The fastest way to learn Twi is to spend most of your study time on Twi you can mostly understand. That kind of Twi is called comprehensible input. What you read and listen to should change as you improve, so the plan below shows what to do at each level and how to split an hour of study.
What to Do at Each Level
Find the level that sounds like you. Its bar shows how to spend an hour of study.
- First Week
I can't read the Twi alphabet yet.
Learn the Alphabet 40 min. Listen 20 min.
Twi has 22 letters, and only two of them, ɛ and ɔ, are new to English readers. Learn those and pairs such as ky and tw, which spell one sound each, and listen to easy Twi while you do, so the sounds start to feel familiar.
- Level 1
I can sound out words but not much else.
Read and listen 35 min. Review 15 min. Speak 10 min.
Read the easiest picture books in Asante Twi or Akuapem Twi on African Storybook, and listen to short everyday chats for beginners twice. Review the words you saved, then say a few lines out loud.
- Level 2
I can handle simple exchanges.
- Level 3
I follow conversations on familiar topics.
Read and listen 40 min. Review 5 min. Speak 15 min.
Listen to the dialogues on the Just Speak Twi podcast, and play each one again without reading along. Read Twi web pages you pick, and talk about what you heard and read for longer.
- Level 4
I understand most content but miss some nuance.
Read and watch 45 min. Review 5 min. Speak 10 min.
Watch a Twi drama series such as Yantah, one episode a week, with subtitles at first. Talk about each episode with a tutor or a friend.
- Level 5
I read complex topics but rare words slow me down.
Read and watch 50 min. Speak 10 min.
Listen to Twi radio such as Adom FM, and watch Twi films without subtitles. Look up only the words that block the story.
- Level 6
I read at near-native level.
Read and watch 50 min. Speak 10 min.
Follow Twi talk radio, films and longer Twi texts, and talk about them, for their own sake.
Move up a level when your lessons start to feel easy, and move back down if you lose the thread by the third line.
How Long Does It Take to Learn Twi?
Twi is not on the U.S. Foreign Service Institute's list, and its only relative there, Swahili, takes about 36 weeks of full-time classes, or 828 class hours, to reach professional fluency. Both belong to the Niger–Congo family, where Twi is in the Kwa group and Swahili is in the Bantu group, so they are distant relatives.
| Language | FSI group | Full-time weeks |
|---|---|---|
| Spanish | Category I | 30 |
| Swahili | Category II | 36 |
| Russian | Category III | 44 |
| Japanese | Category IV | 88 |
| Twi | Not listed | No estimate |
FSI's 36 weeks for Swahili, at 23 class hours a week, come to 828 class hours. Here is how long 828 hours take at different amounts of study a week:
| Study per week | FSI estimate for Swahili (828 hours) |
|---|---|
| 3½ hours | About 4½ years |
| 7 hours | About 2¼ years |
| 14 hours | About 14 months |
| 28 hours | About 7 months |
These are class hours, so treat them as a rough guide. Time you spend understanding Twi on your own counts too.
What Slows Learners Down
- Reading Without ListeningTwi uses the pitch of your voice to tell words apart, and everyday Twi writing does not show it. Hear each new word before you say it.
- Mixing VarietiesAsante Twi and Akuapem Twi use some different words, so yes is aane in Asante and yiw in Akuapem. Pick the one your family or friends speak, and check which one a lesson or tutor uses.
- Content Far Too HardA Twi film where you know one word in five teaches you very little.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Twi app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning Twi, start with Bubblegum. Poppy writes lessons at your level about things you like. Our Twi app comparison covers courses, tutors and speaking apps too.
Can I learn Twi in three months?
You can learn the Twi alphabet and enough Twi to greet people and talk about yourself. At 14 hours a week, three months is about 180 hours, which is about a fifth of the 828 class hours the Foreign Service Institute gives Swahili.
How much should I study Twi each week?
Aim for three to five hours a week of Twi you understand, in sessions of at least 15 to 30 minutes. A longer session lets you get lost in a story, which teaches more than five minutes a day, and steady time each week matters more than a daily streak. Our post on deep sessions over daily streaks explains why.
Is Twi hard for English speakers?
The Foreign Service Institute does not list Twi, so it has no FSI group. Its distant relative Swahili is in the second group, which takes longer than Spanish and less time than Russian. The letters are quick to learn, and most of the time goes into the words and grammar, which you pick up fastest from Twi you understand.
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 Twi Alphabet course on this site is also free and needs no account.
Sources
- Wikipedia, Twi-Fante language (22 letters, including ɛ and ɔ; aane and yiw for yes in Asante and Akuapem)
- U.S. Department of State, Foreign Language Training (FSI language categories)
- Wikipedia, Niger–Congo languages (Akan in the Kwa group, Swahili in the Bantu group)
- Wikipedia, Akuapem Twi (tone marks are not used when Twi is written in the Latin script)
