Pimsleur is one of the most popular and longest-standing resources out there for learning a foreign language. In the short story lessons, the plot follows the same characters and adventures, with some adjustments for cultural differences. Most of the languages use the most common words in your target language, with natural phrases that you would overhear locals using while conversing amongst each other. Olly Richards, the creator of I Will Teach You A Language, has written a series of books for beginner and intermediate learners to improve their conversation skills in several languages. Some other programs we like are: olly (I will teach you a language) There are plenty of other resources to consider as well and you can find our favorites for popular languages from the table below. Neither would really be my top choice, but both are fine options. However, they both have a few weaknesses to be aware of as well. They’re lacking in quite a few areas.īusuu does take things a step further, with more grammar explanations, better audio, and all-around more comprehensive courses, though there are still some weaknesses.īoth platforms are well-designed and make learning a bit more fun and accessible to the masses.

Duolingo is available for free and Busuu requires a subscription.ĭuolingo is a solid option for those that are just curious about language learning, but their courses aren’t suitable for more serious students.

Duolingo takes a more gamified approach to lessons and aims to help students “learn a language in just 5 minutes a day”, while Busuu’s exercises have more of a serious approach.

Busuu offers a social aspect that allows users to get feedback on writing and pronunciation from other users, which Duolingo doesn’t have.

The key factors that set the two resources apart are: Both are created with beginner and lower-intermediate level students in mind.īoth tools utilize short, quick study methods to help a student to learn a language at their own pace, but their methodology differs.

Make sure to reference any tips and notes from Duolingo or anywhere else.Busuu and Duolingo are online language learning platforms that are available for a wide range of languages. Notes from Duolingo are copyrighted, and cannot be added here verbatim without permission. Summarize, but do not quote, any grammar notes provided with this skill.

Student in spanish duolingo