Many Haitian Creole learners stall in the same place. They know greetings such as Sa k pase? (What's up?) and a few hundred words, and they still can't follow two cousins talking at a family party. In everyday Kreyòl, the words for "I" and "you" often shrink to one letter, so mwen becomes m, and ou becomes w. Phrases learned from lists don't turn into understanding on their own. Comprehensible input is the fix: you spend the same study time on Haitian Creole where you already know almost every word, so the few new ones explain themselves.
What Comprehensible Input Looks Like
Each row below is a sentence. The gray bars are words you already know, and the purple bar is the one that is new.
About one new word per sentence.
At this difficulty you keep reading, because everything around the new word tells you what it means. You work it out yourself, and a word learned that way stays with you far longer than one memorized from a list.
Your Roadmap by Level
Bubblegum sorts every lesson into six levels, and each level is described by a sentence about the learner. Find the sentence that sounds like you, and the row tells you what to read and what to do.
- Level 1
I'm just starting out or know only a few words.
Kreyòl uses the Latin alphabet and is spelled the way it sounds, so read short dialogues with audio and a translation, and say each line aloud. Then try NABU's free picture books in Kreyòl, where the pictures help you follow the story.
Level 1 lessons about welcoming family and friends - Level 2
I can handle simple exchanges.
Read dialogues about topics you care about with the translation hidden, and look up only the words that stop you. Add Chita Pa Bay, a free book of easy readings with audio from the University of Kansas.
Level 2 lessons about welcoming family and friends - Level 3
I follow conversations on familiar topics.
Watch the free Kreyòl videos that Lakou Kajou makes for young Haitians on YouTube, and listen to each lesson once more without reading along.
Level 3 lessons about welcoming family and friends - Level 4
I understand most content but miss some nuance.
Listen to Souvni On The Mike, a weekly podcast in Kreyòl, and read the episode's full Kreyòl transcript after you listen.
Level 4 lessons about welcoming family and friends - Level 5
I read complex topics but rare words slow me down.
Listen to FwoteLide, the call-in show from the Haitian station AlterRadio, as a podcast, and look up only the words that block the conversation.
Level 5 lessons about welcoming family and friends - Level 6
I read at near-native level.
Listen to Haitian radio and read books in Kreyòl for their own sake.
Move up a level when the current one starts to feel easy, and move back down if you lose the thread by the third line. If you still miss short forms such as m and w when you listen, play each lesson's audio a few more times before you move up.
Try It on a Real Lesson
The lesson below comes from Bubblegum, where Poppy, your AI tutor, writes Haitian Creole lessons at your level. You can read it here just as you would in the app. Switch between Levels 1, 2, and 3, and notice which one you can follow while still looking up a few words.
One Situation, Three Levels
From Bubblegum’s guide Welcoming Family and Friends in Haitian Creole. It works here the way it works inside Bubblegum.
I can handle simple exchanges.
Welcoming Family
The family has just arrived at my house. We are very happy.
I went to the market yesterday to buy food. My brother did not come with me.
I bought good vegetables and meat. We want to prepare a good meal for the celebration.
I played *rasin* music in the house. Everyone is listening to it with joy.
Frequently Asked Questions About Comprehensible Input
Do I need to learn French first?
No. Haitian Creole is its own language, and you can learn it straight from Kreyòl. Many Kreyòl words come from French, so French helps you guess some of them. The grammar has its own rules, such as putting the word for "the" after the noun, as in kwizin nan (the kitchen).
Is watching Haitian talk shows comprehensible input?
From Level 4, yes. Talk shows such as Chokarella and Kreyòl Kap Pale are free on YouTube, and Kreyòl Kap Pale also shows how people in different parts of Haiti speak. Below that, most of an episode passes too quickly to learn from, so start with the videos and podcasts in the plan above.
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 Haitian Creole lessons on this site are also free and need no account.
