Awadhi is the language of the Awadh region of Uttar Pradesh, around cities like Lucknow and Ayodhya, and it is written in Devanagari. Duolingo doesn't teach it, and very few apps do, so this page lists the ones we found and what each one teaches.
Bubblegum
For serious learners, Bubblegum is the best app to learn Awadhi. You learn from Awadhi you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.
Say you want to talk with your grandmother in Awadhi. Ask Poppy, your AI tutor, for a lesson on how you would greet her and ask about her week, and she writes it at your level, with audio. Poppy explains any line you ask about.
- Poppy writes each lesson for your level, on topics you pick.
- Each lesson plays AI audio while you read.
- Tap a word to see what it means, or ask Poppy to explain a whole line.
- The Awadhi Letters course teaches the Devanagari letters, each with a picture and a sound.
- You can read in Roman letters while you learn the script.
- Regenerative Review™ brings saved words back in new lessons, and you can export them to Anki.
- Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
- You can't turn your own Awadhi books into lessons. However, you can paste a page in the chat, and Poppy will explain it.
- Awadhi has no written standard. The lessons use everyday Awadhi as it is spoken around Lucknow, Ayodhya, Sultanpur and Rae Bareli.
- 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™
Mobile
Bluebird
Bluebird, made by Pronunciator, teaches spoken Awadhi. Quizzes test your listening, reading and writing.
- 2,000 pre-recorded video lessons, each 15 to 45 minutes long, where you listen and repeat.
- It teaches 2,000 common words and the 100 most used verbs in the past, present and future.
- Lessons can be narrated in any of 146 languages, so you can learn Awadhi through a language you already know.
MobileWeb
Other Apps We Looked At (2)
The Awadh Project is a website by Pankaj M, who is from the Awadh region. It has pages on Awadhi grammar, words, common sentences and everyday conversations.
Google added Awadhi to Google Translate in June 2024, so you can look up a word or a sentence. Wiktionary has a small Awadhi section of 94 entries, like करब (to do) and तोहार (your).
When you can read Devanagari, Hindi Wikisource has Tulsidas's Ramcharitmanas, a long poem in Awadhi. It is poetry, so keep it for later.
| App | Free? | What's Free |
|---|---|---|
| Bubblegum | Free version | 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. |
| Bluebird | Free version | Part of Bluebird is free and has no ads, including new free lessons each day. The optional Premium plan opens all languages, all levels and more lessons. |
| Talkpal | Free version | Talkpal's free Basic Plan lets you chat with the AI for a short time each day. Talkpal Premium removes the limit and starts with a free trial. |
| HelloTalk | Free version | Chatting with language partners is free. HelloTalk VIP removes ads and adds unlimited translations and more new partners each day. |
Menus in your language don't always mean Awadhi explained in your language, so try one lesson before you pay.
| App | Languages You Can Use It In | Full List |
|---|---|---|
| Bubblegum | 74 | Supported language pairs |
| Bluebird | 146 | Full list |
| Talkpal | 51 | Full list |
| HelloTalk | 16 | Full list |
Which Awadhi app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning Awadhi, start with Bubblegum. Poppy, your AI tutor, writes lessons at your level about things you like. Or start with Bluebird, a video course made for Awadhi, if you would rather listen and repeat. The best way to learn Awadhi has a plan for each week.
Does Duolingo teach Awadhi?
No. Duolingo's course list has no Awadhi course. Bluebird and Bubblegum both have beginner lessons.
Do I need to learn the Devanagari letters first?
Yes, if you want to read signs, books or messages written in Awadhi. Bubblegum's Awadhi Letters course teaches them with pictures and sounds, and you can read in Roman letters while you learn the script. Bluebird's lessons are videos you listen to and repeat, so you can begin with sounds and learn the letters when you are ready.
Is there a textbook for learning Awadhi?
We didn't find a textbook written for learners of Awadhi. Start with lessons made for Awadhi instead, like Bluebird's video lessons or the lessons Poppy writes at your level in Bubblegum.
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
- The Awadh Project: Awadhi is the language of the Awadh region of Uttar Pradesh (Ayodhya, Lucknow, Sultanpur and nearby), now written in Devanagari
- The Awadh Project: home page (grammar, basics, words, common sentences and everyday conversations)
- Pronunciator: 164 world languages (Awadhi, spoken in Uttar Pradesh and the Terai of Nepal)
- Duolingo course list (no Awadhi course)
- Bubblegum: Awadhi
- Learn Awadhi. Speak Awadhi. on Google Play (Bluebird by Pronunciator: 2,000 lessons, narrated in 146 languages, in-app purchases)
- Bluebird: the 164 languages you can learn, including Awadhi
- Bluebird: FAQ (what Premium adds)
- Talkpal: Learn Awadhi
- Talkpal on the App Store (languages you can use it in)
- HelloTalk: Learn Awadhi
- HelloTalk on the App Store (languages you can use it in)
- Google: 110 new languages are coming to Google Translate (Awadhi, June 2024)
- Wiktionary: the Awadhi entries (94 headwords)
- Wiktionary: करब (Awadhi, to do)
- Wiktionary: तोहार (Awadhi, your)
- Hindi Wikisource: Ramcharitmanas by Tulsidas
- TalkPal: what the paid plan adds
- HelloTalk: what's free
- Bluebird: what's free
