Learning Apps
Want to learn from anywhere? Here are some of my favorite apps for those few moments on your morning commute or during your lunch break.
Chatterbug Streams
This is a great app if you really want to practice your listening comprehension skills. It’s filled with live stream videos from A1-B2 in English, French, Spanish, and German. During the live streams, they will likely ask you a series of questions to test your knowledge. It’s fun, interactive, and not repetitive. You get notifications when a live stream is about to happen as well as when it starts.
Busuu
I did try this out for a while…the free version. It’s similar to Duolingo in the sense that you’re learning by interaction and working all 4 forms of communication (listening, reading, writing, and speaking). You can learn something after 10 minutes of playing. There’s also a global community where the technical part of learning (i.e. grammar and/or pronunciation) can be corrected. This works not only with the app, but you can use it online as well.
Mango Languages
I think this app is good for beginners. It works more like flashcards than anything else, but you do get to learn important words and phrases, there’s a built in translator, and you’re able to watch some authentic movies from another language. You can watch them in interactive mode or movie mode if you just want to watch it straight through. You’re also allowed to watch it with both the language and English subtitles together if you need to. They cover a multitude of different topics, and you can always go back and review what you’ve learned. You have conversations you’re able to listen to, some cultural notes in between lessons. I would say this a good app for studying if you have children. This source is free through your public library resources.
Vocabulary Trainer
I don’t think it’s available for iPhone users, but it is a good app if you want to focus your attention on vocabulary as well as useful words and phrases. What I like about it is that you’re not just learning ordinary and useless things. I did pick up some slang terms using the French version of the app as well as some idioms to help me learn common expressions spoken on a day-to-day basis. It works like flashcards and then you get quizzed at the end. Also, this is a 100% free app you’re not limited with what you want to learn in a multitude of different languages.
