In 2020, 30 Million people made an effort to learn a new language according to Duolingo.

In 2022, we want to help you find fun and educational resources for your Language endeavors. Perhaps you'll use your new skill on a trip somewhere exotic, historic, or adventurous.

I have put together a list of resources I've has used over the years. Growing up, I studied Spanish, Arabic, and Sign Language. As an adult, I decided to rededicate my practice to learning French and catching up on Spanish again. I look forward to learning many languages and have quite the lofty goal of achieving "Polyglot" status one day.

"To learn a language is to have one more window from which to look at the world"

- Chinese Proverb

1. Duolingo - Good for sentence structure, listening, reading, and pronunciation.

Duolingo has you fill in the blanks for building sentences. The further you advance, the more words you fill in. Spelling matters. Eventually, it only asks and answers in the target language. It also has you speak to make sure you are getting the right pronunciation. Duolingo is regularly updating the courses and has recently modified them to match CEFR Language Levels. There are 6 Levels of Fluency in CEFR and Duolingo (With supplemental education) can take you to B2 (Not all courses, but some Duolingo courses have B2 Vocabulary).

Their podcast has fun stories to listen to about real people in the language!

PRICE: FREE option is literally great


2. Mango Languages - Used by homeschool students, professionals, and teachers alike! Good for conversation, reading, listening, and culture.

Mango Has very long reading and listening exercises at the end of each “Chapter”. You must answer questions about the subject of the conversation/story. They explain regional differences and talk about food, parties, art, music, families, and other aspects of culture. You can do all of that on the App but some languages also have videos/movies when visiting the website. Some languages will off culture-specific/industry specific bonus lessons too. French? Wine & Cheese! Spanish? Medical & Legal. German? Ocktoberfest. Russian? Superstitions. Mango (with supplemental education) can take you to B1 CEFR Level in some courses.

PRICE: FREE option is only available with a Public Library Card.


3. Memrise - Fancy flashcards, quick-thinking exercises, and various dialects. Memrise has speaker videos with a wide variety of DAILY topics, not just general. They use a variety of local and native speakers so you can hear the regional differences and even the differences from just one person to the next (speed, context, accent, etc). The lessons and speaker videos also give a good amount of slang/local vocabulary so you’re not *too formal*. Speech practice is a bit more advanced than Duolingo. Memrise (with supplemental education) can take you to A2 CEFR in some courses.

PRICE: FREE option is good, paid is better only for SOME languages (For Grammar lessons - in BETA Mode).

Supplemental Sources:

1. Kwiziq - Test your language knowledge! Free (Limited) with Paid Option.

2. Podcasts (Free in most Apps)

- Coffee Break ___ (French, German, Spanish, & Italian)
- Duolingo (Spanish & French Only for now)
- News Related Podcast (IE, News in Slow French)
- Topic that Interests YOU Podcast (IE, L’heure de Crime - True Crime in French)


3. Make a Music Playlist! (Free on various apps)

- Find Music YOU enjoy in your target language. Explore significant artists from past and present times. This is a great way to practice listening and comprehension of fast paced languages and culture. PLUS, less formal.

4. Netflix and Learn (Streaming account costs apply)

- Netflix has greatly expanded their language offerings. You can search by language. Start with English Subtitles, then Target Language Subtitles, then no subtitles (Unless you're like me and always watch with subtitle

BONUS: Use this link to find shows in your language FAST

BONUS: https://languagelearnngwithnetflix.com

5. Project Gutenberg (FREE)

- Project Gutenberg is a 100% FREE resource of books. You can find books in almost any language from classics, to biographies, etc. Read them online or download them to a device.


6. Wichita State University (VARIES)

Wichita State offers For Credit (Or no Credit) Courses for Adult Learners AND Community Courses. Check out their "French For Travelers" or "German for Travelers" to get ready for your next vacation overseas.


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Agent/Author - Angie Webb, CTA

awebb@sunflowertravel.com

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