Step 1 – Practice reading advanced level written material
Advanced level written materials do not have English translations so you will need to keep your dictionaries and other materials close at hand. You will inevitably encounter unfamiliar words and phrases but at this point in your learning journey you should be able to understand 80-90% of what you read without assistance. If its too mentally taxing to try to read these resources, it’s an indicator that you are likely still at the intermediate level.
Ixtlamatiquetl Frankenstein in Nahuatl by Yan Garcia and Victoriano de la Cruz
(Note: this resource utilizes the INALI orthography)
I can’t recommend this book enough for anyone learning Huasteca Nahuatl. If you want your learning to stick you must find a way to use it. This Nahuatl translation of Mary Shelley’s classic novel Frankenstein, provides just that opportunity. For those wondering, this is a direct translation into Huasteca Nahuatl of the unabridged novel, an extraordinary feat btw. For Huasteca language learners, I recommend you look up the meanings of unknown words and make notes of the definitions as you begin to read. You’ll notice that as you continue reading, the same words will reappear frequently and your reading comprehension will improve dramatically. Another strategy is to have a copy of the English version of the novel nearby so that you can get a better understanding of what is happening on pages where there are many unknown words.
Tlallamiquiliztli inelhuayo by Crispín Martínez Rosas
(Note: these resources utilize the Neo-Classical Nahuatl orthography)
lallamiquiliztli inelhuayo [The Memory of their Roots] (2021) is a novel in the Nahuatl language written by Crispín Martínez Rosas, an Indigenous author from a Nahua community in the Mexican state of Veracruz. Enriched with descriptions of local customs and beliefs, it immerses us in the reality of the inhabitants of a small, Native village engaged in a dispute over land with Church and government-backed paramilitary forces in the 1970s.
Noamoch Katli Nechpoulia tlen Kijtoua Biblia (The Bible in Huasteca Nahuatl)
(Note: this resource utilizes the SEP Nahuatl orthography)
Step 2 – Practice listening to Huasteca Nahuatl native speakers
At this point in your learning journey, you should be able to understand spoken nahuatl when spoken at a slow-to-moderate rate. Native speakers speak at a much faster rate so it is very important that you practice listening to them and try to understand what they are saying.
The Jesus Film – Nahuatl, Eastern Huasteca / Náhuatl de la Huasteca Oriental Language
Step 3 – Explore other variants
At the advanced stage you should know several thousand words. Assuming you also understand the grammar well, you will be able to understand other Nahuatl variants. Watch this video which is in the milpa alta variant (the variant that can be said to be the closest to the Nahuatl spoken by the Mexihkah), and see how much you can understand (also notice how the speaker uses slightly different vocabulary such as nikan ka instead of nikan niitstok, for “here I am”):