What apps/technology were the most effective in acquiring a new foreign language?
I have been using Duolingo for almost 3 years to learn a language, but I don't know anything at all. 🙈
Of course, I have some basic vocabulary from the vocabulary words, but it's not conversational level. I'm currently considering buying textbooks and workbooks.
I think my biggest problems are that:
– I spend relatively little time learning
– I do not know how to create a study plan (where and how to start)
– I'm too much on the internet or with technology, learning something online is different from learning something offline (writing by hand or not being exposed to a screen also makes a difference in learning)
– I don't actively use the language I've learned, and I don't have contact with someone more experienced
How do you approach language learning? Which apps, technologies and techniques have helped you?
Replies
Hi, I did Duolingo too. I think I ended up with a 1100 day streak and completed the whole course (even with them kicking back my progress as they reordered the modules!). I liked the consistency and building vocab, but it was terrible at helping you really understand the patterns and rules of the language. You got a feel for them but no detail or proper definition. I now use Babbel, which I find quite good. One other thing that has helped is adding German to my newsfeed. This means every day when I scroll through news I have 50% coming up in my chosen language. This is helpful as I can sometimes understand what the stories are about from context, but I can then also try to read them and then use Google or similar to translate to English and review to see how well I did. This gives you topical and natural language. It also helps to get a sense of what the news is, within the country you are learning the language for.
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@rogerbythesea How good are you in German after switching from DuoLingo to Babel? Do you see any significant improvement?
@busmark_w_nika Hi Nika. For me Babbel has a broader offer. It's a good combination of phrases, vocab, immersive podcasts and simple dialogues where you narrate one of the characters. It also has a huge range of themes that seem tie well into everyday conversation. I feel that I am now beginning to understand the structure better. For me Babbel or something similar is a good baseline. I also briefly tried Langua and Memrise which may be worth exploring too. However immersion is really helpful, whether watching tv, films, video clips or the news feed idea above. Then backing that up with a suite of stock phrases that you just learn by heart to get you started and give confidence. Next step would be focusing in on particular areas of interest or problems with your favourite AI. Getting them to explain in simple terms and perhaps even making a simple graphic summary that you can refer to. Because this stuff takes time to stick!! Hope that helps and good luck! :)
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@rogerbythesea OK, so your recommendations in TL;DR is:
– learn the basics of that language
– try to incorporate the language you learn in daily life (movies, reading books, posts)
– add vocabulary / learn about topics you are interested in
Right?
Totally get this! Apps like Duolingo are great for vocab, but real progress comes from speaking. That’s why @yanirnulman and I made Tooki. It’s for intermediate and advanced learners like us who just want to talk
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@yanirnulman @julianabain How long did it take you to build it?
@busmark_w_nika we built a prototype in ~2 weeks and the App Store MVP in 5ish months (working on it part-time)
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@julianabain Only 2 people in the project? That's pretty fast!
@busmark_w_nika yes! 2 people and 3 AI agents haha
Cal ID
Relatable! What helped me most was mixing tech and real life – using voice memos to practice speaking, and setting my phone’s system language to what I’m learning. Consistency, even 5 minutes a day, makes a bigger difference than sticking to any one app (I still prefer Duolingo because it's a sin as a marketer to not mention Duolingo)
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@sanskarix haha, and it is a sin to skip your daily streak :D :P
Cal ID
@busmark_w_nika Exactly! I'm coincidentally launching when my streaks hit 99 :D
As someone who is bilingual and improving my Spanish as an adult, Duolingo is a good start.
What worked best for me to be more fluent was to immerse myself in the language. Watching shows on Netflix or other streaming services in that language helped me listen and learn the language. You could also immerse yourself in subreddits forums for the language, there are many of them online. As for speaking, I'm not familiar with platforms where you can speak to other people in the language.
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@luiscalvillo What are your native languages btw?
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@luiscalvillo and do you learn any other foreign languages besides these 2?
I’ve had a look at Duolingo some time ago, and I found the level very basic and not at all helpful. I think self-study, possibly supported by AI, can help you progress, but you need a teacher early on to help you become conversational and to correct you immediately when you make mistakes. Error corrections have to be done at an early stage in language learning; otherwise, you’ll continue to make the same errors. A teacher does not have to be face-to-face in the same room; online via Zoom or a similar platform is excellent. I used Italki to find teachers to learn Portuguese, and that worked for me.
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@trumpeter I feel it the same way. Duolingo is maybe good for maintaining your already earned skills.
MultiDrive
I like learning with real people on Preply or through online courses. But what really helps me now is working with ChatGPT or Gemini, where I can learn the rules, do some exercises, and practice pronunciation. It’s really useful.
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@tetiana_hryshmanovska Does ChatGPT give you exercises, or do you have any special workbook?
MultiDrive
@busmark_w_nika It gives me exercises and explanations, and I can ask for exercises on specific topics :)
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@tetiana_hryshmanovska aaa, interesting approach, thank you for sharing!
CalPulse
I’ve used Duolingo too, but I found it a bit boring and didn’t stick with it. I prefer watching foreign-language videos, like variety shows or dramas, to learn expressions in a fun way.
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@peilan_qin Do you use captions for those videos? But those videos are too fast for understanding. Tips are welcome :D BTW, which languages do you learn?
CalPulse
@busmark_w_nika I’m learning Japanese and Korean. For complex topics, I turn on the captions. If there are no captions and I can’t understand, I use Google Translate to transcribe and translate the audio!😂 When I don’t get something, I watch it a few more times, check the dictionary to understand the meaning, and practice shadowing. I think shadowing is really effective for language learning.😎
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@peilan_qin Which one is easier to learn? Japanese or Korean?
CalPulse
@busmark_w_nika I think Korean is way easier! You should give it a try :D
@peilan_qin @busmark_w_nika You can also try Lingopie for this. It has the news, Netflix videos, etc. with subtitles in your native language and/or the language you're trying to learn. That's pretty much the learning method, so you can toggle the speed between beginner, intermediate, advanced, and full speed.
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@peilan_qin @jeff_benson1 Thank you for the recommendation, Jeff, gonna check it out!
I suddenly remembered another thread you wrote @busmark_w_nika about the most disappointing products right now.
I said Netflix, but Duolingo is certainly among the list!
I've been using it for months and have experienced the change between lives and energy firsthand, witnessing how the company is becoming more worried about making extra money than user experience.
I'm thinking about stopping using Duolingo and maybe trying Babbel (I've heard that it's much more professional).
I'm using it to learn German and, I must say, I'm not seeing many results and am still not able to participate in simple conversations.
For me, the main struggle is dedicating enough time to learning a language. That's something you have to do consistently if you want to see real results, so you should at least dedicate 10-15 minutes every day.
Using an app that reminds me I need to do a lesson (like Duolingo does) is certainly helpful.
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@pamela_arienti I haven't heard about Babbel, so I am gonna check them out, because that feeling is quite disappointing that in 3 years I haven't moved anywhere.
I totally get that. Apps like Duolingo are great for consistency, but real progress comes from active use. Try mixing digital tools with offline practice, like journaling or language exchange chats. It makes the learning stick much faster!
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@atif_qureshi2 that's why I want to order those books :) TY!
From my experience find real people to talk with is better for pratice and this is more helpful.
There are some platforms that allows to talk online with people with different culture, languages.
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@ivan_apedo are there any you can recommend?
@busmark_w_nika Yes there is
Free4Talk https://www.free4talk.com/
HelloTalk
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@ivan_apedo OMG! This is so cool. I didn't know it existed. Thank you!
Coderoulette
@ivan_apedo @busmark_w_nika
Check out Leap.
The app pairs you with other people who have your same goals or interests and guidea your speaking practice. It then uses the recording of your conversation to give you personalized feedback on pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary.
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@ivan_apedo @ariel_camus Thank you :) Will have a look at it.