How to Learn Hausa With Comprehensible Input

Everyday Hausa spelling doesn't mark tone or vowel length, so the same letters can stand for words that sound different. A spelling guide can explain that in a paragraph. Hearing the difference comes from listening to many sentences you already understand. Comprehensible input is Hausa like that: you mostly follow it, and the situation tells you which word you're hearing.

What Comprehensible Input Looks Like

The picture shows Hausa sentences as rows and words as bars. Gray bars stand for words you already know, and the purple one is new to you.

About one unfamiliar word per sentence, while you still follow the meaning.

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Since you know the other words, the scene helps you guess the new one. At first, that's a picture page with one or two lines. Later, a filmed conversation from Kano gives you enough context to follow a new word by ear. If most sentences lose you, return to the picture stories for a while.

Your Roadmap by Level

Bubblegum names each of its six levels with a sentence a learner might say. Choose the closest one, and treat the stories, films, and news as a loose fit, since they don't use these levels.

1. Level 1

   I'm just starting out or know only a few words

   Read a free picture story on Storybooks Nigeria, like Ina San Karatu, and let the pictures carry the meaning. Then try the sentences further down this page.

   Storybooks Nigeria →
2. Level 2

   I can read simple sentences.

   Watch the first videos of UCLA's Hausar Baka, filmed around Kano, which start with greetings and short questions. Check the transcript after each one.

   Hausar Baka →
3. Level 3

   I can read short stories and messages.

   Listen to the recorded readings in Indiana University's Hausa Reading Kit, part of an archive of older Hausa courses.

   Indiana University Hausa portal →
4. Level 4

   I can read longer texts about everyday life.

   Move on to the later Hausar Baka videos, with longer talks and stories, and replay the parts you missed with the transcript open.

   Hausar Baka →
5. Level 5

   I can follow complex topics, but miss some details.

   Read a VOA Hausa article on a story you already know from English news, then listen to its audio.

   VOA Hausa →
6. Level 6

   I can follow detailed arguments and different writing styles.

   Follow a news story on DW Hausa across a week, and compare how the reports describe it.

   DW Hausa →

When this row feels easy, move on. If most sentences still need the dictionary, step back one.

Try It on a Sentence

Wiktionary lists sannu as "hello", and the same spelling with a different tone is a noun meaning "carefulness". Only your ear and the scene tell them apart. Ruwa means "water". Picture a host who greets a guest with sannu and then offers ruwa, and both words come attached to a scene you can see.

Bubblegum is a language app where Poppy, your AI tutor, writes Hausa lessons at your level on topics you pick. You can play the AI audio, ask her about any sentence, and let Regenerative Review™ bring saved words back in later lessons.

Frequently Asked Questions About Comprehensible Input