The best way to learn Nigerian Pidgin is a mix: mostly Nigerian Pidgin you can understand, plus review and real conversation, with the balance set by your goal. Nigerian Pidgin you can mostly understand is called comprehensible input. Below, you'll see what each way of learning builds and the mix that suits six common goals.
Which Ways of Learning Nigerian Pidgin Work Best?
Reading and listening to Nigerian Pidgin at your level works best, and each other method adds one skill on top of it.
| Method | What it builds | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Reading and listening at your level | Words, grammar and listening | Most of your time |
| A structured course | An order for the basics | Your first months |
| A tutor or conversation partner | Speaking and quick replies | Using what you know |
| Flashcards or other review | Words that stay with you | A few minutes each session |
| Radio, films and comedy skits | Pidgin at natural speed | Fun, once you follow most of it |
| Grammar study | How little words like dey and na work | Patterns that confuse you |
Input is the base of the mix: a 2016 review of 49 studies in Reading in a Foreign Language, a University of Hawaii journal, found that reading a lot of easy material improves reading in a new language.
What Is the Best Way to Learn Nigerian Pidgin for Your Goal?
For every goal, the best way is the same base of reading and listening, with the rest of your time on the skill that goal needs most.
- Talk With Family or FriendsRead and hear lots of everyday conversations, and spend the rest of your time talking with them or with a tutor.
- Travel to NigeriaSpend most of your time on short dialogues about buying food at the market and getting around, and say each one out loud.
- Live in NigeriaRead and hear Pidgin about your neighbors and the market, and listen to Wazobia FM's station in your city, such as Lagos, Abuja, Kano, Onitsha or Port Harcourt.
- Watch Nollywood and SkitsPut most of your time into listening, starting with short news videos and moving on to comedy skits and films.
- Enjoy Nigerian MusicRead and listen at your level most of the time, and read the lyrics of songs you like with a translation beside them.
- Follow the NewsSpend most of your time reading short stories, and move on to BBC News Pidgin once everyday conversations feel easy to follow.
To see what to do at each level, read our guide on how long it takes to learn Nigerian Pidgin.
What Are the Best Resources for Each Part?
Each part of the mix has a good free option, such as Naija Guru for short stories or BBC News Pidgin for news, and an app or service for when you want more. Bubblegum, which appears in a few rows, is a language app where Poppy, an AI tutor, writes Nigerian Pidgin lessons at your level about things you like.
| Part | Free option | App or service |
|---|---|---|
| A first course | Free starter lessons on NKENNE, with audio and captions | NKENNE's full course with Premium, or NaijaPidgin Academy, an online course with videos and quizzes |
| Reading and listening at your level | Short stories with audio on Naija Guru, and picture books on African Storybook | Bubblegum, with lessons that fit your level and interests |
| Radio, films and news | BBC News Pidgin for news, and comedy skits from Broda Shaggi on YouTube | The Wazobia FM app for Pidgin radio, or Konfam FM |
| Review | Rereading Naija Guru's mini stories, which repeat everyday sentences | Bubblegum's Regenerative Review™, which brings saved words back in new lessons, or the flashcards in NKENNE's lessons |
| Conversation | A language exchange on Polyglot Club | A tutor on italki, or practice with a speaker on NKENNE's LiiVE |
| Words and grammar | The Naija Guru dictionary, which also has grammar lessons in simple English | uTalk, with words and phrases recorded by Nigerian speakers |
What Should You Avoid?
Avoid anything that keeps you from real Nigerian Pidgin you can follow.
- Only Hearing News PidginIn a 2023 survey, some Nigerian university students said BBC News Pidgin sounds more formal than the Pidgin they speak, so hear everyday Pidgin in skits and talk shows too.
- Lists With No SentencesSave words from lines you have read, so each one comes with an example of how it is used.
- Radio You Can't Follow YetSave Wazobia FM and Nollywood films for when you can follow a simple conversation, and read Naija Guru's mini stories before that.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it better to learn Nigerian Pidgin with an app or a teacher?
Use an app for the hours of reading and listening, and a teacher for speaking and corrections. Lessons with a tutor on italki are paid, so spend that time talking, and do your reading and listening on your own. Some italki tutors also teach Yoruba, Igbo or English, so read each profile to see how they teach Pidgin.
Should I learn Nigerian Pidgin grammar first?
No. Learn grammar from the Pidgin you read and hear, and look a pattern up when it confuses you. A rule is easier to learn once you have seen it a few times: after I no sabi am (I don't know it) and I no dey come (I'm not coming), it is easy to spot that no before a verb means not.
Which Nigerian Pidgin app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning Nigerian Pidgin, start with Bubblegum. Poppy writes lessons at your level about things you like. Our Nigerian Pidgin app comparison covers courses, tutors and vocabulary apps too.
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 your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons.
Sources
- Jeon and Day (2016), The effectiveness of ER on reading proficiency: A meta-analysis, Reading in a Foreign Language 28(2), University of Hawaii
- University of Hawaiʻi Charlene Sato Center, Language Varieties: Naijá (Nigerian Pidgin), by David Esizimetor and Francis Egbokhare (de as a progressive marker, na as a focus marker)
- Wikipedia: Nigerian Pidgin (I no sabi am, "I don't know it")
- NKENNE: Learn Nigerian Pidgin (free starter lessons, Premium for the full course, LiiVE practice)
- Naija Guru: mini stories with audio
- Language Matters: Attitudes of Nigerians Towards BBC Pidgin (2023)
- Polyglot Club: Nigerian Pidgin (free language exchange)
- italki: Nigerian Pidgin tutors
