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Search Results for: speechling

An Honest Review of Rocket German With Image of German Castle

Rocket German Review & Why You Can’t Trust Online Reviews

Rocket German

Rating 3.3
★★★
★
★★

Summary

Rocket German is a decent enough course, but it falls short of the high praise it often receives. The audio lessons aren’t bad, but they aren’t exceptional either, and the activities that are part of every lesson are too repetitive and boring. Nevertheless, it’s a fairly good course, with a nice structure, lots of clear grammar explanations, and opportunities for you to practice what you’ve learned. As such, this is a course that could potentially work for learners that are looking for a course with a very clear structure, lots of explanations, and a mix of audio and visual content. Learners that are after an engaging course, are on a budget, or want better cultural insights should probably look elsewhere.

Quality 3.5
★★★
★
★★

Nicely designed interface with pretty good lessons.

Thoroughness 3.5
★★★
★
★★

Lots of exercises, but they’re all very similar and repetitive.

Value 3.0
★★★★★

Pretty expensive for what you get.

I Like
  • Lessons use less English as you move up levels.
  • A nice balance between explaining grammar and pushing you to speak aloud.
  • Nice website and app design.
I Don’t Like
  • The exercises are too repetitive and rely on rote memorization.
  • The audio lessons don’t feel very natural and have lots of corny jokes.
  • The cultural lessons are short and uninteresting.
Price

$99.95 for level 1 and $249.95 level 1&2 with all 3 levels being $259.95.

Visit Rocket German

If you read other reviews of Rocket German, you’ll find most are obnoxiously positive and hard to trust. Some of the websites claim that it’s the best course you’ll find, that it’s fun and just generally amazing.

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Rocket German Review & Why You Can’t Trust Online Reviews Read More »

An Honest Review of Rocket Portuguese With Image of Portuguese City

Rocket Portuguese Review – Not Quite Worth the Money or Time

Rocket Portuguese

Rating 3.0
★★★★★

Summary

Rocket Portuguese is an online Portuguese course made up of audio and reading lessons. The course currently covers one difficulty level, which claims to bring beginning learners of Brazilian Portuguese up to an intermediate level. Interactive audio lessons and repetitive exercises provide learners with lots of practice in a variety of skills, but some may find it difficult to justify the price with how monotonous the course is. The course would work best for learners at a low level that enjoy both audio and visual content, lots of explanations, and frequent practice activities. It probably isn’t the right resource, though, for those looking for an especially engaging way to learn or those on a budget.

Quality 3.0
★★★★★

The interface is clean and easy to use, but the voice recognition could work better.

Thoroughness 3.0
★★★★★

The course is structured fairly well, but exercises are overly repetitive.

Value 3.0
★★★★★

There are certainly resources that are better worth your time and money than Rocket Portuguese.

I Like
  • There are plenty of practice opportunities
  • There’s a slight gamification aspect to the course
  • Practice activities get you practicing a variety of skills
I Don’t Like
  • The lessons can be quite boring
  • Culture lessons don’t contain a ton of detail
  • It’s too expensive for what it offers
Price

Rocket Portuguese Level One is available for a one-time price of $149.95 or $27/month for six months.

Visit Rocket Portuguese

The dashboard also features a progress bar that makes it easy to see if you’re meeting your study goals and a link to some other handy tools. It’s easy to navigate and intuitive, which is great.

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Rocket Portuguese Review – Not Quite Worth the Money or TimeRead More »

Rocket Portuguese Review – Not Quite Worth the Money or Time Read More »

An Honest Review of Rocket French With Image of The Eiffel Tower

Rocket French Review – Solid But Boring

Rocket French

Rating 3.7
★★★
★
★★

Summary

Rocket Languages offers courses in a number of languages, some of which aren’t great, while others are pretty solid. Rocket French is neither amazing nor terrible, it’s pretty good. The content is structured well and gives you lots of opportunities to practice what you’ve learned. But, their lessons can be rather bland, with a large emphasis on rote memorization drills.

Quality 3.5
★★★
★
★★

The lessons aren’t very exciting, but you’ll learn from them, and they’re designed well.

Thoroughness 4.0
★★★★★

The course structure is solid and includes lots of explanations.

Value 3.5
★★★
★
★★

The price tag for the lessons is relatively high but justifiable.

I Like
  • The emphasis on speaking skills
  • The good mix of speaking and grammar focus found in the audio lessons
  • Leaderboard and streak system
I Don’t Like
  • It’s fairly expensive
  • The voice recognition isn’t reliable enough to depend on
  • The lessons can be repetitive and monotonous
Price

Level 1 costs $149.95, Levels 1 and 2 cost $299.90, all three levels together costs $449.85.

Try a free trial of Rocket French

At All Language Resources, our first exposure to Rocket Languages was with Rocket Chinese, which succeeded in lowering our expectations of Rocket French.

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Rocket French Review – Solid But Boring Read More »

Rocket Spanish Review

Rocket Spanish Review – Boring But Still A Decent Course

Last Updated on December 13, 2023.

Rocket Spanish

Rating 3.8
★★★
★
★★

Summary

Rocket Spanish is a pretty good Spanish course, but it’s not my personal favorite. Although I find the lessons tend to be very boring, the content is well structured and fairly comprehensive. There is a good mixture of listening, speaking, grammar, and review activities.

Quality 4.0
★★★★★

The app and the lessons are well designed, but I experienced some minor annoyances.

Thoroughness 4.0
★★★★★

There are lots of practice activities following each lesson, and course structure seems logical.

Value 3.5
★★★
★
★★

Not cheap but not absurdly expensive either.

I Like
  • Lessons are well structured and use increasingly more Spanish as you move up.
  • The streamlined interface makes it easy to navigate lessons and activities.
  • You’ll certainly learn a lot if you complete the exercises and review activities.
  • Speaking practice is emphasized in the audio lessons and in numerous exercises.
I Don’t Like
  • I found the audio lessons to be painfully boring.
  • I thought the cultural lessons were poorly done and felt lazy.
  • Although the reinforcement exercises are helpful, you’ll likely get sick of them.
Price

Level 1 costs $150.99. Levels 1 & 2 cost $300. Levels 1, 2 & 3 cost $450 (though you can often find discounts).

TRY A FREE TRIAL OF ROCKET SPANISH
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Rocket Spanish Review – Boring But Still A Decent Course Read More »

An Honest Review of PortuguesePod101 With Image of Portuguese City

PortuguesePod101 Review – Great for Beginner and Intermediate Students

PortuguesePod101

Rating 4.0
★★★★★

Summary

PortuguesePod101 is a great option for anyone looking to learn Portuguese. The platform offers its users a wide range of lessons (in podcast format) that delve into Portuguese grammar and explore the rich culture of Brazil. While the Beginner lessons are mostly in English and focus on grammar and vocabulary, the Advanced options are entirely in Portuguese. A downside is that there is no speaking involved unless you pay for the Premium Plus plan.

Quality 3.5
★★★
★
★★

It’s confusing to navigate on all the interfaces (PC, mobile and app), but the high production value makes up for it.

Thoroughness 4.5
★★★★
★
★

A huge range of lessons explore a plethora of subjects as the presenters explain the vocabulary and grammar.

Value 4.0
★★★★★

Great value for vocabulary, grammar, reading, listening and learning about the culture. Not so good for speaking and writing.

I Like
  • The in-depth exploration of grammar points is very useful.
  • You learn a lot about Brazilian culture in a short period of time.
  • They look at a huge range of topics and real-life situations that will come up.
  • Good progression from the Beginner modules to the Advanced lessons.
I Don’t Like
  • I found it quite hard to use the platform. It often took me a few tries to find what I wanted.
  • There is no way to practice speaking unless you pay for the Premium Plus plan.
Price

The free version allows access to most features but is limited in some ways. Paid subscriptions vary by length and type; the monthly plan is $4 for Basic, $10 for Premium, and $23 for Premium Plus. Monthly prices drop for longer subscription plans.

Use the coupon code “ALLLANGUAGERESOURCES” to get 25% off your subscription.

May Campaign Sale! Use code PRETTYBIGDEAL2024 and get forever 40% off on Premium or Premium Plus! See details on the website. Offer ends on 5/17/24.

Try a free 7-day trial to PortuguesePod101

Another great feature is that below each audio lesson, you will find a list of the vocabulary used. If you are struggling to remember some of the words or find some of them particularly useful, you can simply add them to one of your ‘word banks’ where you can then memorize them later on.

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PortuguesePod101 Review – Great for Beginner and Intermediate StudentsRead More »

PortuguesePod101 Review – Great for Beginner and Intermediate Students Read More »

An Honest Review of FrenchPod101 With Image of Paris

FrenchPod101 Review – Not Perfect But Offers Good Value

FrenchPod101

Rating 4.2
★★★★
★
★

Summary

If you want to learn French from the comfort of your own house, then Frenchpod101 is definitely a site worth visiting. It is a comprehensive learning tool that has lessons catered to your needs, whether you want to master the language or just learn a few common phrases. With engaging content in all forms of media, though primarily audio, this is a great way to learn the language of love.

Quality 4.0
★★★★★

The website is easy to use, but the pathways could be improved.

Thoroughness 4.5
★★★★
★
★

This website covers almost everything there is to know about the French language and culture.

Value 4.0
★★★★★

A subscription is required, but it offers great value for the money.

I Like
  • The use of audio and video files to enhance the learning experience.
  • You’ll learn a lot about French culture.
  • The different types of lessons available based on your needs.
I Don’t Like
  • There is no feature that keeps you motivated to keep going back to learn more the next day.
  • The app isn’t designed all that well.
  • The normal quizzes are too easy.
Price

If you choose to opt for just a one-month subscription, you’ll end up paying $4 for Basic, $10 for Premium, and $23 for Premium Plus. Use the promo code

“ALLLANGUAGERESOURCES” to save 25% on a subscription to FrenchPod101.

May Campaign Sale! Use code PRETTYBIGDEAL2024 and get forever 40% off on Premium or Premium Plus! See details on the website. Offer ends on 5/17/24.

Try a free 7-day trial to FrenchPod101
…

FrenchPod101 Review – Not Perfect But Offers Good ValueRead More »

FrenchPod101 Review – Not Perfect But Offers Good Value Read More »

An Honest Review of Teuida App With Image of Korean Architecture

Teuida App Review — Learn Korean with a K-Pop Star

Teuida App

Rating 4.0
★★★★★

Summary

Teuida is a Korean learning app that’s available for iOS and Android, with instructions in English or Vietnamese. The app takes a unique approach to language teaching by simulating conversations, including some featuring K-Pop star Nancy from Momoland. Users of the app have the opportunity to get lots of speaking practice and feedback on pronunciation through voice recognition technology.

Quality 4.3
★★★★
★
★

The design is superb, and it’s easy to use, but the voice recognition isn’t perfect.

Thoroughness 4.0
★★★★★

It offers lots of speaking practice as advertised, but it’s lacking detailed pronunciation training.

Value 3.3
★★★
★
★★

There aren’t a lot of similar alternatives, but there are definitely more efficient ways to get real speaking practice.

I Like
  • Quality design and user experience.
  • It’s super engaging.
  • It teaches useful language.
  • There’s lots of speaking practice.
I Don’t Like
  • Pronunciation practice and instruction could be better.
  • No comprehensive review option.
  • You’ll mostly learn set phrases.
Price

The first lesson of every chapter on Teuida is free; a subscription is required for access to the full app.

1 Month: $14.99
3 Months: $20.99
12 Months: $79.99

You can use the coupon code ‘ALR003‘ to get the 3-month subscription for $18.99.

Note that iOS users will need to enter this code as the “Referrer ID,” either when signing up or under Settings > Account > Referrer ID.

Visit Teuida
…

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An Honest Review of Assimil With Image of Woman Reading Book

Assimil Review — A Fresh Look at a Longstanding Resource

Assimil

Rating 4.0
★★★★★

Summary

Assimil is a French company that has been selling language-learning resources since 1929. Assimil materials are available as books, CDs, and downloadable e-courses; there are a variety of available course types, and instruction is based on interacting with phrases in the target language. The popular Sans Peine or, With Ease, courses are for absolute or false beginners that would like to reach the B2 level, but we think you’ll need to incorporate some other study materials to make this happen.

Quality 4.0
★★★★★

The language materials are reliable, the audio is high quality, and the program is fairly easy to use after a bit of practice.

Thoroughness 4.0
★★★★★

Assimil is chock-full of explanations and thorough translations for all material, but you might need more to reach the advertised B2 level.

Value 4.0
★★★★★

There are cheaper resources out there, but Assimil provides super solid instruction for the price.

I Like
  • The audio quality is great.
  • The culture notes add a lot of value.
  • There are plenty of grammar explanations, but they aren’t a focus.
I Don’t Like
  • The mobile app isn’t super intuitive.
  • The pronunciation feedback method could be better.
  • The exercises aren’t especially engaging.
Price

Prices vary by course. The Spanish e-course is €49.90, the Spanish With Ease book (no audio) is €26.90, and the Spanish With Ease Superpack is €74.90

Try Assimil
…

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Assimil Review — A Fresh Look at a Longstanding Resource Read More »

An Honest Review of ELSA Speak With Image of London

ELSA Speak Review: Your AI English Pronunciation Tutor

ELSA Speak

Rating 4.3
★★★★
★
★

Summary

ELSA, whose name stands for English Language Speech Assistant, is an AI-powered English pronunciation app and a serious contender for the position of your virtual pronunciation coach. It has a free and paid-for version, and is geared toward non-native English speakers who want to talk in a neutral American accent, improve their fluency, and speak with confidence.

Quality 4.0
★★★★★

It will effectively train you on 21 pronunciation skills, as well as syllable stress – although you’ll need to drill connected speech on your own.

Thoroughness 5.0
★★★★★

With 1400+ lessons, ELSA drills both your listening and speaking skills and has a natural progression from easy to difficult.

Value 4.0
★★★★★

ELSA is priced fairly for the value it provides.

I Like
  • You get instant automated feedback on your recordings, which includes feedback on mistakes and how you can improve.
  • It comes with a host of well-thought-out supporting features, including an Assessment, Dictionary, and Word Bank.
  • It has an extensive range of content, with four lesson types – listening, syllable stress, word pronunciation, and dialogue – covering 66 topics and 21 skills.
  • The app is intuitive and aesthetically appealing.
I Don’t Like
  • You can pass the syllable stress exercises even when you’re saying the wrong word. “PART-yada-yada,” for example, will get you full marks for “PARTnership.”
  • While it does a great job at drilling specific phonemes, the app doesn’t cover connected speech and contractions, which are important for a native-sounding accent.
  • Despite the variety of the content, the four lesson types become repetitive after a while.
Price

ELSA has a free version, but the premium one will give you access to the Dictionary and newly updated lessons.

There are three plans:

1. ELSA PRO: 1-month membership for $11.99  2. ELSA PRO: 3-month membership for $25.99  3. ELSA PRO: 1-year membership for $74.99

Use the code “ALRELSA” to get 10% off your subscription. The coupon is only valid if purchased from the link below and not from within the app.

Visit Elsa Speak

All the scores come as percentages and indicate how close you are to sounding like a native speaker. By clicking on the question mark next to each “skill,” you can see additional information about it, along with examples.

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ELSA Speak Review: Your AI English Pronunciation Tutor Read More »