ESL Blogs

Learning English as second language, or any other language for that matter, needs to be a pleasant and engaging experience for the learner in order to achieve the best results and a steeper learning curve. Traditional lessons, like passive and active learning, may not be an ideal solution for everyone, for one reason or another. If you fall into that group of people, we have prepared a short list of 5 awesome English learning apps that will help every learner make significant progress in no time. Keep on reading for more.

1. Rosetta Stone

Rosetta Stone is probably the most famous English learning app out there, and for a good reason, because it is the only app that teaches you to speak in another language, without actually relying on your native language to do it. It does this by teaching you simple words first, and by placing the subjects represented by those words in a variety of contexts and situations, using pictures. That way, you will learn new phrases and sentences in English without using another language. It works because it will set you up to think in another language right from the start, and that’s the best way to learn, by completely immersing yourself in it.

2. Duolingo

One of the most fun and popular apps among English learners is Duolingo. Duolingo is different from its competitors, because it is designed like a game. The app stimulates the learners to get involved by awarding them points for everything they get right. Another way in which Duolingo awards success is through Lingots, which act like a currency inside the app, for which you can also purchase stuff from the app’s store, which is amazing! Although the lessons get more difficult as you reach a new level, the app does not focus heavily on grammar. Its focus is to get you to master the basics as fast as possible.

3. Busuu

Busuu takes on a different approach to learning English. It acts like a language-learning network of sorts, because it allows you to interact daily with over 35 million native English speakers. This means you will learn English through speaking, writing, and reading it, both through interaction with other users, or through a series of interactive quizzes and exercises that are specifically designed to help you reach new levels on a regular basis. Depending on your knowledge, the complexity of the lessons ranges from easy to difficult, and there is also plenty of variety, with over 150 different topics available.

4. FluentU

FluentU is another English learning app which will help you learn the language by immersing you in it. It does this by taking advantage of the content that is already out there, such as videos clips, music videos, articles, presentations and other media, and transforms it into an opportunity to learn new words, phrases and sentences. The benefit of this approach is that is uses the content you find interesting to teach you English, the way it is spoken every day. The app also keeps track of your progress and uses it to provide new content.

5. Babbel

Similar to Duolingo, Babbel teaches its users English through fun quizzes and exercises. The difference between the two is Babbel’s flexibility, because it enables you to dedicate more time to learning stuff you find more interesting. The app also relies on speaking, writing and reading exercises. Perhaps the most interesting feature is its travel dialogue exercise, which does a pretty good job of simulating real-life situations you might find yourself in on vacation.

Learning a new language not only helps us communicate with people from different countries, but it also helps us gain an insight into their culture. And let’s not forget the fact that mastering a foreign language is one of the most satisfying experiences there is.