How to Learn Twi With Comprehensible Input

Twi is a tonal language, so the pitch of a word carries meaning, and much of the Twi you'll hear is spoken rather than written down. A word list can give you a word's meaning. Catching that word, and its tone, in a fast conversation takes hearing it in many scenes you already follow. Comprehensible input is Twi like that: you mostly understand it, and the people and actions around a new word show what it means.

What Comprehensible Input Looks Like

Think of each row as one Twi sentence and each bar as a word in it. Gray marks words you know, and purple marks the new one.

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

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Familiar words around the purple one point to its meaning. In the beginning, that means a picture book where the drawing shows what each line says. Later, a Twi film scene gives you enough to work out a word from what the actors do. When most lines lose you, go back to the storybooks for a while.

Your Roadmap by Level

Each of Bubblegum's six levels has a sentence a learner might use to describe their reading, and the first row covers the alphabet. Pick the row closest to you, and treat the books and videos as a loose match, since they don't use these levels.

1. First Steps

   I can't read the Twi alphabet yet.

   Learn the Twi letters, including ɛ and ɔ, and listen to easy Twi while you do.

   Bubblegum's free Twi Alphabet course →
2. Level 1

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

   Read an easy picture book in Asante Twi or Akuapem Twi on African Storybook, and let the drawings carry the meaning. Then try the sentences further down this page.

   African Storybook →
3. Level 2

   I can read simple sentences.

   A Little Twi With Adwoa Lee has listening practice for beginners, like everyday chats. Play one twice and repeat a line you like.

   A Little Twi With Adwoa Lee →
4. Level 3

   I can read short stories and messages.

   LearnAkan posts short conversations with subtitles and lessons built on scenes from Twi films and songs. Watch one scene until you follow it without pausing.

   LearnAkan →
5. Level 4

   I can read longer texts about everyday life.

   Just Speak Twi has simple dialogues for learners who understand some Twi and want to speak it. Listen, then say the lines along with the hosts.

   Just Speak Twi →
6. Level 5

   I can follow complex topics, but miss some details.

   Watch a Twi drama series on YouTube, such as Yantah, and use subtitles where an episode has them. Guess new words from the scene before you look them up.

   YANTAH TV →
7. Level 6

   I can follow detailed arguments and different writing styles.

   Listen to Twi talk radio from Ghana, and follow a discussion on a topic you know. Listen for the proverbs speakers use, and ask a friend what they mean.

Try the next row once this one feels comfortable. If almost every line needs the dictionary, step back one.

Try It on a Sentence

Here are two short Twi sentences. Me pɛ nsuo means "I want water." In Me pɛ aduane, you already know me pɛ, so the scene tells you aduane is the food you want.

Bubblegum is a language app where your AI tutor, Poppy, writes Twi lessons at your level about topics you choose. Each lesson has AI audio, word lookups, and her grammar help, and Regenerative Review™ brings your saved words into later lessons.

Frequently Asked Questions About Comprehensible Input