Jump to navigation

Home
Get Zipping
Close
  • City Living
    City Living
    City Living
  • Going Places
    Going Places
    Going Places
  • Future City
    Future City
    Future City
  • Our Stories
    Our Stories
    Our Stories
  • join zipcar
  • book a ziptrip
Zipcar
Zipcard
Join Zipcar
Reserve a Zipcar
Book a Ziptrip

Scroll to:

  • Top
  • Featured
  • Comment
You are here
  1. Home
  • City Living
    City Living
    City Living
  • Going Places
    Going Places
    Going Places
  • Future City
    Future City
    Future City
  • Our Stories
    Our Stories
    Our Stories
  • join zipcar
  • book a ziptrip

City Living | 12.04.2018

10 Apps That Will Help You Learn a Foreign Language

Is your high-school French getting a little rusty? Or perhaps you travel frequently for work and would like to learn how to say more than just “hello”, “please” and “thank you” to clients and business colleagues.

Language classes can be a big commitment, not to mention the cost. Thankfully, there’s an abundance of specialist foreign language apps out there that can help you to brush up your vocab on the go.

Best of all, most are either free or available for a pretty cheap subscription. You’ll be fluent in Portuguese, Punjabi or Persian in no time. Or at least you’ll be able to ask for directions and order a meal.

Here are the best language learning apps to download now.

Planning to go further in the New Year? A clever language app could be the best thing you pack.

Rosetta Stone

Rosetta Stone is the grand-mommy of them all. The internationally famed courses are based on the principle that we all have the natural ability to learn foreign languages (even if it doesn’t always feel that way when your struggling to conjugate your verbs). The app version uses the same immersive method of repetition, intuitive learning and feedback based on speech recognition.

Busuu

The Busuu app matches you with study pals in a sort of knowledge exchange. So, if you’re learning Japanese, a fellow student over in Tokyo might evaluate your speaking exercises for accuracy, grammar and pronunciation—in return for you offering the same. The next best thing to learning in situ.

Apps like Duolingo allow you to brush up your language skills from anywhere.

Babbel

Learning by listening is all well and good, but what about perfecting your pronunciation? Babbel, offered as a subscription service, gives you the chance to have interactive “conversations” with native speakers, which are then assessed using speech-recognition technology. The bite-size learning format, with lessons lasting 10-15 minutes, means it’s easy to slot into busy lives.

Duolingo

This app isn’t just for native English speakers—the broad range of on-the-go courses are also tailored to those with a different first language. It’s also a great choice if you’re looking to learn beyond the most obvious languages, with Navajo, Hawaiian and Welsh all on the list.

Many of the newest language apps focus on fun, so you really won’t feel like you’re learning at all. Until you start impressing your friends with your super skills, of course.

Michel Thomas

A pioneer in accessible language learning, Michel Thomas’ method is about sitting back and letting the words wash over you. The trickiest thing is to stop trying to memorize each phrase. The app version adds graphics, animations and flash cards to the audio.

MindSnacks

This super-cute app looks more like a Pokémon game than a foreign language program, and it’s almost as fun as seeking out Pikachu. But for anyone who hasn’t picked up an English-Spanish dictionary for eons—and anyone who just likes playing games—it’s a great way to start learning, with tests and challenges getting progressively harder as you go.

Even learning a few words or key phrases can open up new experiences, and ways to connect with others, while traveling.

TripLingo

OK, so maybe you had grand ambitions to be fluent in Mandarin when you booked your trip a year ago. But now there’s just a week to go until you fly and, well... TripLingo is less about fluency and more about boning up on a few key phrases, plus cultural etiquette, to make your travels more fun and memorable.

Memrise

The Memrise app was developed by brainy science-types who worked out the best methods for getting languages to stick in our memories. It’s all about evoking various senses and peppering learning with short tests. And because it uses games and colorful visuals, it’s far more fun than a traditional text book.

Clever app Mondly uses VR technology to add a whole new dimension to language learning.

Mondly

Mondly is another free foreign language app that just gets it—learning is so much easier when it’s enjoyable. It twins language skills with the latest technology, so you can brush up your lingo using voice recognition and virtual reality (VR).

Drops

There are no excuses with this one. The Drops app claims it only needs five minutes of your time every day to teach you a new language. With “lessons” disguised as games, like matching pictures to translations or unscrambling letters, you’ll probably end up spending longer anyway.

You may also like:

The Best Vacations for Solo Travelers | Going Places
The Best Vacations for Solo Travelers
From wellness escapes to outdoor adventures, independent Zipsters have a wealth of options to choose from. Here are some of our favorite vacations for solo travelers in the US and Canada.
Going Places
Going Places
Smart Ways to Make That Long Journey Home for the Holidays | Going Places
Smart Ways to Make That Long Journey Home for the Holidays
Traveling home for the holidays—whether you work across the country or are away at college—can be a stressful experience. Here's how you can keep it from becoming an expensive logistical nightmare.
Going Places
Going Places
Big Tech Trends to Look Out for in 2019 | Future City
Big Tech Trends to Look Out for in 2019
From smart homes to blockchain, AI to VR, here are the biggest tech trends to look out for in the new year.
Future City
Future City
17 Road Trip Destinations for the Best Fall Foliage in the USA | Going Places
17 Road Trip Destinations for the Best Fall Foliage in the USA
From festivals to bike tours to seasonal dining, their fabulous fall foliage is only part of the reason these spots stand out.
Going Places
Going Places
Zipcard
Join Zipcar
Reserve a Zipcar
Book a Ziptrip

You may also like:

The Best Vacations for Solo Travelers | Going Places
The Best Vacations for Solo Travelers
From wellness escapes to outdoor adventures, independent Zipsters have a wealth of options to choose from. Here are some of our favorite vacations for solo travelers in the US and Canada.
Going Places
Going Places
Smart Ways to Make That Long Journey Home for the Holidays | Going Places
Smart Ways to Make That Long Journey Home for the Holidays
Traveling home for the holidays—whether you work across the country or are away at college—can be a stressful experience. Here's how you can keep it from becoming an expensive logistical nightmare.
Going Places
Going Places
Big Tech Trends to Look Out for in 2019 | Future City
Big Tech Trends to Look Out for in 2019
From smart homes to blockchain, AI to VR, here are the biggest tech trends to look out for in the new year.
Future City
Future City
17 Road Trip Destinations for the Best Fall Foliage in the USA | Going Places
17 Road Trip Destinations for the Best Fall Foliage in the USA
From festivals to bike tours to seasonal dining, their fabulous fall foliage is only part of the reason these spots stand out.
Going Places
Going Places

Featured Posts

The 6 Best Cities For Dining Solo | City Living
The 6 Best Cities For Dining Solo
Food and company often go hand in hand. But when you’re traveling solo, or have just moved to a new city, dining can be more of a solitary pursuit. Here’s our pick of the best places for solo dining in North America.    
City Living
City Living
Cozy Glamping Getaways Perfect for Winter Weekends | Going Places
Cozy Glamping Getaways Perfect for Winter Weekends
Winter is where glamping really comes into its own. You can snuggle under blankets in a well-insulated yurt, take refuge in a treehouse or hibernate in a hut.
Going Places
Going Places
How to Treat Yourself to the Best Valentine’s Day, Without a Date | City Living
How to Treat Yourself to the Best Valentine’s Day, Without a Date
Whatever the reason, here’s how to turn a potentially difficult day into a positive one. At least you can guarantee you and your date will have something in common (because, well, it’s you).
City Living
City Living
How to Throw a Sustainable Tailgate | City Living
How to Throw a Sustainable Tailgate
Whether you are at home or at the stadium here are ways to make your tailgate more sustainable.
City Living
City Living
  • More

Comment & Share

Zipcar
  • Join Zipcar|
  • About|
  • Contact|
  • Terms of Use|
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright 2019 Zipcar, Inc. All rights reserved

Close