WorldExecutivesDigest.com | The Ultimate Guide to the Best Foreign Language Learning Apps | Are you looking to learn a foreign language, but aren’t quite sure where to begin?
There are a lot of benefits to learning a foreign language. Not only can it make travel easier, but learning a foreign language can also advance your career, boost your confidence, strengthen your brainpower, and so much more. Plus, learning a foreign language is a lot of fun!
But paying for tutors and classes can also put a huge dent in your wallet. Luckily, there are a lot of excellent foreign language learning apps out there that allow you to learn a new language from the comfort of your home at an affordable price.
Which ones should you be downloading?
Check out this guide to learn about the best foreign language learning apps.
1. Duolingo
Without a doubt, Duolingo is one of the best language learning apps on the market.
Duolingo currently offers 95 language courses in 38 different languages with plans to add even more. The app has over 300 million users worldwide, making it one of the most popular language learning apps of today.
The great thing about Duolingo is that it helps you learn a new language in a variety of different ways. In the app, you’ll be given different assignments that require listening, writing, and even speaking.
If you have trouble sticking to a language learning plan, this app can also help you stay motivated. The app nudges consistency by allowing users to accomplish daily streaks, level up, earn points and virtual “currency”, and compete with others around the globe via the app’s virtual leaderboard.
Duolingo even offers additional learning resources, such as Duolingo Stories and Duolingo Events. Duolingo Stories are available to Spanish, German, French, and Portuguese learners of beginner and intermediate level. You can listen to a variety of different short stories to improve your listening comprehension.
Duolingo Events helps you connect with other language learners in your area for conversation practice. Duolingo is free on both iOS and Android devices.
2. Talkbox
Talkbox is another language learning app that’s definitely worth checking out, primarily because of its unique approach to teaching languages.
Talkbox is actually a subscription service that gives parents the tools they need to teach their kids a foreign language, even if they don’t know the foreign language themselves. With Talkbox, you sign up for a subscription and then get language guides mailed to your doorstep periodically.
Once you sign up, you also get access to the members’ only app, where you can immediately start practicing with native speaker audio. Currently, Talkbox has 12 different languages to choose from. If you’re looking to learn a language as a family, this is a great app to check out.
You can click here to learn more about all that Talbox has to offer.
3. Memrise
Do you feel like you’re struggling to remember important vocabulary words in your target language?
If so, then Memrise is the app for you. The great thing about Memrise is that every learning game and technique is based on science, which allows you to learn your target language at a more efficient pace.
The app offers a variety of games, simulated text message conversations, and even videos featuring native speakers. This way, you can study your target language in a number of different entertaining contexts.
You can even record your pronunciation and the app will tell you whether you’re saying it right or you need improvement. While you can download the basic version of Memrise for free, a subscription will get you access to all of the key features and full courses.
Memrise currently offers 23 languages and is designed for ages 12 and up.
4. Rosetta Stone
Founded in the early 90s, Rosetta Stone is considered by many to be the OG of online language learning tools.
While you can still purchase the Rosetta Stone computer programs, the company now also offers an extremely user-friendly app. You can use the app to learn over 20 langues, including Vietnamese, Russian, Arabic, and Dutch.
While the app comes with a lot of amazing features, one of the best features is undoubtedly the Phrasebook. The Phrasebook is a compendium of sayings, basic greetings, and expressions in your target language.
The app also comes with audio stories that help you improve your listening comprehension in your target language, as well as speech recognition software that helps teach you the correct pronunciation of words.
Rosetta Stone also comes with an extended learning feature in which you’ll gain access to an online community of native speakers and fellow students whom you can practice your new language with.
5. Babbel
One of the biggest barriers to learning a new language is gaining the confidence to speak it in front of others.
Babbel helps learners break down this barrier by getting you to speak on your first day of learning. Through interactive courses for beginner, intermediate, and advanced students, Babbel helps you learn your target language through reading, writing, listening, and speaking.
All of the activities through the app are broken down into 10 to 15-minute chunks of time, making this app suited for even the busiest of learners. The great thing about Babbel is that it places less emphasis on memorizing conjugations and grammar rules and more emphasis on helping you carry out a real-world conversation.
So, if your main goal of learning a new language is to be able to communicate with native speakers, then this is the app for you.
Foreign Language Learning Apps: Time to Start Learning!
Now that you know about the best foreign language learning apps, it’s time to start learning. Pretty soon, you’ll be well on your way to fluency in your target language.
Be sure to check back in with our blog for more language-learning tips and tricks.