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Best free language learning apps

OlgaC

Member
Are there any language-lovers like me here?
What are your favorite apps for learning a foreign language?

I use DuoLingo to learn Spanish and Italian and so far I think it is the best app that I have found. It's also useful when you are bored for example when commuting to work. Instead of playing a game or browsing social media, you can use the time to learn a new language. :)
 

InvestedWriter

New member
Duolingo is great. So far, it's the best option I have found. I never really got into learning new languages in school, taking my Spanish classes too easy, and I regretted that for a long time. I recently wanted to get back into learning the language, and that app has been a huge help, taking just half an hour each day. I hope to branch out into more languages soon.
 

NeuroSkillz Admin

Administrator
Staff member
My favorite combination of learning is the Anki app to flashcard study the 500 most common vocabulary of a language plus using Pimsleur audio for practicing conversation.
 

A_wrenn

New member
My favorite combination of learning is the Anki app to flashcard study the 500 most common vocabulary of a language plus using Pimsleur audio for practicing conversation.
I’ll have to check these two out. I’ve never heard of them. Are they free? I’ve heard of and used DuoLingo with some not too great success but I would prefer something with more of an “audiobook” kind of approach as most of my time would probably be in the car and would need to be more or less hands free.
 

lifeunrefined

New member
I have to agree with Duolingo as being the best language app out there. I've used it for about 4 years now and I have always been impressed with the updates over the years. As someone starting Duolingo at an intermediate level of Spanish, at times I use some tricks to make it not so easy for myself. I am able to read Spanish pretty easily, so to work on my listening and comprehension skills, I make sure not to look at the screen when the activity displays on the screen. Babbel is another popular app though I do not believe it is completely free. And don't forget the power of Youtube. Duolingo is awesome but nevertheless is a computerized voice. There are hundreds of Youtube channels with native speakers that have games and activities similar to Duolingo.
 

Genelle17

New member
I agree with everyone that Duolingo is the best! I know German decently fluently because I lived there for a period of time and took language courses daily while I was there, but that was 3 years ago and I've forgotten a lot, so I am used Duolingo again now to start to get my memory back on the language! I also plan on travelling back there soon and don't want to forget what I already know. Highly suggest it if you're looking to learn a new language, it offers so much!
 

lashley101

New member
Hello Everyone! I am new to this forum. As I am writing this post I am actually in Colombia doing a legal related human rights internship. I speak Spanish fluently and am also a language lover. The topic of language learning apps is really interesting and my views on them are rather mixed. On the one hand, they can be nice if you need to build a base in a language of which you have no experience. However, I would say generally speaking I am opposed to most language learning apps because it teaches you to translate, which is always burdensome and gets in the way of language learning. I look at translation as the "middle man" if you will that slows down the process of one's ability to reach fluency in a language.

So, with that being said I am a big believer in cultural immersion and language association. For example, rather than telling you "book" means "libro" in Spanish, it is better that I point to the object and repeat "libro." After all, that is how all of us learned how to speak our native language. Rather than language learning apps, I would suggest to a user to watch children's tv shows and read children's books in the language they want to learn. They tend to be more geared toward language-association, as opposed to translation.

Coming from experience and taking from my own journey to reaching fluency in Spanish, that is some of my best advice I could offer to any beginner who is trying to learn a language. #1 tip: cut out translation as much as possible. Obviously, sometimes translation is necessary but if you can minimize it then you will be shocked at how much more you can improve in any language you want to learn.

I am open to any thoughts, criticisms, and questions any of you may have. Thanks!
 

annelill

New member
I actually didn’t like Duolingo too much. I was about to go to Italy for a month and hadn’t spoken Italian in a couple years so I wanted a refresher. Duolingo had me practicing sentences like “the tiger is from the zoo”...not very useful if you’re just refreshing yourself to order food and ask general questions. For a slight short term refresher website/app I recommend Memrise. It has native language speakers saying things so you get used to hearing them and jump right into the useful stuff like foods, how to order, how to ask for directions, etc.
 

lashley101

New member
I actually didn’t like Duolingo too much. I was about to go to Italy for a month and hadn’t spoken Italian in a couple years so I wanted a refresher. Duolingo had me practicing sentences like “the tiger is from the zoo”...not very useful if you’re just refreshing yourself to order food and ask general questions. For a slight short term refresher website/app I recommend Memrise. It has native language speakers saying things so you get used to hearing them and jump right into the useful stuff like foods, how to order, how to ask for directions, etc.
Hi Annelill,

I agree that Duolingo is not that useful for one of the reasons you mentioned. I had downloaded it years ago to try to build a base in French and found that it wasn't useful at all. I was practicing sentences like, "the apple is red." Needless to say, I figured out pretty quickly that Duolingo would not help me in trying to learn French that would actually be usable in a country that speaks French.

I think your much better off doing what you did for Italian and listening to native speakers talk with Memrise (though I've never used this app myself, from your description it sounds like it would be better than Duolingo for example).

Lastly, I think it's worth mentioning that depending on what type of level you want to gain in a language should determine what types of language learning tools you are using. So, for someone who is taking a *short* business or leisure trip to a foreign country and simply wants to learn very, very basic phrases like, "please," "thank you," "can I have _____" etc. then a language learning app like Duolingo or honestly any YouTube video with a native speaker giving beginner lessons should do the trick.

However, if someone tells me, "hey, I want to become fluent in Spanish" for example, I would never ever recommend most language learning apps (like Duolingo) because 1) no one will ever become fluent relying on those types of tools, 2) it takes SO much more than practicing simple phrases like "the apple is red" to gain fluency obviously, and 3) it reinforces my biggest pet peeve in language learning and that's constant translation.
 

OlgaC

Member
Everyone has their own way of learning a language. Of course apps like Duolingo cannot replace face-to-face conversations with a native speaker but it is a good way to discover new words even if you think they are not useful.
It happened to me many times that I learned some new words in Duolingo, and then during a dinner my mother-in-law used them so it helped me to understand the conversation.
I don't think learning only common frases is what one needs. You never know where conversation goes, what words can be useful to learn and what words are not.
As I mentiones earlier apps like Duolingo are good when you are waiting for someone or commuting to work or school. Instead of doing nothing, you can learn new words or refresh your memory. :)
 

Beth96

New member
Everyone has their own way of learning a language. Of course apps like Duolingo cannot replace face-to-face conversations with a native speaker but it is a good way to discover new words even if you think they are not useful.
It happened to me many times that I learned some new words in Duolingo, and then during a dinner my mother-in-law used them so it helped me to understand the conversation.
I don't think learning only common frases is what one needs. You never know where conversation goes, what words can be useful to learn and what words are not.
As I mentiones earlier apps like Duolingo are good when you are waiting for someone or commuting to work or school. Instead of doing nothing, you can learn new words or refresh your memory. :)
I agree that common phrases aren't the only thing you need to know when learning another language. Of course, language learning apps are great for that, but any time I've been abroad, I'm always initially stumped by verb conjugations. If you've got a computer handy, the site Conjugemos is pretty useful for a handful of languages. As far as apps go, Memrise is great! It has fun games, so it doesn't feel as much like you're taking a quiz.
 

OlgaC

Member
I agree that common phrases aren't the only thing you need to know when learning another language. Of course, language learning apps are great for that, but any time I've been abroad, I'm always initially stumped by verb conjugations. If you've got a computer handy, the site Conjugemos is pretty useful for a handful of languages. As far as apps go, Memrise is great! It has fun games, so it doesn't feel as much like you're taking a quiz.
Thanks for the tips! I will check those two apps out.
Verbs are difficult for me too, especially when you have to talk and think how to conjugate verbs at the same time.
If I don't know how to conjugate a verb I just say it in infinitive form, but I feel stupid when I say it and know that it's not a correct way. :D
 

kittykat

New member
For apps, I like Duolingo, like most people here. I use it for French, although I have not used it as a beginner, so I don't really know how it would be for that.
And these aren't apps, but I have found these REALLY helpful in supplementing my French:
- Youtube channel "Easy French" (they have other languages as well), but the great thing about these is that they are interviewing people on the streets for various topics, so not only do you get to hear real language with real dialects, you get to learn different cultures beliefs on different things.
- watching children's cartoons in French
- reading a complex novel in the language- you get exposed to a vast amount of vocabulary and natural expressions
 

lashley101

New member
Thanks for the tips! I will check those two apps out.
Verbs are difficult for me too, especially when you have to talk and think how to conjugate verbs at the same time.
If I don't know how to conjugate a verb I just say it in infinitive form, but I feel stupid when I say it and know that it's not a correct way. :D
Hi OlgaC,

Your issue with conjugating verbs is, again, another reason why I highly discourage people from using language learning apps. You´ve run into the problem of getting stuck on conjugating verbs because you´ve trained yourself to translate from English to whatever it is the language you are trying to learn and you´re relying on simply memorizing a verb in English, translating it, and then trying to memorize that verb in the target language. If you actually wanted to learn a language efficiently, you should ditch most of those apps altogether; trust me when I say that they only slow you down (telling you this from experience) when trying to gain proficiency in a language (if that truly is your goal).

You´re issue with having to ¨talk and think how to conjugate verbs¨ is a major issue that these language learning apps generate. You wouldn´t have to ¨try so hard¨or concentrate so much on conjugating verbs if you didn´t rely on translation teaching apps to teach you. Trust me. Only trying to help.
 

lashley101

New member
For apps, I like Duolingo, like most people here. I use it for French, although I have not used it as a beginner, so I don't really know how it would be for that.
And these aren't apps, but I have found these REALLY helpful in supplementing my French:
- Youtube channel "Easy French" (they have other languages as well), but the great thing about these is that they are interviewing people on the streets for various topics, so not only do you get to hear real language with real dialects, you get to learn different cultures beliefs on different things.
- watching children's cartoons in French
- reading a complex novel in the language- you get exposed to a vast amount of vocabulary and natural expressions
Hi Kittykat,

I think you gave some awesome alternatives to language learning apps above. I especially love the watching cartoons in French example. When I was learning Spanish I did the same and it really sped up the process for me in becoming fluent. Once I felt like I was learning and understanding more, then I turned to watching adult movies and that also helped a lot.

I also LOVE your suggestion for reading a complex novel in the target language. This is such a helpful and useful tip. When reading, we are able to pause at words we don´t know and highlight them etc. So, it´s kind of like a learning-at-your-own-pace way of enhancing your vocabulary and reading comprehension skills...which all help when having conversations with people.
 

dansecaribe

New member
In agreement with what most people have posted here, Duolingo is amazing! Its design makes it more of a game, which hugely facilitates the learning process, which can be very intimidating when it comes to foreign languages. I appreciate how it makes one repeat words in order to ace their pronunciation. I have used it to brush up on my Italian for some classes I took during high school; to learn some basic Norwegian while getting ready to travel there; and to practice some of my Spanish, which is my native tongue.
 

patrick.suchon

New member
I see many Duolingo fans here and I’ll add something. I would strongly recommend Memrise app and webpage! I use it for over five years with effects. There are of course plenty of courses there already made for you to just start but you can also make your own courses. I do just that and I memorize vocabulary for my university courses (+5000 words - three years on Arabic).

You can do basics for almost any language. The variety of courses is astonishing.

The app itself is made a bit like a game - it has levels, points and achievements. It helps you keep up with your progress.

I strongly recommend that one!
 

Krysie_Lee3

New member
@dansecaribe I absolutely love Duolingo! I have been learning Spanish for the past year and I have added German this year. At first I was skeptical about learning a language through an app and did not believe I could actually develop an authentic Spanish accent. After practice and talking with others that spoke Spanish, I was actually exceeded my own expectations!
 

Edzky_18

Member
Count me in to the Duolingo users here! Hehe. It's good that there are many of us here who are into language learning. I believe learning a language is a combined exertion of efforts/time, resourcefulness and really learning by heart. I'm a beginner learner in Spanish and I do appreciate the use of the language apps, though I also browse through related videos and articles, and join language learning community sites where I could talk, chat or converse with native speakers.
 

Moty_Vatyd

New member
I've used a number of different methods to try and learn languages, mainly Spanish and Tagalog, but none have seemed quite right. The old memorization way doesn't work well for me and, as Lashley101 mentioned above, always thinking in a translation mindset might be a hindrance also. I'm going to try the cartoon or picture book method and see if that works better for me. I am glad, however, that there are so many learning avenues to pursue now. I grew up when there was mainly just classroom study. The internet and smart phones have changed that dramatically.
 

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