FluentU Review — More Expensive than the Competition

FluentU

Rating 3.1

★★★

★

★★

Summary

FluentU is a language-learning platform that uses real-world videos and interactive subtitles to create an immersive learning experience. The videos take on a variety of forms, including commercials, music videos, interviews, and more. Accompanying quizzes give users the chance to practice language used in videos. FluentU offers videos in nine different languages and is available for iOS, Android, and on the web. Most of its content is beyond the beginner level, but it has videos for learners at all levels.

Quality 3.5

★★★

★

★★

It’s very straightforward and easy to use, though not especially visually pleasing.

Thoroughness 3.0

★★★★★

There is a wide variety of videos, but they’re short and disconnected. They also aren’t suitable for absolute beginners.

Value 2.5

★★

★

★★★

It is not the most complete way to study a language.

I Like

The site is easy to navigate.
Interacting with subtitles is easy.
The videos are authentic and tied to practice activities.
Exercises recognize Chinese and Japanese characters.

I Don’t Like

Flashcards use robotic text-to-speech audio.
Writing practice is limited, speaking practice is nonexistent.
Practice activities aren’t very interesting.
There’s no easy way to filter content by region.

Price

After a 14-day free trial, users can purchase one of two subscription options. Subscriptions grant access to all FluentU languages.

Monthly Subscription: $30/month

Annual Subscription: $360/year

Visit FluentU

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FluentU Review — More Expensive than the Competition Read More »

Yabla vs. FluentU vs. Others: Yabla Barely Takes the Lead

As a teaching medium, video has some serious advantages over text and audio: it’s entertaining, easy to interact with, and can make the digital learning experience more relatable and lifelike.

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Yabla vs. FluentU vs. Others: Yabla Barely Takes the LeadRead More »

Yabla vs. FluentU vs. Others: Yabla Barely Takes the Lead Read More »

17 Minute Languages Review: I Wouldn’t Recommend Using It

17 Minute Languages

Rating 1.5

★

★★★★

Summary

17 Minute Languages is a language-learning program that uses spaced repetition and native-speaker audio to teach a wide variety of languages. In our opinion, the courses aren’t very engaging; the courses we tried included significant errors and didn’t offer any language-specific explanations. There are leaderboards for comparing your progress with other users and a language forum that’s available after four days of use.

Quality 1.5

★

★★★★

Native speaker audio is the only thing that impressed me in the courses I tried; mistakes and glitches were many.

Thoroughness 1.5

★

★★★★

Explanations are lacking, which I found made some material misleading.

Value 1.5

★

★★★★

I think there are far better ways to spend your time and money studying a language.

I Like

It uses native-speaker audio.

I Don’t Like

I came across several bad translations.
I didn’t find any helpful explanations.
Site navigation wasn’t easy or enjoyable for me.
I didn’t find the exercises engaging.

Price

The Beginner’s Course is $59.95 and the Complete Package is $97. For the whole package and all languages it is $197. There is a free 48-hour trial.

https://www.alllanguageresources.com/recommends/17-minute-languages/

Superlearning technology? Fluency in 50 hours? Courses in 80 different languages? This is either the greatest language-learning resource of all time or it’s a painfully overpriced language site making absurd claims. Let’s find out.

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17 Minute Languages Review: I Wouldn’t Recommend Using It Read More »

Best App to Learn Italian From Trying Dozens

A lot has changed in the past few years when it comes to Italian language learning apps. Nowadays, apps have a lot more to offer than they used to. And while you shouldn’t be using apps exclusively to study Italian, they’re worth taking advantage of.

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Best App to Learn Italian From Trying DozensRead More »

Best App to Learn Italian From Trying Dozens Read More »

Best App to Learn Japanese — we Tested Dozens

There are plenty of reasons why people learn Japanese; studying for the JLPT, preparing to go to Japan for vacation, or just enjoying Japanese culture.

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Best App to Learn Japanese — we Tested DozensRead More »

Best App to Learn Japanese — we Tested Dozens Read More »

Human Japanese Review: A Boutique App For Learning Japanese

Human Japanese

Rating 4.2

★★★★

★

Summary

Human Japanese is a resource for learning Japanese that takes a thorough approach, delivering in-depth explanations and great attention to detail. The course is well-designed, builds on itself in a logical way, and offers quality instruction at a very reasonable price. It functions much like an interactive textbook, meaning users will progress at their own pace and may need to implement their own study techniques. It’s available for download on Mac, Windows, Android and iOS.

Quality 4.0

★★★★★

The program is easy to use, and the presentation of information is well-executed, but the practice activities could be better.

Thoroughness 4.0

★★★★★

There’s almost nothing missing in the way of instruction and explanations, but you’ll need to find additional practice methods.

Value 4.5

★★★★

★

You get a lot for the price, and there are some complementary resources that are free.

I Like

Really great explanations.
The overall tone of the written material is engaging.
The material builds on itself in a logical way.

I Don’t Like

There aren’t many practice opportunities.
You may need supplemental materials for extended study sessions.
There isn’t much in the way of communication practice.

Price

$18.99 for PC or Mac, $14.99 for iPad, $9.99 for Android or iOS

https://www.alllanguageresources.com/recommends/human-japanese/

There are plenty of ways to go about learning Japanese. Some believe that learning too much grammar is a waste of time, that it’s all about exposure and practice. Others consider it essential to form a more comprehensive understanding of a language, including its grammar concepts and the reasons it works the way it does.

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Human Japanese Review: A Boutique App For Learning JapaneseRead More »

Human Japanese Review: A Boutique App For Learning Japanese Read More »

Best App to Learn German — We Tried 35+

The ever-growing number of German language apps these days is pretty awesome. There are a lot of options regardless if you’re a total newbie or a language pro, whatever goals, interests, study preferences, and learning styles you have, there’s an app for you.

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Best App to Learn German — We Tried 35+Read More »

Best App to Learn German — We Tried 35+ Read More »

Kwiziq Review: Learn Grammar From Lots Of Quizzes

Kwiziq

Rating 3.5

★★★

★

★★

Summary

Kwiziq is a language-learning platform offering courses in Spanish and French with a curriculum centered around quiz-like exercises. There are plenty of grammar lessons that accompany these quizzes as well as some writing and listening practice opportunities. It isn’t the most fun resource to use, and it makes the most sense for learners that are especially interested in grammar.