The best app is whatever you use to consume media in the target language.
The only way to acquire a language is to expose yourself to it in a natural context. You can’t acquire a language just by studying with flashcards or grammar exercises or whatever – any app that offers enhanced versions of those will at best be a minor supplement to actually using the language.
Your comments seems to imply that just using the language is enough to learn it. This is not necesserily true, especially with more complex grammars than english. You need a source to teach you grammar and basic vocabulary, then you use these basics information to roughly understand spoken language and slowly building up your actual vocabulary and consolidate the rules. You cannot skip neither of those two passages
This is the answer. The answer is Netflix and Youtube. Anything with media using both audio and subtitles in the language you're trying to learn.
You still need a teacher to get you past learning enough basics of vocabulary and grammar to get started (and no, language learning apps are probably not an effective way past that) but once you have enough basic words and you understand how a sentence is put together the answer is to watch media even if you don't fully understand what's being said, paying attention and stopping sometimes to use dictionaries and translators to get you there on sentences you almost get.
I know people who spent years spinning their wheels on learning apps while refusing to sit through media in the target language because they get frustrated or tired by the effort of trying to keep up. It's a bit annoying, but it really works.
To be clear about what I'm saying, the setup is subtitles in the same language as the audio. So if you're learning French you set French audio with French subtitles.
That REALLY helps bind the pronuntiation to the writing and it actually makes it far easier to understand the speech. Assuming you're reading the subtitles at the same time, of course.
You won't understand a lot of it, and you'll have to put up with the frustration of losing the plot often for a while, but it does help, in my experience.
Subtitles in your own native language just make you tune out the audio and read the dialogue. That's not helpful.
I’ve enjoyed using Mango. It’s always been free but there’s a paid version now too. It dives right into useful conversation, but gives cultural context before, like formal/informal or when certain phrases are used. It has flash cards built between lessons to help with memorization and you can even record your pronunciation and hear/see the audio clip and how it compares to how you are saying it. It also has the ability to download lessons for offline use. I first used it because it was one of the only apps/websites that specifically taught the Levantine dialect of Arabic not found on other apps.
If you use it for sçhool, or a private course I can recomend QUIZLET. You can connect units from other users, or create your own. It’s a bit like a free Version of PHASE 6 (I only know the free Version of QUIZLET…)
I quite like busuu for Spanish so far. It is a lot better than Duolingo trash as it actually explains things rather than just throwing stuff at you that is often incorrect anyway.
They currently have 75% off if that makes a difference to you but I don’t pay for it and have been having a fine time with it just watching a short advert every now and then.
I started using Busuu yesterday: I like it too for the languages they have, and while they don’t have all languages they make up for it with good learning materials.
Though I’m not sure about the inclusive words for French due to my convictions as a Christian.
Oh, there’s a new course on Busuu for French that I don’t like that deals with inclusive terms I’m probably not confortable talking about anymore since they deal with genders and sexuality.
I’m trying to be a Christian instead and not talk about those things in my faith, but that doesn’t mean I’ll be learning what is supposed to be teaching me French with weird terminology.
Nice excuse for your own laziness and immaturity. My advice is to stop learning other languages if you can’t handle the tiniest of opinions. Part of language learning is cultural humility, you’re just a culture pig who needs their feelings coddled.
I got a lifetime purchase of Lingodeer a while back, for super cheap during a back to school type sale I want to say in the $70 range. I’m trying to learn German but it has a good number of available languages. I’m not sure how it compares to other apps but I find it works well enough for me
The most important factor in language learning is consistency. So try to find something that is fun and engaging for you. Anki for vocab + textbooks or youtube lectures for grammar is one of the cheapest options.
Your answer is probably going to depend on the language and your learning style and preferences.
Personally I’ve found Duolingo to work pretty well as an English speaker learning esperanto, I can also recommend Lernu if you happen to be interested in esperanto. I’ve personally never had much luck learning other languages no matter how I try so I can’t really offer any recommendations for other languages, but it’s probably worth to keep in mind that what does or doesn’t work for others may be different for you, so don’t be afraid to try out some different programs to see what works best for you
I just searched duckduckgo and linked the website. Not trying to peddle their products. Just thought it’d be more convenient to provide a link. Didn’t realize that it was an affiliate link. Just edited that off the URL.
Anki is a lot more robust than just about anything else out there. Particularly as a supplement to other learning. I’ve been through a lot of different language learning systems and my anki decks have been a constant throughout.
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