Duolingo has launched its “Learn English from Punjabi” course, extending English learning access to Punjabi speakers in India and across the diaspora. The campaign, conceptualised by Talented and produced by Bushra Shariff’s Calm Kaam, marks Duolingo’s second regional-language course for North India after Hindi, joining Bengali, Telugu and Tamil in its growing portfolio.
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Spoken by over 100 million people worldwide and written in Gurumukhi script, Punjabi has strong communities across India, Canada, the UK, the US and Australia. The new course lets learners begin their English journey directly from Gurumukhi, opening doors to education and career opportunities globally.
Karandeep Singh Kapany, regional marketing director, India and South East Asia, called the launch personally meaningful, framing it as part of Duolingo’s push to make English learning more accessible and culturally relevant across South Asia.
Rather than simply translating its proposition, Talented built the campaign around Punjabi culture, humour and language, centring it on “Ullu Da Pattha” – a phrase typically used to affectionately call someone a fool. The campaign flips a common parental reprimand into something aspirational, with Duo taking on a more lovable, affable persona as he wins people over across Punjab.
Talented’s creatives, Ankush Sabharwal and Leena Gupta, said the phrase gave them a chance to show a softer, more endearing side of Duo, departing from his usual unhinged avatar. Director Anant Sharma added that placing Duo’s signature snark in distinctly Punjabi contexts made the collaboration especially fun.
The “Learn English from Punjabi” course is now live on the Duolingo app.
