All Language Resources is an independent review site. If you click a product link, we may earn money from a seller at no cost to you. Writing and analyses are author opinions. Learn More

French

Promova Mini Review: Personalized Content to Meet Your Language Learning Needs

Promova

Price:

$39.99-3 Months, $83.99-12 Months, $299.99-Lifetime

Summary

Are you on the hunt for a language learning resource that’s engaging and personalized to fit your learning style? Promova may be a great place to start.

Promova is an app and web based platform that offers language instruction for multiple languages and multiple proficiency levels. The language courses at Promova include English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, French, German, Ukrainian, Arabic, Korean, and Chinese. It uses machine learning and AI technologies in order to personalize your learning experience based on your goals and learning progress. All you have to do is take a quick test, set your learning preferences and Promova will craft a personalized learning plan that aligns with your needs, skills, and interests. With this learning plan, you’ll get personalized recommendations, progress tracking, and an optimized learning experience. 

Promova offers Bite-sized daily lessons. Each session integrates vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, and real-world conversations to help you progress in as little as 10 minutes. With Promova’s meticulously curated word lists, phrases and its use of SRS, you’ll get to practice and expand your vocabulary immensely. You’ll also engage in speaking and listening exercises, and receive instant feedback on your pronunciation to help you refine your conversational skills and accent.

The platform focuses on practical examples and engaging exercises, quizzes and flashcards to help you decipher and grasp intricate, tricky and challenging grammatical concepts. Promova has live online classes with certified tutors to help enhance your learning with interactive practice. These classes are flexible and available in both 1-on-1 sessions that are tailored to your needs and group classes where you can engage with fellow language learners. 

Additionally, Promova will expose you to an engaging language community where you can participate in lively discussions, connect with language exchange partners, and elevate your communication skills through meaningful interactions with fellow learners around the world. You’ll not only be advancing your proficiency, but also forming lasting connections and friendships across cultures.

Whichever language you choose to learn, Promova provides language-specific explanations. You could choose to receive instruction in the language you’re learning for a more immersive experience, or you could choose to learn in a language that caters to your individual preferences.
If you’re learning English and are looking for a Specialized English course, such as Business English or Travel English, Promova offers specialized courses to meet those specific needs and help you navigate these environments.

Although Promova is currently only limited to 10 languages, and the homepage may be difficult to navigate to see all the services listed, we think it’s an effective platform to help you reach language fluency.

Visit Promova

Promova Mini Review: Personalized Content to Meet Your Language Learning Needs Read More »

Newsdle Mini Review: Engaging Material to Help You Learn French and Spanish

Newsdle

Price:

$10/1 month, $25/3 months, $45/6 months, $80/1 year

Summary

Are you a French or Spanish learner looking for material that’s engaging, relevant, and appeals to your interest? Then you should check out Newsdle.

Newsdle publishes a continuous feed of news-based lessons daily across a wide range of topics. It aims to bring excitement and motivation to the study of languages. Whatever your reasons for studying, Newsdle provides you with the tools you need to advance your language skills.
Instead of just presenting you with words or basic phrases, Newsdle lets you learn the language through context and grammar understanding.

Newsdle updates daily, adding 3 brand new news-based lessons each day for Spanish and French. It guarantees quality as all lessons are created by qualified teachers. It also has in-built features such as live dictionary, keyword lists and graded audio.

Furthermore, it offers lots of engaging content such as contemporary news-based lessons and comprehension exercises. With their cross-platform integration, you’ll be able to sync your study sessions across the website and the app. With Newsdle, you can study little and often, and the learning tools can be used independently or with instruction in an institution. You can also study multiple languages—Spanish (SP), Spanish (LA) and French—at no extra cost.

Although the app isn’t immediately useful for a complete beginner, and the free content only has 6 samples lessons, it’s a great resource to help you advance your French and Spanish skills.

Visit Newsdle

Newsdle Mini Review: Engaging Material to Help You Learn French and Spanish Read More »

LanguagePod101 — All Languages, Pod101 and Class101

Updated November 20, 2023

If you want a language learning podcast that consistently adds new content to keep you motivated, you will find the “Pod101” and “Class101” series quite useful.

One great thing about LanguagePod101 programs is that they do publish new content ALL THE TIME. And their pricing structure allows language learners of any mastery and commitment levels to find contents that are useful. The pricing starts at a mere few dollars per month, and the top subscription called Premium PLUS gives learners personal feedback and a personalized program to follow.

Visit Language Learning Programs in the LanguagePod101 Series

Click the icon to visit the site for the language you want. Purchase or just check it out. Happy Learning!

You can also read ALR independent reviews for each language’s program in the following section.

…

LanguagePod101 — All Languages, Pod101 and Class101Read More »

LanguagePod101 — All Languages, Pod101 and Class101 Read More »

Babbel Review French

Babbel French Review – Reasonably Priced Solid Program

Babbel French

Rating 4.3
★★★★
★
★

Summary

Babbel French app aims to get learners to a conversational level as quickly as possible through the use of a variety of exercises and spaced repetition for review. The courses are well put together and relatively inexpensive.

Quality 4.5
★★★★
★
★

It’s well-designed and the content is immediately useful.

Thoroughness 4.0
★★★★★

The material provided is effective and covers a lot, but isn’t ideal for advanced levels.

Value 4.3
★★★★
★
★

The value for what you get is very attractive.

I Like
  • The content is practical for real-life use
  • It’s easy to use
  • The lessons are fairly short
I Don’t Like
  • The exercises can get repetitive
  • The review exercises don’t include grammar concepts
  • Speech recognition isn’t the best way to learn pronunciation
Price

Babbel uses a recurring subscription model and offers a 20-day money-back guarantee. Price per month depends on the length of the subscription and only includes access to one language.

Monthly – $14.95/mo Every 3 Months – $12.65/mo Every 6 Months – $11.15/mo Every year – $7.45/mo

The prices listed here are for customers in the United States; they otherwise vary by region.

Start Babbel French

Introduction

Whether you just need to pass a college French class or you want to become fluent for a trip abroad, you have probably looked into the popular Babbel French course. Babbel is a subscription-based language learning app that offers a tailored learning program aligned with your skill level and interests, such as culture vs travel. 

…

Babbel French Review – Reasonably Priced Solid ProgramRead More »

Babbel French Review – Reasonably Priced Solid Program Read More »

Pimsleur Review French

Pimsleur French Review: Great Choice If Your Goal Is To Get Speaking French Quickly

Pimsleur French

Rating 4.3
★★★★
★
★

Summary

Pimsleur is one of the most popular and longest-standing resources out there for learning a foreign language. Pimsleur French courses place a strong emphasis on aural and verbal communication skills, paying less attention to grammar explanations and reading or writing skills. The bunk of the material is taught with audio lessons, making it an ideal app for people on the go.

Quality 4.5
★★★★
★
★

The platform is extremely well designed and easy to use. The content seems to be of high quality at all levels.

Thoroughness 4.0
★★★★★

Timely repetition and active practice work well, and lessons build on each other nicely, but the “intermediate fluency in 30 days” claim may be a stretch.

Value 4.5
★★★★
★
★

The subscription option provides good value for French learners. It is worth paying $1 more to get the All Access subscription with 51 languages.

I Like
  • The lessons are structured well and are an appropriate length.
  • There are both male and female native speakers.
  • Lessons build on each other nicely.
  • The platform is easy to navigate and visually appealing.
I Don’t Like
  • There’s very little visual content.
  • Lesson speed isn’t customizable.
Price

Subscriptions of either $14.95/month or $19.95/month are available for courses with at least 60 lessons. Prices otherwise range from around $20 to over $500. All purchases come with a 7-day free trial.

Start Pimsleur 7-Day Free Trial

Introduction

Are you ready to take the plunge and commit to learning French? For real fluency and a solid foundation in French, you may want to try a big-name program like Pimsleur. With fifty years of history behind it, this famous method promises to engage you in a participatory recall process as you learn French. It is nothing glamorous, but we are a big fan of the Pimsleur Method.

…

Pimsleur French Review: Great Choice If Your Goal Is To Get Speaking French QuicklyRead More »

Pimsleur French Review: Great Choice If Your Goal Is To Get Speaking French Quickly Read More »

Rosetta Stone Review French

Rosetta Stone French Review: Good For Vocab. That’s About It

Rosetta Stone French

Rating 3.0
★★★★★

Summary

A Rosetta Stone French course could be most suitable for learners that don’t mind repetitive exercises and prefer to learn from pictures and context rather than translations and explanations. It’s probably not a good option for anyone wanting to significantly improve their speaking or writing skills, or those looking for an engaging course.

Quality 3.0
★★★★★

The platform is a bit clunky on desktop, but the material is accurate and presented clearly; lesson mechanics are fairly intuitive.

Thoroughness 3.0
★★★★★

Without much opportunity to build your own sentences, I don’t think you’ll reach a conversational level with any notable speed.

Value 3.0
★★★★★

Lifetime access could be a great value for learners who like Rosetta Stone methodology.

I Like
  • The audio quality is very good.
  • Lessons progress naturally and logically.
I Don’t Like
  • It’s repetitive and boring.
  • You don’t get to generate your own sentences.
  • Speech recognition doesn’t work very well.
  • No grammar explanations in core material.
Price

A three-month subscription to one language is $35.97, which works out to be $11.99/month.
A year-long subscription to one course is $95.88, which is $7.99/month. Both of these subscriptions are automatically recurring.
Lifetime access to all Rosetta Stone language courses is available for $199.

ALR Readers Exclusive Holiday Deal!! Get the Lifetime Subscription for 25 languages for $179 (everywhere else it’s $199 right now!). See details on the website.

Try Rosetta Stone French

Introduction

Learning fluent French will help you communicate anywhere in the world, as this beautiful language has native speakers on every continent! Rosetta Stone promises to deliver an immersive French program that focuses on everyday vocabulary and pronunciation practice. Will completing the course make you fluent in French? 

…

Rosetta Stone French Review: Good For Vocab. That’s About ItRead More »

Rosetta Stone French Review: Good For Vocab. That’s About It Read More »

Story Learning Review French

StoryLearning French Uncovered Review

StoryLearning French Uncovered

Rating 4.0
★★★★★

Summary

StoryLeaning French Uncovered comes from Olly Richards, the creator of the super popular polyglot blog. It’s quite a bit different than most courses as it revolves around an engaging story. It can be a bit more challenging than other courses, as you begin reading somewhat long texts right off the bat. Overall, I found it to be a more fun way to approach language learning that will be great for some but not ideal for others.

Quality 4.0
★★★★★

The instruction is clear but can have too much information crammed into a single lesson.

Thoroughness 4.0
★★★★★

You’ll practice every aspect of the language.

Value 4.0
★★★★★

It has a pretty high price, but if you stick with it, you’ll get good value from it.

I Like
  • Unique course structure
  • Strong focus on listening comprehension
  • Immersion approach to building fluency
I Don’t Like
  • No direct speaking software
  • Costs more than many app-based subscription courses
Price

A one-time purchase costs $297. Multiple course bundles offer huge discounts. There’s also a 7-day free trial.

Start French Uncovered

StoryLearning’s French Uncovered course promises to help you learn French fluently in the natural way a child learns language, by communicating via story. The program’s unique teaching method does not use the parrot-like match or repeat structure associated with many other language learning programs. 

…

StoryLearning French Uncovered ReviewRead More »

StoryLearning French Uncovered Review Read More »