How to Learn Nigerian English With Comprehensible Input

Nigerian English is mostly the English you already know, with British spelling and a few meanings of its own. Next tomorrow means the day after tomorrow, and gist can mean a bit of gossip or a chat with friends. A word list can tell you that, but you only catch these meanings without thinking after you've heard them in sentences you understand. That is what comprehensible input means: Nigerian English you mostly follow, where the words you know explain the new one.

Nigerian Pidgin is a different language, and this guide is about English.

About one new word in each sentence, while you still follow the meaning.

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Take the line "The meeting is today. The next one is next tomorrow, on Thursday." The days around it show you what the odd phrase means. Read a few sentences. If most have about one new word, keep reading. If you can't tell what's happening, pick something easier.

Bubblegum has six levels, and each starts with a sentence in a learner's own words. Pick the one closest to you. The news and the book in the rows don't use these levels, so treat each row as a first guess.

1. 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.

2. Level 2

   I can read simple sentences

   If you use Bubblegum, read its Level 2 lessons with the translation hidden. Look up only the words that stop you, and say each short line out loud after the audio.

3. 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. Ask a partner on Tandem in Lagos what they would say in a given situation.

   Tandem in Lagos →
4. Level 4

   I can follow longer texts and different points of view

   Watch a Channels Television news bulletin. Follow the main idea first, then watch it again for the parts you missed. Read Bubblegum lessons at Level 4 about things you're into.

   Channels Television →
5. Level 5

   I can follow complex topics, but miss some details

   Watch Politics Today or Hard Copy, which Channels lists among its programmes, and guess new words from the sentence before you look them up. Poppy can write your Level 5 lessons about anything you're into.

   Channels Television programmes →
6. Level 6

   I can follow detailed arguments and understand what is left unsaid

   Look up an expression in A Dictionary of Nigerian English Usage when a speaker's meaning surprises you. Read Bubblegum lessons at Level 6 about the things you care about too.

   A Dictionary of Nigerian English Usage →

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: Come and tell me the gist before the programme starts. If you know every other word, the scene teaches you the new one: the speaker wants the news, and the spelling of programme is the British one.

Bubblegum is a language app where your AI tutor, Poppy, writes Nigerian English lessons for your level about topics you choose. AI voices read every lesson aloud in a Nigerian English style, and you can look up words and ask her about grammar. Words you save come back in new lessons through Regenerative Review™.