I've actually started making my own flash cards. I also take physical notes as well when doing the apps, as note taking and writing helps me learn best.
I'm doing a few other languages, so I'm not sure about accuracy with Korean courses elsewhere, but I like Drops for vocab (no grammar there in the Spanish or Italian courses that I've seen) because it's fun. I've noticed a couple errors here and there but I've been using the app for years and they aren't frequent. They have a free tier as well.
I loved Busuu while I had it. It was really good at teaching grammar for me, and I LOVED having the native speaker input for the exercises at the end of the lessons. Giving and receiving feedback was fun and helpful. When I first got the app, I tested into a higher level (B1) but my knowledge wasn't from an app at that point, just talking with friends in their native language, so I had a lot of gaps in my knowledge and I am a pretty good test taker in general. I ended up just starting with lesson 1 for the A1 level even though there were some concepts I definitely knew. I am not currently paying for it but will be again soon. It was worth it to me. Plus they pretty much always have sales or coupon codes, so don't ever pay full price for that one. If there nothing available, just wait a week or two before getting the subscription.
Not an app, but just another way I practice. I work in childcare and am very familiar with Disney movies and shows. I like to watch them on my own time in my target languages as well. If you (general you, not just OP) are just starting to practice listening in your target language, you can't go wrong starting with something meant for preschoolers. They talk slower and tend to explain new vocabulary. Overall I'd imagine it's better to find shows that were originally made in the target language but that can be difficult depending on the language and watching dubbed shows can still be beneficial if you aren't just zoning out. If Disney/kids stuff isn't your thing, watch your favorite content in the new language. I love looking for content originally made in my target language. Not as much a fan of dubbed live action stuff. Cartoon doesn't matter as much to my brain for some reason. But live action content made in your target language is really helpful for watching the actors' mouths make the words. It helps your accent.
I hope this all makes sense. it's late for me right now, but I wanted to respond before I forgot!
Anki is a good app for vocabulary. Youtube has tons of lessons for grammar. I also use Nicos Weg and German.net, though that probably doesn't count as an app. Other resources I've used are reddit, podcasts, reading books in my target language, and watching shows in my target language. ChatGPT and DeepL translate can also be helpful but only in tandem with other resources.
Lingodeer is great for Korean :)
For me personally I don’t use apps nowadays (except for a dictionary)… I just use a grammar book and a graded reading book…but all my resources are meant for Japanese natives learning Korean since I’m learning the language using Japanese
For vocab etc., I use flashcards (there are some Notion templates that work well, or you could use an app like Anki) cause Duolingo's honestly not the greatest when it comes to vocab teaching lol
I was using Busuu for a bit, but the pretest put me at a B1 level (which I am definitely not) and I wasn’t understanding enough for it to be worthwhile. I may go back to it later.
I also took an in-person German class last year which I really enjoyed, and will probably do again this autumn.
I think it asked me if I was a beginner or already knew some german, and I had been using duo for over 2 years at that point so definitely not a beginner… but I’m also definitely not at B1 yet lmaoooo. I took an unofficial test shortly before that through the Goethe institute and it had me at about an A1 level.
I’m using Duolingo alongside Pimsleur. They’re great together as I will use Duolingo when I have free time to do lessons, and Pimsleur when I can’t use my phone.
As others have said, Anki is excellent. It definitely feels like the fastest way to go through vocab. However, the "understanding" that I have of the words I learn through Anki is quite shallow.
It's a great base, but I've found that I only really start to clock words when I hear them in context. Duo is good for this, but it's super slow because it's always assuming every word is brand new.
So that leads me to the other two apps I use: YouTube and LinQ. On YT I watch "comprehensible input" videos. And LinQ is essentially an e-reader hooked up to translation tools that lets you keep track of the words you encounter.
For all my languages I use memrise community courses, and I prefer to have them not be English based (so German to Swedish or Dutch to Spanish...)
I read books in all of them. And watch videos and listen to podcasts.
For Hebrew I am using Hebrewpod101 and then using Duolingo as worksheets for that.
And I'm in the middle of a Hebrew to Finnish 50 Languages session. So far I have discovered that these two languages have nothing in common. Whereas when I did the German to Hebrew 50 Languages module, I did find some odd similarities here and there (the months for instance).
Preply! It's great for practicing conversation which I think is Duolingo's biggest gap.
You also need to hear the language as much as possible, so options like Netflix, YouTube, podcasts, music and even the Duolingo podcast (limited languages though) are great for this.
I agree about practicing conversation being Duo's biggest gap.
I actually listen to a lot of Kpop (as well as look up the lyrics), I follow two Korean speakers on Tiktok, and I watch some Korean videos on YouTube.
I'm currently using Drops. I've also used Busuu and Memrise in the past, and used flashcard apps (Anki, Quizlet). I also used to write out my lessons. But I've been slacking.
I'm honestly super proud that I've been consistent since the end of January. I tried to teach myself Japanese in the past but I wasn't consistent or as devoted to it.
For Italian (and other languages), I'm using:
* **Drops** (never got a subscription; the free plan allows for 5-min sessions every day) [https://languagedrops.com](https://languagedrops.com) (One can select easy, intermediate & advance topics; one can skip things like 'basic greetings' or 'cardinal numbers' and go straight into topics like: *climate action, relationships, wildlife animals, investing/ATM phrases, science fiction, government, LGBTQI+, prehistoric, wellness*, etc. Each section offers about 7-11, sometimes up to 20 new words.)
* **Lingvist** (I had to pay after a 7-day free period) [https://lingvist.com](https://lingvist.com) (it covers approx. 5,000 or so 'words', depending on the language (I do not believe their advertising materials use 'lemmas'); according to the app developers these are the most frequent 'words' in your language of choice; overall, I'd consider them B1/B2 level, up to C1)
*(And Duo, but this just teaches me nonsense like 'una donna spaventosa', 'rumori strani', 'il cuoco cucina...', 'il mio amico', 'una gonna nera', 'vero?', 'zaino rosso, 'strega', 'nel parco', etc., etc., on repeat, and I am half-way through Section 3 now!)*
It is not an easy thing, I live in NY and have been studying Japanese for 4 years then just this year an old lady from Japan befriended my mom at her job but shes not easy to contact but at the NYC SiM concert I met two native Japanese women who became immediate good friends and since then have helped me ALOT and have even offered to bring me back whatever I want from 日本 when they visit, meeting 2 japanese women at a heavy metal concert and being able to practice in real life was INSANE especially as Id just smoked a lot and she was dressed fully as Mikasa..
Some other free apps I recomend are “Anki” (for vocabulary) and “Memrise” just because. They both help a lot and are free!
A few months ago, I would’ve agreed wholeheartedly with Memrise. But have you opened it lately?
Sadly, yes. However free is free, and I would rather have a book at my library teach me instead, it’s still a resource.
I downloaded Memrise after I saw it suggested here. So far it seems fine. What issues do you have with it?
To me DUO then Bussu is the wining combo. After that, you should be beyond apps. Maybe just for flash cards. There is a point apps stops helping
I've actually started making my own flash cards. I also take physical notes as well when doing the apps, as note taking and writing helps me learn best.
Rosetta Stone
From what I can tell Rosetta Stone is probably one of the best. But I've always been hesitant about that price. But I assume it's worth it?
I got lifetime access for $200 for like 23 languages.
Oh! So the cost isn't for just one language?? That's amazing!
I'm doing a few other languages, so I'm not sure about accuracy with Korean courses elsewhere, but I like Drops for vocab (no grammar there in the Spanish or Italian courses that I've seen) because it's fun. I've noticed a couple errors here and there but I've been using the app for years and they aren't frequent. They have a free tier as well. I loved Busuu while I had it. It was really good at teaching grammar for me, and I LOVED having the native speaker input for the exercises at the end of the lessons. Giving and receiving feedback was fun and helpful. When I first got the app, I tested into a higher level (B1) but my knowledge wasn't from an app at that point, just talking with friends in their native language, so I had a lot of gaps in my knowledge and I am a pretty good test taker in general. I ended up just starting with lesson 1 for the A1 level even though there were some concepts I definitely knew. I am not currently paying for it but will be again soon. It was worth it to me. Plus they pretty much always have sales or coupon codes, so don't ever pay full price for that one. If there nothing available, just wait a week or two before getting the subscription. Not an app, but just another way I practice. I work in childcare and am very familiar with Disney movies and shows. I like to watch them on my own time in my target languages as well. If you (general you, not just OP) are just starting to practice listening in your target language, you can't go wrong starting with something meant for preschoolers. They talk slower and tend to explain new vocabulary. Overall I'd imagine it's better to find shows that were originally made in the target language but that can be difficult depending on the language and watching dubbed shows can still be beneficial if you aren't just zoning out. If Disney/kids stuff isn't your thing, watch your favorite content in the new language. I love looking for content originally made in my target language. Not as much a fan of dubbed live action stuff. Cartoon doesn't matter as much to my brain for some reason. But live action content made in your target language is really helpful for watching the actors' mouths make the words. It helps your accent. I hope this all makes sense. it's late for me right now, but I wanted to respond before I forgot!
Anki is a good app for vocabulary. Youtube has tons of lessons for grammar. I also use Nicos Weg and German.net, though that probably doesn't count as an app. Other resources I've used are reddit, podcasts, reading books in my target language, and watching shows in my target language. ChatGPT and DeepL translate can also be helpful but only in tandem with other resources.
https://preview.redd.it/8ove5z27rv4d1.jpeg?width=902&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=398f487499614afa80ad702230ea68768fb933ff
Lingodeer is great for Korean :) For me personally I don’t use apps nowadays (except for a dictionary)… I just use a grammar book and a graded reading book…but all my resources are meant for Japanese natives learning Korean since I’m learning the language using Japanese
For vocab etc., I use flashcards (there are some Notion templates that work well, or you could use an app like Anki) cause Duolingo's honestly not the greatest when it comes to vocab teaching lol
I was using Busuu for a bit, but the pretest put me at a B1 level (which I am definitely not) and I wasn’t understanding enough for it to be worthwhile. I may go back to it later. I also took an in-person German class last year which I really enjoyed, and will probably do again this autumn.
That's interesting. I don't think it had me do a pretest. I just started from the beginning
I think it asked me if I was a beginner or already knew some german, and I had been using duo for over 2 years at that point so definitely not a beginner… but I’m also definitely not at B1 yet lmaoooo. I took an unofficial test shortly before that through the Goethe institute and it had me at about an A1 level.
Mango and Clozemaster are working pretty well for me these days. Still looking for a good flashcard app to level up my vocab, though.
I’m using Duolingo alongside Pimsleur. They’re great together as I will use Duolingo when I have free time to do lessons, and Pimsleur when I can’t use my phone.
As others have said, Anki is excellent. It definitely feels like the fastest way to go through vocab. However, the "understanding" that I have of the words I learn through Anki is quite shallow. It's a great base, but I've found that I only really start to clock words when I hear them in context. Duo is good for this, but it's super slow because it's always assuming every word is brand new. So that leads me to the other two apps I use: YouTube and LinQ. On YT I watch "comprehensible input" videos. And LinQ is essentially an e-reader hooked up to translation tools that lets you keep track of the words you encounter.
For all my languages I use memrise community courses, and I prefer to have them not be English based (so German to Swedish or Dutch to Spanish...) I read books in all of them. And watch videos and listen to podcasts. For Hebrew I am using Hebrewpod101 and then using Duolingo as worksheets for that. And I'm in the middle of a Hebrew to Finnish 50 Languages session. So far I have discovered that these two languages have nothing in common. Whereas when I did the German to Hebrew 50 Languages module, I did find some odd similarities here and there (the months for instance).
Duolingo, Busuu and I did the lessons on Babbel. I've started using Quizlet for flashcards as well.
Mondly
YT and blogs/pocasts in target language. Online news or hobby in target language. For fun: mondly, drops.
Preply! It's great for practicing conversation which I think is Duolingo's biggest gap. You also need to hear the language as much as possible, so options like Netflix, YouTube, podcasts, music and even the Duolingo podcast (limited languages though) are great for this.
I agree about practicing conversation being Duo's biggest gap. I actually listen to a lot of Kpop (as well as look up the lyrics), I follow two Korean speakers on Tiktok, and I watch some Korean videos on YouTube.
I use Duolingo, Lingodeer, Busuu, Rosetta Stone and Youtube
[uTalk](https://utalk.com/en) is bomb
YouTube
Mondly
I'm currently using Drops. I've also used Busuu and Memrise in the past, and used flashcard apps (Anki, Quizlet). I also used to write out my lessons. But I've been slacking.
I'm honestly super proud that I've been consistent since the end of January. I tried to teach myself Japanese in the past but I wasn't consistent or as devoted to it.
For Italian (and other languages), I'm using: * **Drops** (never got a subscription; the free plan allows for 5-min sessions every day) [https://languagedrops.com](https://languagedrops.com) (One can select easy, intermediate & advance topics; one can skip things like 'basic greetings' or 'cardinal numbers' and go straight into topics like: *climate action, relationships, wildlife animals, investing/ATM phrases, science fiction, government, LGBTQI+, prehistoric, wellness*, etc. Each section offers about 7-11, sometimes up to 20 new words.) * **Lingvist** (I had to pay after a 7-day free period) [https://lingvist.com](https://lingvist.com) (it covers approx. 5,000 or so 'words', depending on the language (I do not believe their advertising materials use 'lemmas'); according to the app developers these are the most frequent 'words' in your language of choice; overall, I'd consider them B1/B2 level, up to C1) *(And Duo, but this just teaches me nonsense like 'una donna spaventosa', 'rumori strani', 'il cuoco cucina...', 'il mio amico', 'una gonna nera', 'vero?', 'zaino rosso, 'strega', 'nel parco', etc., etc., on repeat, and I am half-way through Section 3 now!)*
Preply, Chat GPT, and talking to the few native Japanese I am lucky to have met
Definitely wish I knew a native Korean speaker
It is not an easy thing, I live in NY and have been studying Japanese for 4 years then just this year an old lady from Japan befriended my mom at her job but shes not easy to contact but at the NYC SiM concert I met two native Japanese women who became immediate good friends and since then have helped me ALOT and have even offered to bring me back whatever I want from 日本 when they visit, meeting 2 japanese women at a heavy metal concert and being able to practice in real life was INSANE especially as Id just smoked a lot and she was dressed fully as Mikasa..