Knowing how to communicate in a foreign language is useful for anyone who becomes stranded and needs to do what Romans do in Rome to find their way home. It’s the year 2021, and some things don’t require a penny to be taken from you. Language learning is a common example. Most of these apps are free to download, but they are subscription-based; you subscribe to what you want to learn and stay up to date with it. In this article, we will look at the best language learning apps in 2021. 2021’S BEST LANGUAGE LEARNING APPS
Lirica
If you listen to a song enough times, you’ll eventually learn all the words — even if they’re in a different language. But how do you decipher what they mean? Here’s where the Lirica app comes in handy. This app is one-of-a-kind in its approach to teaching Spanish and German. Lirica uses popular music by Latin and reggaeton artists to help you learn language and grammar instead of traditional teaching methods. You’re not only learning the language; you’re also immersing yourself in the culture that surrounds it. While you’re learning, the app also includes facts about the artist. Lirica is a mobile app that uses music to teach languages. Lirica has a one-week free trial period, after which it costs around $4 per month. For the time being, the app only supports Spanish and German, but its website states that more languages will be added in the future.
Babbel
Lesson Nine GmbH, doing business as Babbel, is a German subscription-based language learning app and e-learning platform that has been available in multiple languages since January 2008. Babbel reminded me the most of a foreign language course you’d find in an online school curriculum. The Babbel app’s minimalist design keeps a new language (French for me) from becoming overwhelming while also keeping it interesting. Each lesson walks you through translations, including variations of the word or phrase, pictures, and whether the language is formal or informal. The letters are included if you are asked to spell a phrase. You can also see the new words you’re learning in context, listen to them (if you have audio enabled), repeat the phrases, and learn more about verb groups. The 15-minute language lessons are simple to fit into your schedule, whether it’s during your commute, before bed, or during your lunch break. The My Activity module allows you to keep track of your entire progress. Babbel is available for free, or you can subscribe to a package. A three-month subscription costs $27, a six-month subscription costs $46, and a year subscription costs $75.
FabuLingua
It’s a Spanish language learning app designed for kids. FabuLingua is more like a mobile game as it teaches your kids through interactive stories and fun games and delivers comprehensible input in Spanish using winning methodologies. In this app, kids have an opportunity to develop both their reading and speaking as well as listening skills. FabuLingua is a perfect choice if you want to both have fun and invest in your education.
MONDLY
Mondly is a fun, colorful app with a variety of features that you can use even if you don’t have a premium subscription. When you tapped on verbs, it offered to show you different conjugations. The app includes images, translations, and auditory aids to support your preferred learning style. The instructor also speaks the words and phrases melodically, making it easier for you to remember them (even after trying different languages on different apps). In addition, for the next five days, Mondly is offering a significant discount on its Premium features. Lifetime access to Premium (which includes all 41 languages) is normally $2,000 per year, but has been reduced to $90.If you upgrade to Premium, you will also gain access to special children’s lessons. Mondly is an EdTech company that creates a freemium language-learning platform with a website and apps that offer free and paid courses in 33 languages. The company also provides virtual and augmented reality training.
DUOLINGO
The app’s colorful interface and short, game-like exercises make it a lot of fun. The app does not limit the number of languages you can try to learn at the same time (I think two is a good maximum if you want to retain anything). To avoid becoming rusty on the fundamentals, even if you’ve “mastered” a skill by reaching a higher level, the skill can still “shatter” if you don’t review it regularly. Rehearse the skill again, and it will repair itself. Duolingo is a language-learning website and mobile app in the United States, as well as a digital language proficiency assessment exam.
MEMRISE
Memrise’s use of short videos to show how real locals express different phrases in conversation is one of my favorite features. In addition to showing you the literal translation of the phrase, I explained its gendered usage. The app also assists you in identifying patterns in the language, making it easier to improve your skills. A few lessons are available for free each day, but you can upgrade in the app to choose between a monthly subscription ($9 per month), an annual subscription ($7.50 per month), or a one-time payment of $140 for lifetime access. Memrise is a British language learning platform that employs spaced repetition of flashcards to accelerate learning. It is headquartered in London, United Kingdom.
BUSUU
When you sign up for Busuu, you choose the language you want to learn, and the app guides you through the process of determining how advanced you are, why you want to learn it, and at what level. You then set a daily study goal, and if you subscribe to the premium plan, it creates a study plan to ensure you meet your goal by a certain date. For example, Busuu claims that if I study for 10 minutes a day three times a week, I’ll be fluent in my chosen language in about eight months. A year of premium costs about $6 per month. Even without a premium subscription, Busuu provided useful tools for language learning. There is also a Premium Plus option for about $7 per month that includes additional features. Busuu is a language learning platform that allows users to interact with native speakers on the web, iOS, and Android. There are currently 12 language courses available: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, Polish, Turkish, Russian, and Arabic are the languages supported. Busuu also provides useful reminders: in addition to listening to a phrase paired with a photo of the corresponding action, Busuu includes useful vocabulary tips (such as the fact that “ciao” can mean “hello” or “goodbye”).
NETFLIX FOR LANGUAGE LEARNING
While not technically an app, the free Language Learning with Netflix Chrome extension can help you on your multilingual journey. Install the extension and then click the icon to access the catalog of movies and TV shows. You will, however, require a Netflix subscription. When you launch the catalogue, you’ll be able to choose from hundreds of titles that use Netflix movies to help teach different languages. For example, if you want to practice your Spanish, select the language from the dropdown menu, as well as the country where you’re using Netflix. If you’re watching in the United States, the extension returns 306 titles. Simply click the red “Watch on Netflix” button to watch one of the films. Depending on the language you want to learn, you may have fewer options. Two sets of subtitles appear at the bottom of the screen as the series or movie plays. One set represents your native language, while the other represents the language you wish to learn. Like a karaoke sing-a-long, the words highlight as they are spoken. You can listen to the dialogue phrase by phrase, pause and replay as needed, use the built-in dictionary, and do other things.
ROSETTA STONE
Rosetta Stone, perhaps the most well-known language learning service, has come a long way since its inception in the 1990s. The Rosetta Stone app makes it much easier, but you still need at least 30 minutes to complete a Core Lesson. Last year, the iOS app received an update that included augmented reality. This unlocks Seek and Speak, a scavenger hunt-style challenge. Point the camera of your phone at an object to get a translation in the language you’re learning. Rosetta Stone offers different subscription plans depending on the language — for example, Spanish is $36 for three months, $96 for a year, or $179 for lifetime unlimited access to all of its languages.
DROPS
The app’s bright, colorful design made the language (which has its alphabet) seem less intimidating. The app displays each word in the Greek and English alphabets, says the word, and displays an image of it. Drops is constantly adding new languages; most recently, the app added Ainu, a Japanese indigenous language. If you do not subscribe to premium for $10 per month, you must wait 10 hours before accessing another lesson, but you can view your statistics after completing the lesson (correct answers, incorrect answers, and words learned) and tap on the words you’ve learned to hear them pronounced again (and see them written in the Greek alphabet).
PIMSLEUR
Pimsleur is a language learning app that offers 51 languages to learn but does so in the form of a podcast. Essentially, you’ll select a language to learn and begin a 30-minute auditory lesson (which are downloadable and Alexa-compatible). The app also includes a driving mode, allowing you to practice your language skills while driving without looking at a screen. You are entitled to a seven-day free trial. A monthly subscription to Audio-Only costs $15, while a monthly subscription to Premium, which includes the top 12 selling languages, costs $20. Reading lessons, roleplaying challenges, and digital flashcards are among the features. Based on our research, here is our list of the best apps for language learning in 2021.
