The easiest way to learn Azerbaijani is to learn the Azerbaijani alphabet, and then read and listen to short, easy Azerbaijani about things you already like, checking the translation when you need it. Leave tables of word endings and long word lists for later, because easy Azerbaijani keeps showing you the most common words and endings. Below are the first steps in order, and some easy Azerbaijani to start with.
Is Azerbaijani Easy to Learn?
Azerbaijani is easy to start, and it takes a long time to learn well. The alphabet takes a few short sessions, while the words and their endings take much longer, and the U.S. Foreign Service Institute puts Azerbaijani in the third of its four groups for English speakers. Our guide to the fastest way shows how long it takes.
Three things make the start easier than it looks.
- A Familiar AlphabetAzerbaijani uses 32 Latin letters, and only seven of them, ç, ə, ğ, ı, ö, ş and ü, are new to English readers.
- No Gender to LearnAzerbaijani nouns have no gender, and there are no words for “the” or “a” to learn.
- Words You Already KnowMany Azerbaijani words look like English ones, such as taksi (taxi) and telefon (telephone).
What Is the Easiest Way to Start?
The easiest way to start is to learn the letters, then spend your time on short Azerbaijani you enjoy, one small step at a time.
- Learn the Alphabet FirstLearn the seven new letters and the familiar ones with new sounds in two short chapters of Bubblegum's free Azerbaijani Alphabet course.
- Read About What You LoveRead short dialogues about food, music, or anything else you already enjoy.
- Listen While You ReadPlay the audio as you read, so each word's sound and spelling go together.
- Hide the TranslationKeep the English hidden, and check it only when a line stops you.
- Save a Few WordsSave only the few words you want to keep from each lesson.
- Say a Line Out LoudRead a line aloud whenever it feels fun, like Salam (hello) or Sağ ol (thanks).
Bubblegum is a language app for reading and listening to Azerbaijani at your level, with lessons that Poppy, its AI tutor, writes about the things you like. Words you save come back inside new lessons through Regenerative Review™, so reviewing them means reading more Azerbaijani.
What Makes Azerbaijani Feel Hard, and How Can You Make It Easier?
Four parts of Azerbaijani feel hard at first, and each one gets easier when you meet it again and again in easy Azerbaijani.
| What feels hard | The easy fix |
|---|---|
| Long words made of endings | Find the root at the start of the word, then read the endings one at a time, as in kitab (book), kitablar (books) and kitablarda (in the books). Easy reading shows you the same few endings many times. |
| Endings that change their vowel | An ending matches the vowels of the word it joins, so "at home" is evdə and "in the car" is maşında. You learn which form goes where by seeing each one in sentences. |
| The verb at the end of the sentence | Short lines like Mən çay içirəm (I'm drinking tea) put the verb last, and after many of them the order starts to feel normal. |
| Two letters for i | Dotless ı and dotted i are different sounds, so xalı means carpet and xali means empty. Learn each word from its audio, and the two sounds start to stand apart. |
What Is Easy Azerbaijani to Start With?
Easy Azerbaijani to start with is short and slow, and it is about something you enjoy.
| What | Why it's easy | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Learn Azerbaijani with Sevda | Its videos teach everyday phrases, and several learners suggest it for getting started. | youtube.com/@sevdat |
| Azerbaijani Fairy Tales | Cartoons tell fairy tales you may already know, such as The Ugly Duckling, so the story helps you follow. | youtube.com/@AzerbaijaniFairyTales |
| The Peace Corps' Azerbaijani manual | This free textbook starts with the alphabet and comes with 23 audio lessons. | files.peacecorps.gov |
| GLOSS | Free reading and listening lessons from the U.S. Defense Language Institute are sorted by level, once you know some words. | gloss.dliflc.edu |
If a new word shows up in almost every line, switch to something easier.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the easiest way to learn the Azerbaijani alphabet?
Learn the seven new letters first, then the familiar letters that make a different sound, like c, which sounds like the j in jam, and x, which sounds like the ch in loch. Bubblegum's free Azerbaijani Alphabet course works this way in your browser, and you can tap each example word to hear it.
Can I learn Azerbaijani just by watching films and series?
Not at the start, because most of an episode goes by too fast for a beginner to learn from. Series help more once you can follow a simple conversation, especially with Azerbaijani subtitles on. Many Azerbaijani videos on YouTube, such as İctimai TV's series, have automatic Azerbaijani subtitles, and Language Reactor can show a translation beside them.
Is Azerbaijani similar to Turkish?
Yes. Turkish and Turkmen are Azerbaijani's closest relatives, according to UCLA's Center for Near Eastern Studies, so if you know Turkish, many words and endings will look familiar. Some words look alike and mean something different, so learn them from Azerbaijani sentences.
Which Azerbaijani app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning Azerbaijani, start with Bubblegum. Poppy writes lessons at your level about things you like. For courses, tutors and speaking practice, see our comparison of Azerbaijani apps.
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.
The Azerbaijani Alphabet course on this site is also free and needs no account.
Sources
- UCLA Center for Near Eastern Studies, Azeri / Azerbaijani (32 letters; no gender and no words for the or a; vowel harmony; the verb comes last; Turkish and Turkmen are its closest relatives)
- U.S. Department of State, Foreign Language Training (FSI language categories)
- Wikipedia, Azerbaijani alphabet (c and x sounds)
- Peace Corps Azerbaijan: Azerbaijan Language Manual (free textbook with audio lessons)
- GLOSS, Defense Language Institute: Azerbaijani lessons for reading and listening, sorted by level
