each sentence. If you stop on nearly every line, choose something shorter, or a topic you already know in English. For courses, flashcards, and tutors, see our full Hindi app comparison.
Bubblegum
For serious learners, Bubblegum is the best app to learn Hindi. You learn from Hindi you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.
Tell Poppy, your AI tutor, what you'd like to read about, like cricket or Diwali at your in-laws' house, and she writes a Hindi lesson at your level. Each one can be read aloud to you, so you hear every word as you read it. Words you save show up again in later lessons.
LingQ, below, can import a Hindi article you found yourself.
- Pick a topic you know and a level that fits.
- Read in Hindi letters, or switch to Latin letters while you learn them.
- Ask Poppy about any line while you read.
- Regenerative Review™ brings saved words back in new lessons.
- Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
- You can't turn a Hindi song or film scene into a lesson. However, you can paste the words in the chat, and Poppy will go through them line by line.
- Custom lessons cost us money to make, so you need Bubblegum Pro for unlimited custom lessons. Lessons Poppy wrote for other learners are free for everyone to read.
- Regenerative Review™
- Teaches Hindi Letters
Mobile
LingQ
LingQ's Hindi library starts with 62 Mini Stories, short stories in simple sentences that repeat the patterns you need. Read each story twice, and tap any word you don't know.
- Mini Stories repeat the same patterns in simple Hindi.
- Tap a word to see what it means and save it.
- Import Hindi you found yourself.
- Flashcards
MobileWeb
Linguin
Linguin has hundreds of short Hindi stories, folk tales, and easy news articles, each with audio you can play while you read.
- Stories and easy news, sorted from beginner to advanced.
- Every text has audio, and you can tap any word.
- Flashcards
- Teaches Hindi Letters (partly)
MobileWeb
Beelinguapp
Beelinguapp puts a Hindi story beside its translation, and a voice reads it as the line lights up. It's an easy way in if long Hindi text is still hard to follow. Read the Hindi side first, and only look across when you get stuck.
- Read Hindi next to a translation in your own language.
- The audio follows along line by line.
- Flashcards
Mobile
HindiPod101
HindiPod101's lessons start with a short conversation, and then a teacher explains it in English. At the end, play the dialogue again.
- Each lesson plays a short Hindi dialogue.
- A teacher goes over the words you just heard.
- Flashcards
- Teaches Hindi Letters
MobileWeb
Other Apps We Looked At (4)
- PimsleurHalf-hour Hindi audio lessons where you answer out loud. Good for hearing spoken Hindi before you can read much.
- MangoHindi lessons built around short recorded conversations. Some libraries offer it.
- ClozemasterFill in the missing word in Hindi sentences, once the letters feel easy.
- Hindwi DictionaryA Hindi dictionary you can search in Hindi or Latin letters, with audio for each word.
Learn Hindi On The Go is a free podcast with new episodes most weeks. Each one is built around an everyday question, like who you talk to in the evening, at a Foundation or an Intermediate level.
In the Comprehensible Hindi Podcast, the host speaks slowly about everyday things, like a weekend or how cricket works. Episodes are marked for intermediate or advanced listeners.
When those feel easy, try SBS Hindi, news and interviews in Hindi from Australia's public broadcaster, or BBC Hindi's Duniya Jahan, which looks closely at one international topic in each episode. Both are made for people who grew up with Hindi, so they're quick.
StoryWeaver has thousands of free Hindi picture books for children, sorted into four reading levels. Level 1 books use short sentences and easy words that repeat, and the pictures help you follow along. Some books also have audio.
A Door Into Hindi, a free course from UNC Chapel Hill, is built around short films with subtitles, and each one comes with a transcript and a glossary. Watch a film once for the story, then again with the words in front of you.
| What You Can Follow | Try This | You're Ready to Move On When |
|---|---|---|
| A word at a time, slowly | A Level 1 StoryWeaver book or a Beelinguapp story | You can read a page before you look at the picture or the translation |
| Short, simple sentences | LingQ Mini Stories or a Foundation episode of Learn Hindi On The Go | You can say what happened without going back |
| Short stories and messages | Linguin stories or a short HindiPod101 dialogue | You can follow a whole story with only a few words missing |
| Everyday conversations | The Comprehensible Hindi Podcast or the A Door Into Hindi films | You can name the main point and one detail |
| News and shows for Hindi speakers | SBS Hindi, Duniya Jahan, or a film with Hindi subtitles | You follow most of an episode without stopping it |
For films and shows, turn on Hindi subtitles, so you read the words you hear. Some Netflix titles have Hindi subtitles. A show about family life at home is easier to follow than a thriller.
Beelinguapp puts Hindi beside a translation in your own language. For the other apps, try one lesson in your language before you pay.
| App | Languages You Can Use It In | Full List |
|---|---|---|
| Bubblegum | 74 | Supported language pairs |
| LingQ | 17 | App Store |
| Linguin | 1 | App Store |
| Beelinguapp | 22 | App Store |
| HindiPod101 | 1 | App Store |
| Pimsleur | 3 | Full list |
| Mango | 2 | Full list |
| Clozemaster | 37 | Full list |
| Hindwi Dictionary | 1 | Full list |
Which Hindi app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning Hindi, start with Bubblegum. Poppy, your AI tutor, writes lessons at your level about things you like. If you'd like a translation right beside each line, start with Beelinguapp. To start with your ears, play a Foundation episode of Learn Hindi On The Go.
Do I need Hindi letters before I start reading?
For most Hindi you'll find, yes, because books, news, and subtitles are written in Devanagari. Once you know the letters and their sounds, you can sound out new words. A few short a sounds drop out when people speak, and you pick those up by listening. Bubblegum's Hindi Letters course teaches them in 16 short chapters, and you can read your lessons in Latin letters while you learn.
Can I learn Hindi from Bollywood films?
Films help once you know some Hindi, because the songs and fast talk are hard to follow at first. Start with slow podcasts and stories, then try a family film you already know the story of. Keep Hindi subtitles on, and watch one scene twice.
Is Bubblegum free?
Yes. Lessons Poppy wrote for other learners are free for everyone to read. Custom lessons cost us money to make, so you need Bubblegum Pro for unlimited custom lessons.
Sources
- Bubblegum: Hindi and the Hindi Letters course
- LingQ: Hindi course library, including LingQ Mini Stories
- LingQ: languages, with Hindi in beta
- Linguin: Hindi stories and easy news with audio
- Beelinguapp: Learn Hindi with side-by-side texts and audio
- Beelinguapp: Free and Premium stories
- HindiPod101: the app
- Learn Hindi On The Go (podcast)
- Comprehensible Hindi Podcast
- SBS Hindi (podcast)
- BBC Hindi: Duniya Jahan (podcast)
- StoryWeaver: Hindi picture books
- StoryWeaver: Reading levels
- UNC Chapel Hill: A Door Into Hindi
- Netflix Help: subtitle and audio languages, including Hindi
- r/Hindi: Hindi podcasts for learners are hard to find
- Pimsleur: Learn Hindi
- Mango Languages: Hindi
- Clozemaster: Learn Hindi online
- Hindwi Dictionary on the App Store
- LingQ: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- Linguin: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- Beelinguapp: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- HindiPod101: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- Pimsleur: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- Mango: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- Clozemaster: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- LingQ
- HindiPod101
