It goes without saying that the last few years have been difficult for everyone, for different reasons. However, one bright side many people experienced was finally having the time to pursue interests they had been putting off because of other obligations.
Even though it looks like the days of lockdown and quarantine are over for most of the world, you still have the ability to pursue your interests, hobbies, and new skills, thanks to the abundance of resources available!
One of the skills most people want to achieve is learning a new language. Not only does understanding another language increase your confidence, allow you to experience a new culture, and allow you to travel with ease, but it also increases your value as an employee and as a job candidate.
Check out the best language learning apps from 2022 and prepare yourself for an abundant 2023, full of achieving your goals!
Best Apps for Casual Learning
We all have different needs, goals, and expectations for our language learning. If you want to dabble, learn a few phrases or words, or just see if you like a language before diving in, then you’ll probably want to start with an app that doesn’t ask too much of you.
These apps can be utilized in your spare time and don’t take a long time to complete a lesson. Since they’re free, you don’t need to worry about losing your money when missing lessons. Simply practice when you want, however much you want!
Duolingo
Duolingo appears on many lists because it’s one of the most well-known apps. It’s been around for years and continues to improve its offerings consistently. With the free version, you can complete short lessons, go over past mistakes, and monitor your streak. The downside to the free version is that if you make too many mistakes, you are cut off for the day and need to wait to use the app the next day.
50Languages
For learning the basics of vocabulary, spelling, and grammar, 50Languages has an enormous library of content! You can take lessons and quizzes and play games at your leisure to learn a fair amount of the language.
Google Translate
You might not consider Google Translate to fit in with the idea of “language tools,” but it absolutely is! Although notorious for poor translations of complex sentences and ideas, it’s a great resource for learning bits and pieces quickly and on demand.
Instead of waiting for a lesson to bring up a topic you are interested in, you can quickly look up the words you want, when you want. You can even practice your pronunciation!
Best Apps for Intensive Learning
Perhaps you’re ready to take the plunge and pledge to learn a language with dedication. Obviously, you’ll be able to enroll in a much more comprehensive course if you sign up for a paid service, but there are still great free options available!
These apps go deeper into the languages, allowing you to learn more and become more fluent than a casual learner.
Mondly
Mondly utilizes a variety of learning techniques, so no matter your learning style (audio, visual, interactive) you will have part of the lesson in your preferred style.
The app encourages short but daily lessons to keep you on track. Repeated practice is the most important part of learning a language so that all the information will stick in the long run!
Memrise
Memrise is a flashcard app, meaning that it gives you sets of vocabulary to learn via memorization and interactive elements. It’s best for learning large amounts of vocabulary, and you can be sure to learn a lot of useful nouns, verbs, and adjectives.
Best Apps for Learning with Others
One of the best ways to learn a new language is by practicing with others. There are plenty of forums and groups online where you can chat and make calls with fluent speakers, native speakers, and other learners.
But, there are also apps that allow you to easily access this type of education on your phone!
Busuu
The free version of Busuu offers flashcards, cultural insights, and dialogues featuring native speakers!
Not only that, but the app features a huge community of users where you can send and receive prompts to one another. You can give and receive corrections and feedback on these prompts, building relationships with people all over the world and learning from many different speakers.
Lingbe
Lingbe allows you to make a quick call to a native speaker of your target language. This service is really meant for people who already know how to speak at least a little bit in their target language, as the person you connect with is not a teacher who can give you lessons. Rather, they are someone to practice speaking and listening with. This is great for real-world experience, having personal interactions, and learning slang!
HelloTalk
Combining social media with immersive language learning, HelloTalk allows you to text, send audio messages, and make video calls with people who want to exchange languages with you! Match with people who want to learn your language and speak your target language, so you both learn at the same time. You can also create a social media-like profile where you can practice chatting with others in the comments.
Tandem
Tandem is similar to HelloTalk, however, a big difference is being able to make a profile about what kind of practice partner you would like to have. What topics do you want to discuss? What are you looking for from a Tandem partner? What are your personal language goals? You can specify all of these things and more to ensure you match with someone who understands what you’re looking for.
Best Apps for Audio-Only Learning
For many, the only time available for learning is during the driving commute to and from work. You can’t very well be typing sentences, matching flashcards, or having a video call while driving!
The solution is simple: practice with an audio-only format!
You can listen to lessons while driving, performing chores or errands, exercising, walking, or doing other activities that don’t allow you to actively use your phone.
LingQ
This app allows you to listen, read, or read and listen at the same time. You can review a lesson beforehand so you understand the gist of the content, and then practice listening to the audio without having the transcript in front of you to practice your listening comprehension! You can also save new words to flashcards so you can practice learning them later.
Beelinguapp
Similar to LingQ, Beelinguapp has a wide variety of news stories, classic tales, music, and podcasts that you can listen to. It also offers flashcards and a glossary for your reference whenever you need it.
Innovative Language
There are plenty of free resources available with Innovative Language! This company has its own line of podcasts, plus audiobooks for you to download and choose from. It also offers plenty of visual and interactive material, including a daily mini-lesson.
How to Use Apps to Learn a New Language
How can you get the most out of foreign language apps? Beyond simply using the apps, there are a few techniques you can employ to ensure that you learn as much as you can.
Stack Your Apps
Why sign up for only one app? The beauty of free apps is that you can sign up for multiple without the worry of putting a financial burden on yourself. As long as you ensure that there are no free trials that charge your bank account automatically at the end, you can sign up for as many as you want without a care.
Sample as many apps as you would like, and continue using the ones that suit your needs and learning style best. You might get some repetitive information since more than one app will be giving you the same level of lessons, but that just means you will get even more practice with the material.
Repeated exposure to the same ideas in different contexts helps you learn faster and retain the information longer.
Take Notes
Although having everything digitalized is convenient, it might not be the best way to ensure that you learn. For many people, the act of physically writing information down on paper is what helps them learn and remember the information. Write down the things you have difficulty remembering and study them the old-fashioned way. When you encounter it again in your app(s), you should be able to ace it and move on to new things!
Practice On Your Own
Just like any other skill, you’ll learn the best when you practice on your own. Take the initiative to try to think in your target language throughout the day. Label things in your home so you remember the words. Watch your favorite shows with the audio or subtitles of your chosen language. Try reading a children’s book! The possibilities are endless!
It’s never the wrong time to begin learning a new language. Starting with free apps is a great way to jump in while you develop the habit of incorporating the lessons into your daily life. You can learn the bare-bones basics for free, and if you want to pursue more advanced lessons, you can spend money on the harder levels of the language. What is there to lose? Try learning a new language today!
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