The Best Language Learning Apps (and Why Most Don’t Work)

Summary

This video offers a comprehensive guide to mastering foreign languages through various apps. It begins with Duolingo for beginners, assessing commitment and enjoyment. For overall language learning, it critiques visual apps and recommends audio-based ones like Language Transfer and Pimsleur. Anki is praised for vocabulary building through customizable flashcards. Gloss is highlighted for its audio flashcard system, while HelloTalk and Preply are suggested for conversation practice. Beelingua is recommended for reading skills with parallel texts. Lastly, Google Translate's linguistic AI is endorsed for active listening and learning through podcasts.

Takeaways

• 🎓 The speaker graduated college without knowing any foreign languages but now speaks multiple languages fluently.
• 📱 The speaker recommends using language learning apps to facilitate the learning process.
• 🔍 Duolingo is suggested for beginners to answer important questions about their commitment and enjoyment of language learning.
• 🏃‍♂️ Audio-based apps are recommended for language learning because they allow for multitasking and can be more engaging.
• 🌐 Language Transfer and Pimsleur are highlighted as effective audio-based language learning apps.
• 📚 Anki is praised for its flashcard system and the ability to download pre-made decks for efficient vocabulary building.
• 🎧 Gloss is introduced as an audio flashcard system that helps with vocabulary retention through listening.
• 🗣️ To improve speaking skills, the speaker suggests language exchange platforms, such as HelloTalk and Preply, for practical conversation practice.
• 👀 Beelingua is recommended for reading practice, offering parallel texts to improve reading skills in a new language.
• 🌐 Google Translate is useful for becoming fluent by actively looking up unknown words and phrases while listening to podcasts.

Q & A

What is the speaker's language learning journey like?

The speaker started without any foreign language skills and now speaks fluent French, Spanish, Arabic, and Mandarin.

What is the recommended app for absolute beginners in language learning?

Duolingo is recommended for absolute beginners as it helps answer important questions about commitment and enjoyment of learning a language.

Why is Duolingo not the best for long-term learning according to the speaker?

Duolingo is visual and requires constant screen engagement, which can become boring and lead to distractions over time.

What type of app does the speaker suggest for language learning to avoid distractions?

The speaker suggests using audio-based apps because they allow for multitasking and can be more enjoyable.

Which two audio-based apps are mentioned for language learning?

The two audio-based apps mentioned are Language Transfer and Pimsleur.

What is the main drawback of Language Transfer according to the speaker?

The main drawback of Language Transfer is the limited number of lessons, with even the most complete courses having less than 12 hours of content.

How does Pimsleur differ from Language Transfer?

Pimsleur offers more languages, more content, and supplemental tools like vocabulary quizzes and flashcards.

What app is recommended for building vocabulary through flashcards?

Anki is recommended for building vocabulary as it allows for the creation of custom flashcards and the use of shared decks.

What is the issue with flashcards according to the speaker?

Flashcards can become tedious over time, and the speaker suggests using a flashcard listening hybrid platform for sustained learning.

Which app combines flashcards with listening to aid in language learning?

Gloss is the app that combines flashcards with listening by providing phrases in English followed by a native speaker's pronunciation in the target language.

What is the recommended method for improving speaking skills in a new language?

The recommended method for improving speaking skills is through language exchange platforms where you can converse with native speakers.

What are the two approaches to using language exchange platforms mentioned in the script?

The two approaches are the free method, where you exchange teaching with another person, and the paid method, where you pay an hourly rate for lessons.

Which app is suggested for improving reading skills in a new language?

Belinga is suggested for improving reading skills as it provides parallel versions of texts in English and the target language.

How does the speaker recommend becoming fluent in a new language?

The speaker recommends becoming fluent by exposing oneself to the new language as much as possible, such as by listening to podcasts and using Google Translate to look up unknown words.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Language Learning Apps for Beginners and Beyond

The speaker shares their journey from not knowing any foreign languages to becoming fluent in multiple languages and introduces various apps that can aid in language learning. They begin with Duolingo, which is recommended for absolute beginners to gauge their commitment and interest. The speaker then critiques traditional language learning apps that rely heavily on visual engagement and suggests audio-based learning as a more effective and enjoyable method. Two audio-based apps are highlighted: Language Transfer, which offers free lessons in nine languages, and Pimsleur, which requires a subscription but provides more content and supplementary tools. The paragraph concludes with a focus on vocabulary building, introducing Anki, a flashcard app that allows users to create or download decks, and Gloss, an audio flashcard system for more advanced learners.

05:01

🗣️ Enhancing Language Skills with Speaking and Reading Apps

The second paragraph delves into improving speaking skills through language exchange platforms, emphasizing the importance of human interaction for natural conversation practice. HelloTalk is recommended for a free exchange, while Preply is suggested for a paid, more structured approach with experienced teachers. For reading skills, the speaker introduces Belinga, an app that provides parallel texts to facilitate reading comprehension. The paragraph concludes with advice on achieving fluency through active listening to podcasts and using Google Translate's voice-to-text feature for vocabulary expansion. The speaker encourages continuous exposure to the target language and offers to engage with viewers for more language learning tips.

Keywords

💡Duolingo

Duolingo is a free language-learning platform that offers a gamified approach to learning languages. In the context of the video, Duolingo is highlighted as an app that can help beginners answer crucial questions about their commitment to learning a language and whether they enjoy the process. It's used as an entry point for those who are just starting their language learning journey, allowing them to test the waters with a commitment of just 20 minutes a day.

💡Language Transfer

Language Transfer is an audio-based language learning app that provides lessons featuring the voices of a teacher and a student, simulating a private class experience. It is mentioned in the video as an effective tool for learning languages through listening, which allows for multitasking and can be more engaging than visual apps. However, the video notes that it has a limited number of lessons, which might restrict the learner's progress.

💡Pimsleur

Pimsleur is an audio-based language learning system that focuses on listening and speaking skills. It is described in the video as having a rich content library and offering supplemental tools like vocabulary quizzes and flashcards. The video suggests that Pimsleur's comprehensive approach, including a monthly subscription for access to its resources, can be beneficial for those looking to progress faster in their language learning.

💡Anki

Anki is a flashcard-based learning app that utilizes spaced repetition to help users memorize information more effectively. In the video, Anki is praised for its ability to allow users to create their own flashcards or download decks created by others, making it a versatile tool for vocabulary building. The video also touches on the importance of customization and the community-shared decks as a significant advantage of Anki.

💡Glossika

Glossika is an audio-based language learning platform that uses a method of listening to phrases in English followed by a native speaker's pronunciation in the target language. The video positions Glossika as a useful tool for improving vocabulary and listening skills, particularly for those who have a basic understanding of the language. It emphasizes the simplicity and effectiveness of the method, although it notes that it may not be suitable for absolute beginners.

💡Language Exchange

A language exchange platform is a service that connects language learners with native speakers for mutual learning and practice. The video discusses two types of language exchange platforms: free, where users arrange exchanges with others, and paid, where users pay for professional lessons. The video recommends HelloTalk for its large user base and active community for the free method and Preply for its experienced teachers and group class options for the paid method.

💡Bilingua

Bilingua is an app designed to improve reading skills in a new language by providing parallel texts in both the learner's native language and the target language. The video highlights Bilingua's extensive library and features like listening to native speakers, which can be particularly helpful for those interested in reading comprehension rather than just speaking or listening.

💡Google Translate

Google Translate is a translation service that the video suggests can be used to improve language learning, especially through its voice-to-text feature. The video emphasizes the importance of actively looking up words and phrases while listening to podcasts in the target language, using Google Translate to aid in understanding and retention. It also notes the advancements in linguistic AI that have made Google Translate more accurate over the years.

💡Spaced Repetition

Spaced repetition is a learning technique that involves reviewing information at increasing intervals over time, which is mentioned in the context of Anki's flashcard system. The video explains that this method is effective for long-term retention and is a key feature of Anki's approach to vocabulary building.

💡Audio-Based Learning

Audio-based learning refers to the method of acquiring language skills through listening rather than reading or writing. The video advocates for audio-based learning, suggesting that it allows for multitasking and can be more engaging and effective than visual learning. It is highlighted as a way to stay relaxed and focused, which can lead to better learning outcomes.

Highlights

The speaker graduated from college without speaking any foreign languages and now speaks fluent French, Spanish, Arabic, and Mandarin.

Duolingo is recommended for absolute beginners to answer important questions about language learning commitment and enjoyment.

Duolingo helps determine if one is committed to learning a language long-term and if they enjoy the process.

For all-around language learning, the speaker suggests using audio-based apps to avoid screen dependency and stay engaged.

Language Transfer is an audio-based app with lessons featuring teacher and student voices, but has limited content.

Pimsleur offers a more extensive audio-based language learning experience with a monthly subscription.

Anki is praised as the original flashcard app, useful for vocabulary building with customizable decks.

Gloss is an audio flashcard system that plays phrases in English followed by the target language, suitable for intermediate learners.

Language exchange platforms like HelloTalk connect users for mutual language learning, offering both free and paid options.

Preply is recommended for paid language exchange, providing experienced teachers and group classes.

Belinga is highlighted for improving reading skills with parallel text versions and a library of reading materials.

Google Translate's voice-to-text feature is suggested for improving fluency by actively looking up unknown words and phrases.

The speaker emphasizes the importance of being in a relaxed state for effective language learning.

The speaker advises against relying on apps for pronunciation correction, suggesting human interaction for better results.

The speaker shares personal language learning experiences to provide context and credibility to the recommendations.

The speaker discusses the limitations of visual language learning apps and the benefits of audio-based alternatives.

Transcripts

when I graduated from college I could

not speak a single foreign language I

mean nothing and now I speak fluent

French Spanish Arabic and Mandarin prove

it and in this video talk about what

those apps are and why you should use

them the best app for absolute beginners

maybe you're just starting to learn a

new language maybe the idea of learning

a language is sort of daunting maybe

you're not even sure what language you

want to learn rest easy my friends

there's an app for that du lingo you're

probably already familiar with dual

lingo it's free and it's very useful

although not for the reason you might

expect dual lingo best feature is that

it will help you answer some very

important questions about yourself

number one are you committed to learning

a language over the long term number two

can you commit 20 minutes every day to

studying and number three most

importantly do you actually enjoy this

and of course we want the answer to all

those questions to be a resounding yes

because if it's not honestly why waste

your time or your money on a more

advanced product so give dual lingo two

weeks to dip your toe in the water with

Italian or Swahili or Klingon whatever

you're into and then ask yourself those

three questions and if the answers are

yes awesome congratulations let's talk

about some apps that can help you learn

much much faster the best app for

allaround language learning I've got a

hot take on this so stay with me almost

all the bigname language apps pitch

themselves as a One-Stop shop for

language learning they cover vocab

grammar pronunciation Etc and all those

apps operate in more or less the same

way they teach you set words and phrases

that get more and more complex over time

and then you get little tool tips on

screen that kind of explain what's going

on and listen that's not a bad way to

learn in theory it's how every kid

learns to speak their native language

right but here's the problem those apps

are all visual they require you to stay

constantly engaged with your screen you

can't do anything else but sit and tap

and after 20 or 50 or 100 hours that can

get pretty boring so what happens

instead of using your phone to study you

open up Instagram you check your Tik Tok

you like comment and subscribe to my

channel whatever you're going to lose

focus and get distracted and that is the

ultimate progress killer so what should

you do use an audio-based app because if

you're listening as you learn you can do

something genuinely enjoyable like going

for a walk in the park at the same time

now that may sound quaint but hear me

out because that little bit of physical

activity can make a world of difference

why because it will help you stay

relaxed in both body and mind and

research has proven time and again that

someone who is in a relaxed State as

they learn will understand New Concepts

much faster and retain far more

information over time so there's my hot

take so which audio-based app is the

best well you've got two apps to choose

from and they're a little different

first is language transfer this series

is 100% free and you can choose to learn

nine different languages from the

absolute beginner level each lesson

features the voices of a teacher and a

student so it's a little bit like

listening in on a private class the only

drawback to language transfer is that

there aren't that many lessons even the

most complete courses have less than 12

hours of content so unfortunately your

progress is somewhat limited app number

two is pimsler which is similar to

language transfer in some way but it's

got many more languages to choose from

far more content and a lot of

supplemental tools like vocab quizzes

and flashcards that can help you make

progress faster pinsler does require a

monthly subscription I think it's worth

it but I'll put a link for a 7-Day free

trial in the description box below check

it out and let me know what you think

the best app for building your

vocabulary sometimes it's just about

memorizing more words so let's talk

about an app that can help you do that

as quickly and effectively as possible

and again it's free anky is the OG of

flash card apps it's been around for

almost 20 years and it's a Workhorse

here's why if you choose you can of

course use anky to create your own flash

cards and that's deeply useful in its

own right but here's the secret sauce

anky allows users to upload their

flashcard decks to a portal called anky

web and then any other user can then

download that deck onto their own device

and because anky decks are infinitely

customizable there are tons of fantastic

decks out there that you can download

without spending a dime for example

here's a deck that I use for studying

Japanese it's got native audio each card

has a nice photo and there's even a

breakdown of the kanji for poor souls

like me who haven't yet memorized all

10,000 of them now again there is the

issue of can you sustain this for the

long term because even the best flash

cards can get tedious after a few months

but there is actually a flashcard

listening hybrid platform that can help

you stay focused for the Long Haul the

best app for building your vocabulary

listening mode so we've talked about how

visual apps are inherently challenging

to use longterm but we've also talked

talked about how flash cards are the

most effective way to memorize

information I believe the Greeks called

that a paradox but there is one app that

offers a solution it's called gloss and

it's basically an audio flashcard system

gloss operates on a pretty simple

concept you hear a phrase in English and

then 2 seconds later you hear a native

speaker recite that same phrase in your

target language I'm going to watch it

must the phrases are simple in the

beginning and get more complex over time

that's really it there are some bells

and whistles but but that's the juice

and it's extremely useful don't make the

mistake of thinking that more features

means a better product it doesn't simple

and effective that's what we're looking

for my only caveat with glosa is that it

is not for absolute beginners because it

doesn't include explanations and you're

learning complete sentences right off

the bat you want to have a basic handle

on your target language before diving in

but after that by all means the best app

for improving your speaking skills a lot

of language learning apps have a feature

that lets you record yourself speaking

and then supposedly the app can analyze

your speech and tell you if your

pronunciation is off it doesn't work no

app can reliably correct your

pronunciation yet it's probably coming

soon but we're not there now so if you

want to improve your speaking skills in

a new language or simply get better at

making natural conversation you need to

talk with another human and the easiest

way to do that is via a language

exchange platform what is that it's an

app or a website that connects you with

people from other parts of the world who

can effectively tutor you in their

native language it's one of the

internet's great gifts to the modern

world now there are two ways to go about

using a language exchange platform the

free method and the paid method in the

free method you set up a conversation

exchange with another person I.E you

teach them your language they teach you

their language and if you want to go

this route your best option is hello

talk it's got a massive user base and a

very active community so generally

speaking it's pretty easy to set up an

exchange but of course you will need to

spend half your time teaching your

partner in the paid method you pay

someone an hourly rate to speak with you

and teach you in my opinion it's

absolutely worth the money because you

can schedule lessons whenever you want

and the teachers are usually experienced

and therefore much better and if you

want to go this route I would recommend

using preply in my experience it has

better teachers than some similar sites

and you can also sign up for group

classes which are great if you feel like

a one-on-one lesson might be a little

intense which they definitely can be the

best app to improve your reading skills

but maybe you're more interested in

learning to read a new language versus

speaking it well thankfully there's a

whole subset of apps dedicated to

developing reading skills and the best

of these is belinga basically it gives

you parallel versions of a text in

English and in whatever language you're

learning there's a massive library of

reading material to choose from

everything from kids stories to

newspaper articles to classical

literature and there are some Nifty

features like being able to listen to

native speakers read stories out loud

but on the whole it's all about

highquality parallel translation the

best best app for becoming fluent so how

do you become fluent in other words

truly comfortable in a new language no

more translating in your head no more

I'm sorry could you repeat that it just

flows input input input expose yourself

to your new language as much as you can

and in my opinion the easiest way to do

that is by listening to podcasts but

here's where most people go wrong you

can't just passively listen to something

as you go about your day you need to be

constantly looking up words and phrases

that you don't understand and thankfully

that's not hard to do just open up

Google translate and use the voice to

text feature that's it the app

automatically records your search

history so you can easily review

everything later on and just to be clear

Google translate today is hugely

different from what it was even 5 years

ago as of this February it started to

really take advantage of linguistic Ai

and that's made it much more accurate

and useful is it perfect no so you

should still double check your

definitions with a native speaker by

using one of the language exchange

platforms that we talked about earlier

for more language learning tips be sure

to hit that subscribe button and if you

have any questions or comments about

language learning apps please let me

know in the comments I will do my level

best to respond thanks for watching and

see you soon