Most of Indian English grammar is the same as in other English, but it has words of its own, like , which means to do something at an earlier time. A word list tells you what a word means. You start to catch it without thinking after you've heard it in many sentences you already understand. That is what comprehensible input means: Indian English you mostly follow, where the words you know explain the new one.
About one new word in each sentence, while you still follow the meaning.
Because the other words are familiar, they show you what the new one means. At first, that means short lines about an office, a train, or a family dinner. Later, a full story in The Hindu has enough clues for you to guess a word yourself. If you often can't follow, switch to something easier for a while.
Bubblegum has six levels, and each starts with a sentence in a learner's own words. Pick the one closest to you. The podcasts and news in the rows don't use these levels, so treat each row as a first guess.
- Level 1
I'm just starting out or know only a few words
The easiest way to start is Bubblegum, where Poppy, your AI tutor, writes short lessons at your level about your interests and goals. If you'd like a teacher, find a tutor who teaches from zero. Give it a few weeks of hard study before you start using apps.
- Level 2
I can read simple sentences.
If you use Bubblegum, read its Level 2 lessons with the translation hidden. If you work with a tutor, ask for a new short dialogue each session and read it aloud together. uTalk's Indian English course is recorded by speakers of Indian English, so you can play its words and phrases to hear them.
uTalk - Level 3
I can read short stories and messages.
At this level you need more words, so read and listen a lot. Bubblegum reuses the words you saved in new Level 3 lessons. Play a short English news bulletin from All India Radio, then listen for words from your lessons.
NewsOnAir - Level 4
I can read longer texts about everyday life.
Each episode of In Focus talks through one news topic with experts. Follow the main idea first, then replay the parts you missed. Read Bubblegum lessons at Level 4 about things you're into.
In Focus by The Hindu - Level 5
I can follow complex topics, but miss some details.
Read a story in The Hindu on something you already know about. Guess new words from the paragraph before you look them up. Poppy can write your Level 5 lessons about anything you're into.
The Hindu - Level 6
I can read almost anything.
Read opinion pages and listen to podcasts made for everyone. Notice words like prepone and how people use them. Read Bubblegum lessons at Level 6 about the things you care about too.
Try the next row once this one feels easy. If most sentences need the dictionary, go back one row.
Here's a sentence written for this guide: The meeting is on Friday, but can we prepone it to Thursday? If you know every other word, the scene teaches you the new one: Thursday comes before Friday, so prepone means to move it earlier.
Bubblegum is a language app where your AI tutor, Poppy, writes Indian English lessons for your level about topics you choose. An Indian English voice reads every lesson aloud, and you can look up words and ask her about grammar. Words you save come back in new lessons through Regenerative Review™.
Bubblegum
For serious learners, Bubblegum is the best app to learn Indian English. You learn from Indian English you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.
- Lessons are in Indian English, read aloud in Indian English accents.
- Lessons are set in India when it fits, and use rupees and British-style spellings like colour and centre.
- 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.
- Beginner lessons stick to plain English, and local words like prepone only come in at higher levels.
- 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™
Mobile
Can I Learn Indian English From the News?
Yes, once you can follow a simple chat. Before that, a news bulletin moves too fast to learn much from, so start with lessons made for learners.
How Much Time Should I Set Aside?
Between 3 and 5 hours a week works well, in sittings of 15 minutes to half an hour or more. Use most of it to read and listen, and save some to talk with a tutor or a friend.
Which App Should a Beginner Choose?
If you are serious about learning Indian English, start with Bubblegum. Poppy, your AI tutor, writes lessons at your level about things you like. Our Indian English comparison also lists uTalk, tutors, podcasts, and news.
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.
