How to Learn Scottish English With Comprehensible Input

Most of Scottish English grammar is the same as in other English, so the new part is the accent and a handful of words, like wee for small. A list of those words tells you the meaning but not when people say them. You start to catch them without thinking after you hear them in many sentences you already understand. That is what comprehensible input means: Scottish 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.

.

.

.

If a friend says "Look at that wee dog" and you know every other word, the picture tells you what wee 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 series, classes and radio 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. BBC Learning English has an easy series for beginners called The London to Edinburgh Challenge, in which three people race from London to Edinburgh.

   The London to Edinburgh Challenge →
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. Real Easy English from BBC Learning English has a new conversation each week in easy English.

   Real Easy English →
4. Level 4

   I can read longer texts about everyday life.

   BBC Radio Scotland has news, music and culture from Scotland. Listen to the breakfast news for the main idea, then replay what you missed. Read Bubblegum lessons at Level 4 about things you're into.

   BBC Radio Scotland →
5. Level 5

   I can follow complex topics, but miss some details.

   Pick a Radio Scotland podcast on a topic you like and guess new words from the sentence before you look them up. Poppy can write your Level 5 lessons about anything you're into.

   BBC Radio Scotland →
6. Level 6

   I can work out what a writer means even when they only hint at it.

   Read news and listen to talk shows made for everyone, and notice words like outwith, which is mostly used in Scotland for outside. Read Bubblegum lessons at Level 6 about the things you care about too.

Try the next row once this one feels easy. Outside the UK, BBC Sounds plays podcasts, Radio 4 and the World Service, so live BBC Radio Scotland may not play there. Look for its podcasts instead. If most sentences need the dictionary, go back one row.

Here's a sentence written for this guide: The bairn was too wee to reach the shelf, so her dad lifted her up. If you know every other word, the scene teaches you the two new ones: a bairn is a child, and wee means small.

Bubblegum is a language app where your AI tutor, Poppy, writes Scottish English lessons for your level about topics you choose. Voices picked for Glasgow English read 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™.