DuolingoDuolingo doesn't teach Assamese, and very few apps do.
About 15 million people in India spoke Assamese in the 2011 census, mostly in Assam. Its script is the Bengali script with two extra letters, ৰ and ৱ. Free sites and more apps are in our best apps to learn Assamese.
Bubblegum
For serious learners, Bubblegum is the best app to learn Assamese. You learn from Assamese you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.
Tell Poppy, your AI tutor, your level and what you like, and she writes your Assamese lessons. If a sentence is hard to follow, ask Poppy to explain it.
With Regenerative Review™, words you save show up again in new lessons, so that you can review words in new contexts without having to use flashcards.
- Poppy writes each lesson around your level and the topics you choose.
- Lessons play AI audio while you read.
- Tap a word to see what it means, or ask Poppy to explain a whole line.
- Lessons are in the standard Assamese of the Brahmaputra Valley, written in the Assamese letters.
- The Assamese Alphabet course teaches the letters, and a second part covers the Assamese numerals.
- Bubblegum can show lessons in Roman letters while you learn the letters, and you can switch back to the Assamese script at any time.
- 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.
- Learn every letter and its sound in the free Assamese Alphabet course.
- Bubblegum teaches the standard Assamese of the Brahmaputra Valley, so it has no lessons in Kamrupi or Goalpariya.
- You can't turn your own Assamese books into lessons. However, you can paste a page in the chat, and Poppy will explain it.
- 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™
- Teaches the Assamese Alphabet
Mobile
uTalk
uTalk teaches Assamese words and phrases for everyday situations, from getting around to seeing a doctor.
- More than 2,500 words and phrases in over 60 topics, such as First Words, Restaurant, Shopping and Doctor.
MobileWeb
Biren's School sells a $15 online course taught in English, with 6 modules and 15 numbered lessons on the script, pronouns and everyday sentences. Several lessons are free to preview.
Taara Tutorial offers online classes in spoken Assamese, with explanations in Hindi and English, and its blog has free lessons on the alphabet, grammar and everyday sentences. Xobdo's Assamese Learning is a free site with lessons on the alphabet and compound letters, a five-day Learn to Speak course and short stories.
| Option | How You Can Start Free |
|---|---|
| uTalk | A free starter topic is open to everyone. |
| Biren's School | Several lessons are free to preview. |
| Taara Tutorial | The blog has free lessons. |
| Xobdo | The lessons are free on the website. |
Which Assamese app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning Assamese, start with Bubblegum. Poppy, your AI tutor, writes lessons at your level about things you like. Or start with uTalk if you want a first set of everyday words.
Do I need to learn the Assamese script first?
Yes, if you want to read signs and newspapers. If you can read Bengali, most letters will look familiar. Bubblegum's Assamese Alphabet course teaches the letters and a second part covers the Assamese numerals, and a lesson can show Roman letters while you learn.
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
- Duolingo: course list
- The Assam Tribune: 2011 Census figure for Assamese speakers (15,311,351)
- The Unicode Standard 16.0, section 12.2: the Bengali script and its Assamese letters
- uTalk: Learn Assamese
- uTalk: what's free
- Biren's School: Online Assamese Learning in English ($15)
- Taara Tutorial: Assamese classes and free lessons
- Xobdo: Assamese Learning (Learn to Read, Learn to Speak, stories)
- Talkpal: Learn Assamese with AI
- Bubblegum
