Why you should learn a new language!

Languages are really fascinating for me. Being in a new place and have people speak a different language makes everything feel so different, exciting and new. Of course not speaking the same language can be a big issue for communication. Normally you can come pretty far with speaking english these days, but once you get away from the bigger cities to a more remote area english might not help you at all. 

Having a basic knowledge of different languages can improve your experience while traveling in an imense way. Many cultures live through their languages, so unless you don't speak the language you can't really get the full experience

Most of us learn at least english in school these days and might even have the opportunity to learn a second language in school. However, most the time you only have a small variety of languages to chose from and most teenagers aren't so eager to learn anyways. I remember not being great with my second language in school, simply because I had to learn it and not because I wanted to. This can make a huge difference!

How can I learn a new language?

Learning a new language outside of school can be a little challenging, especially if you are living in a remote area. Some evening schools offer different courses from time to time, but the variety here is often limited. Also, if you don't have a regular 9-to-5 job, having those fixed dates might also be challenging.

Having an unregular schedule as I pilot and prefering to go on travels in my off time I knew I needed some sort of remote learning, where I can choose my own times to learn, set my own pace and have the opportunity to learn wherever I go.

I soon came across two learning apps I both wound up using for learning. The best, all you need is your phone and internet access. I have used them both for over a year now and so far I am pretty satisfied with both of them. Therefore, I want to give you a quick overview over both apps, what to expect and the pros and conts

Duolingo

I started using Duolingo back in 2019. I was looking for free language learning apps and found it in the app store. After downloading all you need to do is set up an account and choose a language to learn. Depending on the language you already speak you can choose a different variety of languages. For instance, as a german speaker you can chose from English, Spanish, French and Italian. English speakers can choose from way more languages. In total there are 25 languages to choose from, however most can oly be learned on an english basis.

You are taken through your course by a green owl called Duo and his friends who all seem to have their own personality. They are all in comic style and make the learing a little entertaining in the meantime. They are probably part of Duolingos worldwide success.

The language courses are broken down into different section. Each section is then divided into multiple chapters with a different amount of lessons to them. One lesson takes between 2-5 minutes, depending on the complexity. You normally do 15-20 excercises in one lessons, being a mix, of writing, listenening, speaking and reading. Unfortunatelly, the lessons only takes you through the excercises without explaining any grammar. Questions about an excercise can be placed in a comment field where learners help each other. Also some sentences appear to be rather random and useless in real life. If you do well in your lessons you can jump ahead on sections and chapters.

 

Signing up and learning is completelly free. You can finish the entire course and not just a small collection of lessons. However, you have to expect some ads in between lessons. Also you are limited to the mistakes you can make. Initially you are given 5 hearts. Everytime you make a mistake you loose one heart. Sometimes spelling mistakes are counted as mistakes, sometimes they aren't. That appears to be random. Once you are dropped to zero you can't continue learning. You can receive new hearts on different ways: they recharge. Every 5 hours a heart recharges until you are back at five. Also you can do review excercises to earn a new one. Sometimes there is a chance to watch a 30 second ad to receive a new heart. The last way is to buy new hearts through gems. Gems can either be purchased for real money or earned through challenges.

  

For each lesson you finish you receive XPs. They accumulate over time and are shown in your profile. This way you can compete with your friends. There is also a league system where you compete against other learners. Every sunday the top of each league get promoted to a higehr league, while the lowest get downgraded to the next below. This is a nice competition factor to keep you going, but doesn't have any infuence on your studies.

Each day you learn is added to your streak which is shown on your dashboard and your profile. Your streak resets if you miss a day. However you can use a freeze to keep your streak alive if you miss a day. Streak freezes can be bought for gems.

As mentioned before, gems can be earned through challenges. Everyday you get three different challenges, such as earning a certain amount of XP, learning for a speific period of time or finishing a certain amount of lessons with no mistakes. They reset at midnight.

   

But is it all for free? No, of course they do offer a paid plan, which is called Duolingo Super. It costs 14,99€/single month or 6,49€/month on a yearly basis for a single subscribtion or 9,99€ for a family plan including 4 accounts. But what does it feature? Well, for once ou get rid of ads and are not dependable on the hearts again. So you can make as much mistakes as you want, giving you an even better learning experience. You can also review your previous mistakes and and do specific learning and speaking exercises. THe paid plan also gives you the opportunity to study when being offline.

Overall I must Duolingo is good if you want to learn some basics of a new language. If you want to dig deeper into it you are better of with a different paid course. The limitation of languages can be bothersome. I first wanted to learn swedish, which wasn't available on a german basis, so i studied it on an english basis, which was fine, but not great. Having to figure out the grammar by yourself can be tiring, especially if you keep lacking lifes. I have tried the paid version on a free trial for two weeks,. Not having to worry about the lifes is definatelly a game changer. I don't think a single subscribtion is the way to go, but you can split a family plan with up to three friends, this way you get a nice discount and it should be worth it.

Pros:

• free app
• also features a desktop version
• short lessons
• offers competitions with friends
• a good mix of speaking, listening and writing excercises
• family plan offers a fair prize

Contras:

• No explanation to the grammar
• Some sentences are weird
• Literal translations on some occasions
• lackng hearts can be bothersome
• most language can only be learned from an english basis
• offline training only available in paid plan

If you want to give it a try, simpy sign up for free here.

Babbel

The second system I used is Babbel. I started using it over a year ago and i hasn't disappointed me since. In contrast to Duolingo Babbel only offers a free lesson in each course, but the entire course must be paid for.

Babbel also offers a mobile app as well as desktop learning on their webpage. After signing up you can choose your plan:

• 3 months 12,99€/month
• 6 months 9,99€/month
• 12 momths 6,99€/month
• Lifetime 299€ (all languages included)

Each plan includes one language and can be cancelled at any time to end after the booked period. Else it will renew automatically. If you want to learn a second language you need to by a second plan. Also, you could get Babble complete, which is a 12 month plan for 109,99€ including all languages. It can only be booked through this link. In case you are not satisfied with your course babbel offers a money back guarantee within the first 20 days.

    

Babbel offers language courses for beginners and intermediate learnes at the levels A1, A2 and B1. They are devided into smaller chapters with multiple lessons in differens sections. One lesson takes around 5-8 minutes and is a mix of reading, writing, listening and speaking. You can set your weekly goal for how many lessons you want to accomplish. Besides the lessons, Babbel also gives you the opportunity to review different topics: listening, speaking, writing and translation. This is a good mix I must say and I personally do at least one regular leasson and one review per day.

The lessons are well structured and feature different learingin tipps. They also go into detail on the grammar and even different dialects. The also differentiate between written and spoken language, which is a super nice feature. Als you don't have to worry about making mistakes, you can make unlimited of them. If you keep making the same mistake the app will support you in finding the right answer, plus you also get the chance to do the exercises where you made a mistake again at the end of the lesson.

Unlike Duolingo Babbel doesn't feature any XP or competition system, instead it just focuses on you individual progress. While I like this feature at Duolingo, I actually don't miss this while using Babbel. Might be because I am using both simultaneously. 

  

Languagewise Babbel offers a bigger variety. As a german speaker I can choose between 12 languages, way more than with Duolingo. All courses can also be downloaded to practice when you don't have an internet connection like in a plane or on a german train.

Concluding Babbel is your app if you want to gain a greater skill in a certain language and have some dedication towards. Especially if you are willing to comit to a long term subscribtion, you get a really decent price. If you just want to get to know some basics for the next vacation this might be a little too expensive. What I like personally, that the courses are well structured and offer simple and understandable explanations where suitable, which makes the learingn easy. Also the lessons have a decent time, which makes it easy to just practice a little when you have a break.

Pros:

• well structured courses
• can be used on mobile
• affordable prices when commiting for a long plan
• offers different plans
• a good mix of speaking, listening and writing excercises
• good variety of languages to study
• no ads
• can be used offline

Contras:

• Not cheap for a basic training
• hardly any free contact

If you want to give it a try, simpy sign up for free here. As a gift to you you will receive 3 free months when you sign up through my link!

Which one should I choose?

Which one suits you best is honestly up to you. Duolingo offers a small variety on langagues, more when you are willing to learn on  an english basis. The good thing is, it is free of charge and is suitable if you want to get some basic knowledge prior to your next trip. If you are looking into mastering a language and are willing to dedicate yourself to a longer training, Babbel has the right plans for you. Personally I first start with Duolingo to get some basic understanding and then continue with Babbel to strenghen my skills.

Since both can be tried for free my best advise is to check them both out and see which one suits your needs best. Don't forget to sign up through my link to Babbel, this way you get three free months instead of just one lesson. This will make trying out much easier! Hope to hear about your experiences!

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