The easiest way to learn Occitan is to read lessons made for your level and look up what stops you right on the page. With Bubblegum, you tell Poppy, your AI tutor, your level and a moment you really need, and she writes a short Occitan lesson in everyday Languedocien.
Book a teacher or find an Occitan-speaking friend when you want to practice speaking with another person.
Bubblegum
For serious learners, Bubblegum is the best app to learn Occitan. You learn from Occitan you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.
- Every lesson is written at your level, about things you like.
- Each lesson has AI audio to play while you read.
- Tap a word to see what it means, or ask Poppy to explain a whole line.
- Grammar topics with examples explain how Occitan works, such as how the plural is formed.
- Regenerative Review™ brings saved words back in new lessons, and you can export them to Anki as flashcards.
- Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
- You can't turn your own Occitan books or articles into lessons. However, you can paste a page into the chat, and Poppy will explain it.
- Lessons teach Languedocien. Other varieties use some different everyday words, such as ostau for ostal.
- 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
Occitan is written in Latin letters, so you can start reading on the first day. Some parts come quickly and others take practice, because Occitan has several varieties and few materials in English. To see how many hours a first course takes, read how long it takes to learn Occitan.
- Letters You Already ReadOccitan uses the Latin alphabet with accents. The lesson audio lets you hear how ò, which sounds like the o in “John”, differs from plain o, which sounds like the oo in “fool”.
- Words You May Already KnowMany words look like ones in Spanish or Catalan. <W lang="oc">tanben</W> (also) is close to también in Spanish and també in Catalan.
- A Plural in -sYou make a plural by adding s, as in <W lang="oc">ostal</W> (house) and ostals, and the articles are lo and los, la and las.
- Start With a GreetingBegin with a line you can use right away, like <W lang="oc">Bonjorn</W> (hello) and Cossí vas? (How are you?).
- Ask for a Lesson About Your InterestsTell Poppy your level and a topic you care about. She writes a lesson so you can begin reading and listening.
- Listen While You ReadPlay the audio as you read, so each word's sound and spelling go together.
- Get Help While You ReadLook up a word or check the translation when a line stops you. Ask Poppy about grammar in the same lesson.
- Save a Few WordsSave only the few words you want to keep, and save each noun with its lo or la.
- Say a Line Out LoudRead a line aloud whenever it feels fun, like a greeting you want to use with a friend. When you want a real reply, add a teacher or conversation partner.
Set aside 3-5 hours a week in sessions of 15-30 minutes or longer. Choose longer texts when you can follow more.
| What Feels Hard | The Easy Fix |
|---|---|
| Several varieties with no dominant one | The same word can change by region, like ostal (house) in Languedoc and ostau or estau elsewhere. Pick one variety, and ask your teacher or lesson which one it uses. |
| Spelling that doesn't match English sounds | In Languedocien, v is pronounced like b, so vida sounds like “bida”. Hear each new word in a lesson before you say it. |
| Courses written in French | The course L'Occitan by Nicolas Quint teaches through French. In Bubblegum, Poppy explains in your own language, and Easy Occitan is a free guide in English. |
| Looking up the right form of a word | Use Dicodòc, which has three Languedocien dictionaries, and check the form in a sentence you have read. |
Choose short, clear Occitan about something you enjoy. Occitan you can mostly understand is called comprehensible input.
| What | Why It's Easy | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Duostories | Each story asks short questions along the way, so you see what you understood. | duostories.org |
| Easy Occitan | It explains pronunciation and basic grammar in English. | easy-occitan.github.io |
| Afars Occitans on ÒCtele | The program mixes French and Occitan, and the subtitles are in French and Occitan. | octele.com |
| Vicipèdia | The Occitan Wikipedia has 91,036 articles, so you can read about a topic you already know. | oc.wikipedia.org |
If you can't tell what's happening, pick something easier.
Should I Learn the Most Common 500 Words First?
No. Learn each word inside a short line. Read and hear the line, then save it for review.
Is Occitan Pronunciation Hard?
Hear a line in the lesson before you say it. Two letters need a moment: v is pronounced like b in Languedocien, and lh sounds like the ll in Spanish botella. Copy one voice in the lesson audio until the sounds feel familiar.
Can I Learn Occitan Just by Watching ÒCtele?
Not at the start, because its subtitles are in French and Occitan, not English. It helps more once you can follow a simple conversation, and it is free.
Which Occitan App Should a Beginner Choose?
If you are serious about learning Occitan, start with Bubblegum. Poppy, your AI tutor, writes lessons at your level about things you like. For courses and tools, see our comparison of Occitan apps.
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
- Easy Occitan: language and pronunciation guide in English (Languedocian)
- Easy Occitan: tool words and basic grammar (articles and plurals)
- Wiktionary: tanben (also; compare Catalan també and Spanish también)
- Wiktionary: ostal (Languedoc: house), with the Gascon and Provençal forms ostau and estau
- Cambridge University Language Centre: L'Occitan by Nicolas Quint (Assimil), a course taught in French with 100 lessons
- Duostories: Occitan (Languedocien) stories
- Toulouse Métropole: interview with ÒCtele (free, subtitled in French and Occitan, Afars Occitans)
- ÒCtele: television 100% in Occitan
- Vicipèdia: Occitan Wikipedia statistics (91,036 articles)
- Dicodòc: the dictionaries of Lo Congrès, including Laus, Lagarde and Cantalausa for Languedocien
