BabbelBabbel doesn't teach Marathi. It doesn't teach Hindi or any other Indian language either.
About 83 million people in India's 2011 census spoke Marathi as a first language. It is written in Devanagari, the same script as Hindi, plus a letter Hindi almost never uses, ळ. Tutors and language partners are in our best apps to learn Marathi.
Bubblegum
For serious learners, Bubblegum is the best app to learn Marathi. You learn from Marathi you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.
Tell Poppy, your AI tutor, your level and what you like, and she writes your Marathi 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 for your level, on topics you pick.
- Each lesson plays AI audio while you read.
- Tap a word to see what it means, or ask Poppy to explain a whole line.
- The Marathi Letters course teaches the letters with pictures and sounds. You can read lessons in Roman letters while you learn them.
- 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 Marathi Letters course.
- Bubblegum teaches standard Marathi, as spoken in Pune and Mumbai, so it has no lessons in regional varieties.
- You can't turn your own Marathi 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 Devanagari Alphabet
Mobile
Ling
Ling teaches Marathi in lessons with native audio and game-style challenges.
- Short lessons that start with pronunciation, essential words and greetings.
- Later stages move on to cultural stories, travel guides and news articles, and to practicing conversations.
- Flashcards
MobileWeb
50LANGUAGES
50LANGUAGES shows the Marathi next to your language and plays the audio, so you can read and listen at once.
- 100 lessons with text and MP3 audio, free on the website.
- You can download all the audio in your own language and in Marathi, and listen offline.
MobileWeb
uTalk
uTalk teaches Marathi words and phrases for everyday situations, and its course takes you to an A1 to A2 level.
- More than 2,500 words and phrases in 63 categories, each with audio recorded by native Marathi speakers and a picture.
- Reviews focus on the words you find hardest, and you can record yourself and compare your pronunciation.
MobileWeb
| App | How You Can Start Free |
|---|---|
| Ling | The first two beginner units are free. |
| 50LANGUAGES | All 100 lessons are free on the website. |
| uTalk | A free starter topic is open to everyone. |
Which Marathi app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning Marathi, start with Bubblegum. Poppy, your AI tutor, writes lessons at your level about things you like. Or start with the free lessons on 50LANGUAGES, which come with MP3 audio, or with Learn Marathi With Kaushik, a free self-study course in English that begins with the letters.
Do I need to learn the Marathi letters first?
Yes, if you want to read signs, forms and books. If you already read Hindi, the letters will look familiar, and ळ is the new one to learn. Bubblegum's Marathi Letters course teaches them with pictures and sounds, and you can read your lessons in Roman letters while you learn them.
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
- Babbel: home page, "What languages can I learn with Babbel?"
- Babbel: App Store listing (13 languages plus English, Babbel Speak)
- Census of India 2011, Language (Paper 1 of 2018), Statement 4: Marathi, 83,026,680 speakers, 6.86% of the population
- Wiktionary: the letter ळ, used in modern Marathi and almost completely absent from Hindi
- Ling: Learn Marathi
- Ling: what's free
- 50LANGUAGES: Marathi for beginners (100 lessons with MP3)
- uTalk: Learn Marathi
- uTalk: what's free
- Learn Marathi With Kaushik: Learn Marathi From English
- Bubblegum
