Modern people who want to learn foreign languages have already chosen mobile applications as an educational tool. This method has its advantages: ubiquitous availability, a new level of interactivity and a more creative approach to the learning process. However, are all apps equally effective in improving your language skills?
After talking with familiar linguists and having studied the ratings, we have identified three applications that are recognized as the most effective for learning English. Our choice fell on products such as Lingualeo, Duolingo and Puzzle English. All of them are noticeably different from each other, but what application would we recommend using to pump up your language skills?
We would recommend the Duolingo app for those who are learning a language from scratch. Cards with words and pictures, familiar to us from elementary grades, have now been digitalized and acquired interactive functionality. The first thing that catches your eye is the possibility of learning several languages: in addition to English, there is German, French and Spanish.
Of the three apps, Duolingo is the simplest and most focused on vocabulary. For grammar, we would advise you to turn to other services, as well as for phonetics.
The application is free to use, there is no subscription, but there is one catch. If you don't exercise every day, you lose energy, and, as is the case in mobile begging games, you can restore it by spending diamonds. The diamonds themselves are available as an in-app purchase and are sold for real money. The presence of such a temptation can be costly for a lazy person, and an unscrupulous student can take advantage of this opportunity, eventually leaving himself without knowledge, and his parents without money.
Name: Duolingo
Publisher/Developer: Duolingo
Price: For free
Compatibility: Universal Application
Link: Install
The iconic Lingualeo is a much more interesting product that covers all contexts of language learning: vocabulary, grammar, and listening. In addition to the presentation of the rules, the program has the opportunity to test your knowledge in a playful way.
For all the achievements in learning the language, you are rewarded with meatballs, which you need to feed daily to the lion cub - a kind of Tamagotchi living in the application. An original and unusual solution that encourages not to abandon training. Who knows, suddenly something will happen to the lion cub if it is not fed for a long time.
In theory, the app is free to use, only the number of words you can learn per day will be limited. In addition, access to some functions will open only when subscribing, which is not very good, since I would like to test any paid function for free first.
A separate plus of Lingualeo is the presence of multimedia content and the ability to learn English with the help of entertaining videos, music videos and TED lectures. All in all, a decent product that will help you improve your language skills. Unless I would like to be able to test some of the features available for money for free.
Name: LinguaLeo
Publisher/Developer: LinguaLeo
Price: For free
Compatibility: Universal Application
Link: Install
And the last participant in our competition is the Puzzle English application, which is available as a mobile application for iOS and Android, as well as a website. The app is considered one of the best in its segment, and during our testing, we did not regret including it in our top three.
Having studied this product, we can immediately give it virtual "gold", since the program includes the functionality of the two previous participants, plus something else. First of all, by this “something” we mean video lectures recorded with the participation of professional speakers and talking about grammatical rules.
This is a noticeable advantage over other products, as many note that information is better absorbed not in the process of reading, but when listening to an interesting story. In Puzzle English, the material is presented in an accessible and lively manner, which will make it possible not only to assimilate fresh information, but also to have fun.
As the name implies, the tasks and exercises in the program are made in the form of puzzles in which you need to compose the necessary phrases and sentences from disparate words. Puzzles are offered in video and audio formats, depending on how it is easier for you to perceive the information.
After getting acquainted with the new material, you will definitely need to pass the test, and if you fail the test, the system will not let you through to the next lesson. And no in-app purchases and diamonds will save you - only diligent study!
The pleasant moment is that the application is free, and within one week you can try all the functionality of the program completely free of charge. This will allow you to understand if this course is right for you and if it is worth the money.
Depending on your needs, budget, or language level, you can choose the app to your liking. But in our opinion, the most successful choice would be Puzzle English, with the help of which, by the way, the president of Kyrgyzstan was recently able to learn English.
Name: Puzzle English
Publisher/Developer: LLC Puzzle English
Price: For free
In-App Purchases: Yes
Compatibility: Universal Application
Link:
Do you have a couple of minutes to spare while you wait in line for your morning coffee or commute to work? Why not educate yourself? We have selected the best English learning apps for you! Catch the hot ten!
1LinguaLeo
One of the secrets to the success of this English learning app is its playful form of learning. Your very own cute lion cub is hungry for meatballs, which can only be obtained by completing the lessons.
Another absolute advantage of the LinguaLeo platform is the presence of a huge amount of media materials (movies, books, songs, music and educational videos, etc.) that you can work with in the process.
Photo: infodengy.ru Price: free, there is a paid premium access
ED Words
The application from the Englishdom online school of English helps you memorize new words and expand your vocabulary. ED Words is suitable for both beginners and users with upper-intermediate English. The application is simple and clear, there are 350 ready-made thematic sets, as well as the ability to create your own sets and track progress. Four types of exercises for memorizing words and the method of spaced repetitions are used.And then there is gamification: you can compete with your friends, and when you successfully learn words, you get points and bonuses that give you premium access to the application.
Photo: shutterstock Price: free, there is a paid premium access. words
The best applications for learning English are hard to imagine without the Words service - at one time even the editors of Apple recognized this, calling it the best new platform.
The app is perfect for learning English words and expanding your vocabulary. Its database contains about 40 thousand words and 330 lessons. The first of them are available for free, then you need to pay. The main advantages of the application are the ability to work offline and create lessons on your own, setting the program the tasks you need (the latter is available only in the paid version).
Photo: shutterstock Price: free, there is a paid version
You can download the app on Google Play.
You can download the app from the App Store.
Easy ten
An application for those who have little time, but have a great desire to learn English. Every day, the service will select 10 new foreign words that you will need to learn, consolidating your knowledge with simple workouts. By the end of the month, your vocabulary will be replenished with at least 300 new words.
The application also remembers and takes into account your mistakes in tests, giving you the opportunity to repeat and remember especially difficult words.
Photo: shutterstock Price:
You can download the app on Google Play.
You can download the app from the App Store.
Memrise
Another top rated app. The service is based on a scientific methodology that allows you to learn up to 44 words per hour. The main "weapon" of the application is memes. They allow you to memorize the material much better, and different game modes train different aspects of memory: visual study, repetition and consolidation, quick recall, etc.
Also, thousands of audio recordings of native speakers, various tests, listening, etc. are available in the application. Courses can be downloaded and studied offline.
Photo: shutterstock Price: free, there is paid content
You can download the app on Google Play.
You can download the app from the App Store.
Anki
The AnkiDroid app offers one of the most effective ways to memorize information - learning flashcards. The service is intended not only for learning a foreign language. You can also select and download the cards you are interested in and thus learn the words of the desired subject.
The application database contains more than 6000 ready-made decks of cards. You can also create them yourself.
Photo: shutterstock Price: for free
You can download the app on Google Play.
You can download the app from the App Store
FluentU
English learning apps often use media content as one of the most effective ways to learn. FluentU is one of the best such platforms. To learn the language, real videos are used here: popular talk shows, music videos, funny and commercials, news, interesting dialogues, etc.
The main benefit of the app is that it keeps track of the words you learn and recommends other videos and activities based on them. The app will be released on Android soon.
Photo: shutterstock Price: free, or $8-18 per month, $80-180 per year
You can download the app from the App Store.
HelloTalk
As an application for learning English on Android or iPhone, the HelloTalk service will be indispensable. This is an educational platform where teachers are native speakers from all over the world. You will be able to talk to them and exchange text messages.
You can download the app from the App Store.
English Grammar Test
The application contains more than 60 tests of 20 tasks, which cover almost the entire grammar of the English language. Each question is devoted to a separate grammatical topic. After passing one test, you can test your knowledge in several sections of grammar at once and identify weaknesses.
You can take both mixed tests and those that correspond to your level or chosen topic. After passing the test, the application will immediately give you the correct answers and explanations for them.
Photo: shutterstock Price: for free
You can download the app on Google Play.
Urban Dictionary
If your English is at a fairly high level, it's time to move on to learning slang expressions, the meaning of which is not in every dictionary.
The application is a huge database of slang with examples of its use in speech. The service allows you to search for slang expressions, add them to the list of favorites, and can also issue random phrases for study. The application is completely in English.
Photo: shutterstock Price: for free
You can download the app on Google Play.
You can download the app from the App Store.
Here you can download free programs for learning English. Programs for studying grammar, memorizing words, etc.
Computer programs:
memorization of words
A program for memorizing English words using associative pictures.
WordsTeacher 1.0
The WordsTeacher program is designed to study foreign words, phrases, short expressions, without looking up from the process of working on a computer.
Association 1.0
A program for memorizing foreign words by the method of phonetic associations. Allows you to easily find associative keys to foreign words using a dictionary of 90,000 words of the Russian language.
BX Language Acquisition
The BX Language acquisition program is designed to memorize foreign words.
English grammar
Another great program for learning English grammar. Thanks to the presence of a Russian thematic index, the textbook will not only teach you to understand English, but also help you express your thoughts in English.
ETrainer 4800
Trainer-examiner of knowledge of English. Tasks for the translation of sentences are given and an assessment is made. You can set the number of tasks in the exam, limit the time for thinking, and also keep a detailed protocol.
ETrainer 5000
Mini version. Trainer-examiner of knowledge of English. Tasks for the translation of sentences are given and an assessment is made. You can set the number of tasks in the exam, limit the time for thinking, and also keep a detailed protocol.
FWords 1.11.22
Program for learners of English and German: Longman tips, tests, dictionaries for originals, parallel texts, prompter mode, customization, search, printing, statistics and much more.
The "download" link is a distribution kit of the program without a database (the necessary databases will need to be downloaded separately. By the way, the program's databases are constantly updated.
Grammar
Program for learning English grammar. The grammar in it is given on examples from the spoken language, which significantly replenishes the student's vocabulary. The abundance of examples and illustrations to them helps to remember and better understand certain grammatical constructions.
Repeng - English Tutor
Program for training your vocabulary. Working with the program is carried out by choosing the correct translation option from several proposed ones.
Word Translator WTT 1.15
Designed to memorize the spelling of English words. Testing is carried out in both directions using statistics on the success of the translation of a particular word.
Sentence Exerciser
You can really improve your English by solving many different grammar problems.
Applications for Android:
English with Lingualeo
Free English lessons
- Suitable for all language levels
- Practical exercises
- Thematic courses
- English language practice: text, audio and video materials
- Ability to study English offline
- Automatic synchronization with the web version of the service
- Operational technical support
Improve your English listening comprehension, vocabulary, reading and writing skills in one app! Useful for those who know the alphabet and basic vocabulary.
The Teacher Method is a program for sequential learning of English: from zero to advanced. Watch and listen to the explanations of the teachers, take a training session after each lesson and an exam after each topic.
The app includes over 200 conversational English lessons which includes the following:
Listening to improve your listening comprehension
- Questions to help you understand English better
- Conversation practice feature to improve your speaking
- Conversation recording tool to track your progress
Polyglot is an easy and fast way to learn English.
In just a few minutes a day, you will learn how to write sentences in English.
We have specially optimized lessons for mobile devices. Information is given in a compressed form, then it is fixed in memory by the method of repeated repetition.
In a short time you will learn how to build simple expressions in English correctly, learn a lot of new English words without noticing.
Quite a lot of attention, and for a very long time, has been paid all over the world to the English language. This is an international and generally accepted format of communication between people from different countries, which is widely studied for successful visits abroad.
However, there is not always money for an experienced teacher who would explain all the nuances, subtleties and "pitfalls" of the English language. What to do in such a situation? You can leave this desire alone, or you can pick up a smartphone and download a special application aimed at learning the language. Only one question: which one to choose? This needs to be sorted out.
An exciting game that not only relaxes and amuses, but also teaches a foreign language. Such a beginning will certainly interest not only a child, but also an adult, wealthy person. Yes, to become a polyglot, you no longer need to diligently memorize new words and rules, you can relax and get benefits from this.
Lessons - this is what is in almost every such program. But what can you say about the opportunity to learn from the materials of native speakers? The user has access to texts, videos, and listening. A full translation, and sometimes subtitles, help you listen and immediately compare new words with their Russian counterpart. Everything is simple and convenient!
English is not given in any way by thick, boring textbooks? Then it's time to pay attention to the short lessons, which contain all the methods of learning the language. Do you want to practice your own speech? Easily! Need to listen to English text? Doable! Short tutorials from Duolingo are the kind of learning that beginners miss so much. But that's not all. Love to keep track of progress? Then a special section, which contains all the statistics of your training, is already waiting for you. The lesson icons, in turn, do not allow you to forget that some of the topics have not been repeated for a long time, because even the easiest material needs to be fixed.
words
Are you looking for an opportunity to learn a language even without access to the Internet? At the same time, you are interested in a specific topic that you will soon encounter? Or maybe you need a dictionary that is always available and has several tens of thousands of necessary and useful words? Then Words is exactly what you need. Here you can independently compose your workouts, limiting them in time or complexity, or you can entrust this to a specially designed algorithm that will carefully analyze your requests and completed classes, making a conclusion about the level of knowledge and the need for certain topics.
Learning English is not always about lessons that need to be taken day after day. It also replenishes your vocabulary with new words. What is the probability that you can learn 10 new words in a day, and as many as 3600 in a year? Zero? But no! You just need to download Easy ten and it all becomes a reality. Missing a competitive element? Connect your friends or find new ones in order to constantly compare each other's progress in a special table.
How can such an application differ from others? For example, the innovative Memrise technology, which focuses on modern neurolinguistics teachings and creates individual lessons based on the memory characteristics of each individual. And all this is absolutely free. Learning new languages has never been so advanced. Who knows, maybe just such a technology is what you have been missing all these years and right now you have the opportunity to fill your gaps in foreign knowledge?
Anki
There is such a wise saying: "Everything ingenious is simple." Apparently, this is what the creators of the application in question were guided by. There are no entertaining lessons, statistics and rating tables here. Only cards with English words that you need to translate. Don't know the translation? Click on a word and it will immediately appear in front of you. You are also allowed to check your guesses. Here you can work on your own pronunciation by clicking on a special icon.
It is enough to imagine how much it costs to learn English if you choose a native speaker as a teacher. Surely this is an unaffordable amount of money for many of those who are really interested in developing their vocabulary. But all this can get everyone absolutely free. HelloTalk is a whole program where you can communicate with native speakers. And there is no need to get hung up on one English, because there you can find representatives, for example, of China.
The simplicity of some applications is sometimes simply amazing. But is it really necessary to somehow lure you if the level of knowledge has long been higher than a beginner? The solution in question is ideal for those who know how to correctly build a sentence, choose verb forms and distinguish between various prepositions. 60 tests, which collected questions on specific topics. It is necessary to pass at least 2 per week in order to fully meet your level and only increase it.
Translation and explanation of not quite typical words, real slang and examples with application. This is not a typical application, because it will not teach you anything. Here you can only emphasize new definitions or phraseological units for yourself. In other words, if you are not going to a scientific conference, but to relax among ordinary people, then this application will help you to replenish your vocabulary and make you a more knowledgeable person.
As a result, we have considered a sufficient number of different applications to make a choice and start practicing right now.
Ideally, you should get acquainted with each of the described programs in order to understand exactly whether “yours or not”. Especially if you do not have a specific goal, tasks regarding language learning. Another thing is if you need to work on a specific skill. For quick and effective vocabulary replenishment, we recommend starting with ReWord, Stone Words, Easy Ten, Memrise. These programs will help with the expansion of basic vocabulary. Then you should take up the study of idiomatic expressions, phrasal verbs in the program "Words, Idioms, English Phrases: Polyglot School".
The best way to learn English grammar is with the help of specialized videos, articles and exercises in Puzzle English, Lingvist, Lingualeo, Busuu. All these Android apps will teach you how to correctly build sentences, conduct a dialogue and understand speech by ear. Duolingo has no theory material, but there are plenty of practical exercises in which you will train both vocabulary and grammar at the same time. If you need the most versatile option, then the lion cub Leo from Lingualeo definitely wins here - he will help you learn new words and deal with grammar. Slightly less versatile is the Puzzle English program.
What to learn, we figured out. Now it's time to understand how. Most modern software developers avoid boring learning algorithms and prefer to make easy, fun simulators. Most of all, the authors of Stone Words succeeded in this regard - this is one of the coolest linguistic toys. A good gaming, competitive element has been worked out in Puzzle English, Lingualeo, Duolingo, Memrise. In other programs, though not boring, but still a more solid approach.
It is also important to take into account the financial factor. Of those described, there is only one completely free application - Duolingo. We take off our hats to the developers for this, but don't forget to curtsy to Lingualeo as well - this program has a large amount of useful content for free too. Regarding other programs, they all have a great advantage - a trial period or free lessons, with which you can evaluate whether the resource suits you personally or not, and whether it is worth buying the full course.
It is impossible not to mention several applications for Android and iOS that are not included in the selection, but also worthy of your attention. So, you will find excellent simulators for vocabulary replenishment in the Words, Rosetta Stone, Anki programs. You can download grammar in Learn English, English Grammar in Use Activities By Cambridge University Press or English Grammar Test. And it is better to develop the skills of perceiving information in a foreign language by reading (LingQ, Beelingua, etc.) and communicating with native speakers (Italki, Hellotalk, etc.). In addition, the British Council, Learnenglish Grammar, Practice English Grammar, Urban Dictionary, Johnny Grammar, English Listening will help you learn new words and grammar rules.
As you can see, the volume of educational resources for mobile devices today is so huge that you simply do not have the right to deny yourself the opportunity to learn and use English for communication and career. One of these applications will definitely become your base or a full-fledged source for learning. The main thing is to start.
