Babbel does not teach Bengali. Its course catalog covers 14 languages, and Bengali is not one of them, so a search for Bengali lessons inside the app comes back empty.
That gap is worth understanding before you pick an app. This guide covers why Babbel skips Bengali, and the two apps that do teach it, Ling and Bluebird.
What Should You Know About The Bengali Language?
Bengali is the official language of Bangladesh and the main language of the Indian state of West Bengal. It has a script of its own and a long literary tradition, and both shape how you learn it.
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Where Is Bengali Spoken?
Bengali has over 242 million native speakers, and about 43 million more people speak it as a second language, according to Wikipedia’s Bengali language page. That makes it the sixth most spoken native language in the world and the seventh by total number of speakers.
- Bangladesh, where Bengali is the official language
- West Bengal, Tripura and the Barak Valley of Assam in India
- Bengali communities in the United Kingdom, the United States and the Gulf states
Is It Difficult To Learn Bengali?
Bengali asks English speakers for real study time, mostly because of the script and the grammar. The alphabet is the first hurdle, and it is the part worth practicing early.
- The script is an abugida, so every consonant carries a built-in vowel sound that you change with marks.
- Word order runs subject, object, verb, which rearranges sentences you would build differently in English.
- Verbs shift with formality, so the same request has a polite form and a familiar one.
None of that is out of reach, and the writing system is where most learners want to start. Our guide to the Bengali alphabet walks through the letters in order.
What Does Babbel Teach Instead?
Babbel builds short lessons around vocabulary, everyday phrases and sentence construction, which suits a beginner in one of the 14 languages it covers. There are few speaking drills, and advanced learners tend to outgrow the material. Our Babbel review goes through the course structure in detail.
Why Is There No Bengali On Babbel?
Babbel has never released a Bengali course, and its catalog still carries none. Bengali is the seventh most spoken language in the world, so demand is not the obstacle. Building a course for a new script, a new grammar and a full set of native speaker recordings is a long and costly job, and Babbel has concentrated on European languages plus Indonesian, Russian and Turkish.
Which Apps Teach Bengali Instead?
Two apps cover Bengali properly: Ling and Bluebird. Ling runs a full course that pairs the script with native speaker audio, and Bluebird leans on short audio lessons and spaced repetition. Our roundup of apps to learn Bengali compares a wider set.
Ling
Ling teaches Bengali through short units that pair the script with native speaker audio, so you read and hear each word as you meet it. Writing lessons cover the Bengali alphabet stroke by stroke, and a romanization toggle shows the Latin spelling while the script is still new.
Features
- Flashcards with images, translations and native speaker audio
- Dialog, an interactive conversation practice feature
- Writing lessons for the Bengali script
- Mini-games for quizzes, matching, listening and sentence sorting
- Review that saves the words you miss so you can practice them again
Bluebird
Bluebird builds Bengali around short audio lessons you can follow without looking at the screen, narrated from a long list of source languages. It uses spaced repetition to bring words back before you forget them, which suits revision on a commute.
Features
- Audio lessons you can follow hands free
- Spaced repetition that brings vocabulary back on a schedule
- A large library of recorded lessons
- High frequency words and common verb forms
Frequently Asked Questions About Learning Bengali
Does Babbel Have A Bengali Course?
No. Babbel’s catalog covers 14 languages, and Bengali is not among them. The company has not announced one either, so Bengali learners need a different app.
Which App Is Best For Learning The Bengali Script?
Ling, because its Writing lessons take the Bengali alphabet stroke by stroke and its romanization toggle shows the Latin spelling alongside the script. A dedicated alphabet app works too if the script is all you want.
How Many People Speak Bengali?
Over 242 million people speak Bengali as a first language, and about 43 million more speak it as a second language. That makes it the sixth most spoken native language in the world.
Learn Bengali With Ling
Bengali opens up conversations in Dhaka, in Kolkata and in Bengali households well beyond them. Ling covers the language from the alphabet up.
- Flashcards with images, translations and native speaker audio
- Dialog, an interactive conversation practice feature
- Writing lessons for the Bengali script
- Review of vocabulary, conversations and grammar, with the words you miss saved to practice again
Plans start at $16.99, with $64.99 and $89.99 options.
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