Learning a language from your phone has become so common nowadays as we spend a lot of time stuck to our screens. There are so many language learning apps and platforms to choose from and that can be quickly overwhelming. In this flood, which one to choose? What is the best learning app for French? Is that Duolingo, Busuu, Mondly, Lingopie, or another one?
Let’s learn about the 7 best French learning apps with free or paid options that you should consider as main or supplemental resources to your studies, depending on your learning objectives.
#1 Duolingo: Learn French for free
When talking about language learning apps on Facebook groups or Reddit, the first that pops up is Duolingo, a free learning app that teaches you various languages like French, Spanish, German, Chinese, Russian, popular languages as well as less popular.
Duolingo is a playful platform, making you play with languages. It has many levels and lessons where you can have fun and stop being afraid of a new language and freely experiment. Being very similar to a game makes it pretty addictive for users, reducing the risk of desertion, counting with a lot of levels to keep users entertained. It’s also very friendly, levels move on very slowly so you don’t get overwhelmed with information, getting badged all along the process making it fun.
On the free version, ads are served but are still ok to learn with it.
I really like their podcasts and short stories that are beginner-friendly.
#2 Mondly the best high tech app for learning languages
If you’re looking for an entertaining way to learn French Mondly can be a good option. You can take daily lessons in a “game-like” way and this is very productive if you get bored easily.
Mondly has very attractive features to keep you interested and has a lot of modes such as augmented reality (AR) and Virtual reality (VR). There is also Mondly for kids and Mondly for business. That makes Mondly one of the unique apps that serves kids and adults learning interests.
Mondly is great if you want to grow your vocabulary, speaking, and listening skills. Beyond being just a flashcard memorizing system, it has a unique feature that allows you to have guided conversations with a chatbot. And what I liked the most, you can even record your voice and listened to the whole conversation after. That gives you real experience of how your speaking looks like when you speak French.
Like Duolingo and other language apps, the competitive element is present. This means that Mondly rewards your efforts on a leaderboard, and this can keep you motivated to achieve goals if you have a competitive mind.
Accessing Mondly is free but gives you limited features. The premium version would be ideal if you want to learn seriously. You can take this free trial to test the app and judge the opportunity to buy the premium version. If you decide to learn, you can use this link to get a 20% discount on a 1-month subscription or this one for 20% off on an annual subscription plan. All discounts are valid in only one language.
#3 Busuu: best app for learning French in context
Busuu is a language learning platform where you can learn online up to 12 languages like English, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, French, and more. The classes are accessible through Busuu’s app on your smartphone, or directly on your web browser.
Busuu offers 4 types of lessons: Complete French lessons suitable for beginners, intermediate and advanced learners, French for travel, pronunciation, and Business lessons.
With Busuu, you learn French vocabulary in context, not just learning words and be left without knowing how to use them in a sentence. Words are explained and followed with real-life examples that you can use in everyday conversations.
Busuu is ideal if you´re looking for a little daily practice. If you´re looking for something more complete it’s better to pay the premium subscription that offers a lot more. For instance, You have the option to learn offline if you need to; you can get an official certificate and benefit from a community of native speakers who can help correct or give feedback on your work.
In my point of view, this is a big distinctive advantage compared to other language apps.
If Busuu is a language app you would like to try, you can use this link to get 10% off when you want to start your learning journey.