Gone are the days when you had to invest a lot of money and dedicated time to learning a new language. Many well-developed apps help you learn languages right from a beginner level. And when we went in search of such apps to help you learn Spanish, we were able to shortlist six neat applications. Let us get started.
1. Duolingo – Gamify Learning Spanish
Duolingo has been our favorite app to learn a new language. The app provides bite-sized lessons, only in the form of small quizzes and games. Learning a new language often seems like an overwhelming task, but as you use Duolingo, you get a simple and fun approach to doing so. As you set up the application, you can specify your level of knowledge, whether you are a beginner or an intermediate speaker of Spanish. You are also asked to state your objective to learn Spanish. Once you provide your details, a ‘scientifically’ effective method to learn a new language will be given to you. Once you start taking the lessons in Duolingo, the app provides you a learning ‘streak’ which is indeed a great motivation to never skip a day on Duolingo. The app also features short audio stories, to keep track of your language skills and improve your pronunciation. We also love how the visual and audio elements make learning Spanish quite a fun experience. The layout of the app is also user-friendly. However, it comes with a few advertisements. You can disable these ads by purchasing the pro version, which also includes more progress quizzes, streak repairs, and many more added features. While the app has mostly positive reviews and ranks number one in the Education category, a lot of users have complaints about losing their progress with the latest update to the app. Having said that, we did not run into a lot of issues, hence, Duolingo is an easy recommendation from our end to learn Spanish. Price: Free, Pro Version: $0.99 onwards Download Duolingo on iPhone Download Duolingo on Android
2. Rosetta Stone – Learn Spanish With a Unique Learning Plan
If you plan to take Spanish courses with a detailed curriculum, Rosetta Stone is the app for you. It is a well-designed app with a beautiful user interface, packed with several lessons to help you easily learn Spanish. In the Learn tab, there are different categories of lessons. You are supposed to start with the ‘Langauge Basics’ chapter, and as you proceed, you can explore subjects like Shopping, Dining, Vacation, Tourism, and Recreation, etc. It also has a dedicated ‘Phrasebook’, which offers phrases at your fingertips based on the activity that you are doing. Basically, Rosetta Stone helps you learn Spanish to handle and deal with each and every situation. We’re big fans of lessons being categorized based on situations, and that’s what makes it one of the best apps to learn Spanish on your phone. While the app was mostly smooth and easy to use, we found a few bugs, especially how the app was automatically getting into landscape mode. However, a few extended learning options like an audio companion, and learning via Stories are only present on the paid version of the app. Purchasing the paid version unlocks full access to the app, and you can even watch a few lectures on the language that you are learning. Price: Free, Paid Version: $44.99/3 months onwards Download Rosetta Stone on iPhone Download Rosetta Stone on Android
3. Babbel – Interactive App for Learning Spanish
Babbel takes quite a formal approach to teaching you a language. It has a minimalistic layout and focuses on helping you learn Spanish without all the other bells and whistles. So if you found Duolingo a bit overwhelming and like a game, Babbel might be the right app for you. While we mentioned the app is minimalistic, it is not boring. It has all the typical audio-visual exercises that you would find on most apps in this list. It has a review section, that helps you keep a regular check on your vocabulary. There is also a Live section in the app, where you get to hear and learn from people who have expertise in the language. One thing that we observed is that it takes a formal approach to categorize the chapters and lessons. They are titled A1, A2, and so on. However, it still features learning via Games, but like Duolingo, it’s not the primary way to learn Spanish. But a major downside is that only the first lesson of the language is available for a free trial, the rest of it requires a subscription. Besides, you also get all games, videos, podcasts, and other features in the paid subscription. If you’re seriously considering learning Spanish, you should buy the paid subscription. Price: Free, Paid Version: $17.99/month onwards Download Babbel on iPhone Download Babbel on Android
4. Memrise – Best App to Learn Spanish With Real Life Visual Help
When we started using Memrise, we noticed a few similarities with Duolingo – Memrise also came with streak-based learning, and also had a similar interface. But just when we started taking our first lesson, we noticed that there was so much more that Memrise had to offer We love how the lessons are categorized. Instead of the usual ‘Basics 1’, ‘Basics 2’, and all of that, you get lessons based on themes like addressing humans, food, objects, etc. Once you pick up a lesson, you get real-life visuals, where a native Spanish speaker is illustrating the word or action that you are trying to learn. Here’s why we love this feature. Learning new words by understanding their meaning is one thing. But to learn how to speak it, some words need a good understanding of the tonality and the body language, which is only best represented when you listen to a native human speak. This is exactly what Memrise gets you on its app. However, we felt the app interface was a bit cluttered and throws in several options at once. We hope it is fixed through an update in the future. Besides, Memrise also has a paid version, where you get full access to all the native speaker clips, download courses offline, and disable all advertisements. Price: Free, Paid Version: $8.99/month onwards Download Memrise on iPhone Download Memrise on Android
5. Learn Spanish for Beginners – Best Free App to Learn Spanish
The last few apps are focused on a contemporary form of learning, tailored for the social media generation who lack longer attention spans. If you prefer a more simple form of learning a language, Learn Spanish for Beginners is the app for you. You get a total of around twenty-six classes in this app, which is dedicated to just helping you learn Spanish. Once you click on a chapter, you get access to all the relevant materials, like Quizzes, Slideshows, and Study Lists. Using this app felt like going back to school all over again – which is not a bad thing. We like how easy it is to access materials and chapters and it is a no-fuss application. However, the user interface might not appeal to everyone. And, it doesn’t do a good job of helping you maintain consistency in learning, like the Streak feature in Duolingo. You also have a built-in translator feature, to translate English to Spanish, which we felt is a nice touch. You also have ads in the app, however, they are present only at the bottom of the app and aren’t intrusive to the main contents of the app. Price: Free Download Learn Spanish for Beginners on iPhone Download Learn Spanish for Begginers on Android
6. SpanishDict – Best App to Improve Spanish Grammar and Vocabulary
SpanishDict is an app that not only helps you learn Spanish but also adds a feature-rich vocabulary within the app. There are quite some tools to help keep your vocabulary in Spanish in check. While you can learn a language in a period of time, improving on it and discovering new ways of speaking it right is equally important too – and this is exactly what SpanishDict does. SpanishDict has five key sections within the app. You have the Learn Spanish tab to help you kickstart your learning journey in Spanish. And then to improve your conjugation and vocabulary, you have two separate sections. The conjugation drill feature is something we like, as it is quite helpful in getting tenses, pronouns, and verbs in order. The built-in translator also works flawlessly and is indeed a good adjunct to Google Translate. You also have a word of the day section, that helps you discover new Spanish words on the go. Overall, we are mighty satisfied with this app and hence, it makes it to our list of the best Spanish learning apps. While the free version will suffice for most, you can purchase the paid version for offline learning, cheat sheets, and to completely disable ads from the interface. Price: Free, Premium Version: $12.99/month onwards Download SpanishDict on iPhone Download SpanishDict on Android
Hola to a New and Effective Way to Learn Spanish
These are some of the six best apps to learn Spanish, which we could shortlist from a long list of apps available on both the App Store and Play Store. And we’re indeed fascinated by how you can effectively learn a language on just your smartphone. So the next time you watch Money Heist, you wouldn’t need subtitles! The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.
