8 Best Language Learning Apps for Android (2017)
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One of the most productive things to do in your free time is learning a new language. Regardless of the number of times you’ve already heard this, I know that it’s easier said than done. You may either not have enough time to attend its classes or may not know where to start. But what if I told you that there was a way with which you can learn any new language that you want at any time you find convenient? Yes, you read that right. I am talking about your smartphone. By downloading the right language apps on your phone, you can learn any new language with ease. To help you out, here is a list of the 8 best language learning apps for Android you can use:
1. Duolingo
With over 50 million downloads from the Play Store, Duolingo is a very popular language learning app. When you first install it, you would be prompted to select a language that you would like to learn. You can choose from many options like Spanish, French, German, Italian, etc. The course starts with the translation of some basic words like a boy and a girl before gradually moving to a higher level. You can even listen to the pronunciation of the words being displayed on the screen.
Each course is divided into several lessons. To move to a higher one, you’ll have to complete the ones before it. In case you still want to skip a lesson, you can take a quick test. As a motivation, Duolingo offers experience points that you can set as a daily goal. Furthermore, the app allows you to be reminded daily at a particular time to complete your course.
There are some more cool features that you get with this app. You can join language clubs where you’ll find members learning the same language. You can see their progress and use it as a motivation. Though Duolingo is a free app, you’ll often see ads. To get rid of them, you can buy Duolingo Plus with an in-app purchase. This will also allow you to download the courses for offline use.
Install: (free with in-app purchases)
2. Memrise
Like Duolingo, Memrise offers many language courses, including Dutch, Swedish, Chinese, Portuguese, Turkish, etc. You start off by selecting your expertise level in a language – beginner or skilled, and then carry forward from that level. Memrise focuses on active learning as it offers audio and visual tests after every few lessons. And in case you fail a test, you can take that lesson again.
The lessons can be customized as per your requirements. In the app’s settings, you can define the number of words that you want in each learning and review session. In addition to languages, you can even learn about other topics like arts & literature and trivia. If you want some additional features, you can buy its pro version that is available through an in-app purchase. With this, you can download courses for offline use, get unlimited access to all the courses, and even get video tutorials.
Install: (free with in-app purchases)
3. Babbel
With Babbel, you can take courses in languages like Danish, Spanish, German, French, and Dutch. As there are many lessons in each of the courses, I’d recommend you to register on the app in order to save your progress. Once you start a course, you’ll start with some basic words like greetings followed by corresponding tests. Though you may only be able to take one lesson in each course for free, you can unlock the others by buying subscriptions for individual languages via an in-app purchase. Lastly, to help you learn actively, Babbel offers setting of reminders to complete your course.
Install: (free with in-app purchases)
4. Rosetta Stone
Before I get into the details of Rosetta Stone, let me first tell you that this app works only in landscape mode. That being said, it is a great language learning app nonetheless with some nice animations. Offering courses in languages like Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, Japanese, Italian, and German, you can choose from a total of 24 languages. One of the best features of this app that separates it from the others in this list is its ability to make you practice pronunciations. When you start a course, you learn not only the translations but also the pronunciation for every syllable.
You can see the time and the number of steps that would be involved in any lesson before taking it. After you complete a lesson, you’ll have to take a test in which you’ll be required to score at least 75% in order to move to the next one. Sadly, you can only take one lesson for free in every language. To take more, you’ll have to buy that course with an in-app purchase.
Install: (free with in-app purchases)
5. busuu
busuu is a language learning app that makes learning interesting. It has a “Social” section wherein you can interact with people learning different languages around the globe. The way it works is you get a random simple question and are required to answer it either by writing or by speaking in the language that you are learning. Your answer will then be visible to anyone using the app who has set that language as their native one. Now, they can offer corrections for what you did wrong, if anything. This works the other way round too – you can review the answers written in your native language as well. It is a very addictive yet useful feature.
Coming back to the basics, busuu offers courses in 12 languages including Spanish, French, Polish, Russian, and German. With its free version, you can take a course in a single language at a time. Furthermore, you can only take one lesson. To gain access to more languages and lessons, you’ll have to upgrade to the premium version that can be bought as an in-app purchase.
Install: (free with in-app purchases)
6. TripLingo
Rather than only being a language learning app, TripLingo adheres more to a traveling perspective. If you plan on traveling to a country with a foreign language, I’d highly recommend you to install TripLingo on your smartphone. When you open the app, you can select the country where you’ll be travelling. People in these countries may speak different languages like Spanish, Mandarin, Greek, etc., but the app takes care of that. You can choose to download the audio file for the language beforehand.
Using TripLingo, you can learn how to say common phrases like safety and dining in any language. These include most of the ones that you’ll need to communicate effectively. The app also includes a voice translator built-in. You can use this to translate a phrase spoken in your language to any other language. A couple more features that you’ll find are the WiFi Dialer and the Image Translator. You can use the WiFi Dialer (requires buying credits) to make phone calls while traveling and use the Image Translator to translate any text simply by pointing your camera at it. Last but not the least, the app offers cultural information like the history and economy of a country to make you more familiar.
Install: (free)
7. Lingvist
As of today, Lingvist offers courses only in English, German, Spanish, French, and Russian. You can scale different levels in each of them depending on the number of words you have learnt in the corresponding language. The app offers a detailed view of your progress. This includes the number of words you’ve learnt, the time you’ve spent learning, and the words with which you struggle the most. In addition to this, you can choose a theme between “Paper” and “Cosmos” and even view grammar tips that are categorized into beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels.
Install: (free)
8. Clozemaster
Clozemaster does not exactly offer a full-fledged course in any language, but it is an interesting app that lets you learn different words in other languages over a period of time. Some of the languages offered by the app include Danish, Spanish, German, and French. These languages can be learnt as a game. To start off, choose a language that you want to learn along with your native language, and then you can opt for either a subjective or an objective play. In the subjective play, you’ll have to type a word that completes a given sentence whereas in the objective play, you’ll have to choose one among the given four options.
Install: (free)
SEE ALSO: 10 Best Educational Apps for Android To Learn Almost Anything
Learn New Languages Using The Best Language Learning Apps
While learning a new language may seem like a daunting task at first, it becomes a lot easier when you take the right approach. Though you may enroll yourself in a language class, chances are you can’t take out enough time for that. Having read our list of the best language learning apps, you can now choose any one among them that best suits your needs. So which language app are you using or planning to use? Do let me know in the comments section below.
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