Whether it's for watching anime or a TV series without subtitles or for speaking with people from other countries, learning a new language is always a must-do for people wanting to explore the world and appreciate humanity's different cultures.
However, learning a different language other than your mother tongue - the first language you learned - can be quite the challenge as it takes up a lot of your time and patience.
Here are some of the best language learning apps currently in the mobile app stores for you to use:
Babbel
Babbel is one of the best language learning apps out there due to it bringing an online school-type experience to you using your phone. According to CNET, it is like a foreign language course you'd see in an online school curriculum, which is perfect for those who'd want a more formal approach similar to learning a language in a classroom.
Babbel's lessons take you step-by-step of a language's vocabulary through translations and include variations of the word or phrase, pictures, and whether it's formal or informal. It also has speech recognition exercises, but it doesn't really work, according to Lingualift, citing the app's incapability of correcting your pronunciation.
Babbel currently has 40 classes for one of the 13 languages it can teach in the free version of the app, which is more than enough to get you out of the door in some cases. To get the full experience, you'll have to pay $13 per month for a subscription, per Babbel's official site.
Duolingo
The most "memed" language learning app out there because of its "friendly" looking owl mascot, Duolingo is the best app to use if you wish to learn multiple languages at the same time.
The app is the more casual version of Babbel as it uses short, game-like exercises to help you learn the languages of your choice for free, with each becoming increasingly more difficult as you progress through the app's curriculum.
Wired added that for you to access the harder courses, you'll have to beat the current ones already available to you to do so. Additionally, the app now has podcasts and stories to the usual reading and writing exercises the app puts you through., which can be a helpful tool for you to get more fluent in the languages you chose.
While the app is free to use, it is supported by ads, which isn't an issue if you can tolerate them. However, if you wish to learn languages offline and remove the ads, you'll have to pay $6.99 for a Duolingo Plus subscription, per the app's official website.
Rosetta Stone
The grandfather of all language learning apps. Rosetta Stone has been teaching people other languages for 25 years, which makes adding it here a no-brainer.
ZDNet mentioned in its article that it allows you to choose how you learn the language you want from a variety of languages it can teach. It has audio recognition to help you to practice saying words correctly.
The app's method of teaching can be considered dry and formal, with its audio recognition being intermittent in its performance, but it works well for many people.
The free version of this app allows you to try the first lesson of every language, but to unlock all the courses for one language, you'll have to pay $12 a month, per the app's official website.
Busuu
Busuu is more like Rosetta Stone as it lets you dictate how you want to learn a particular language, but what sets it apart is its goal-oriented approach, which comes in the form of topical themes where you can learn the skills and expressions connected to tasks.
Another unique feature that Busuu has is that it lets you converse with a native speaker to help you refine what you learned through the app using the desktop version.
However, the free version of the app gives you access to one language and restrictions on a handful of its features. If you want to unlock all the courses, you'll have to get a Busuu Premium subscription plan for $10 a month.
Memrise
Memrise is a language learning app for those who are always visiting different counties frequently. It is a useful learning tool that uses a flashcard approach to help you remember certain phrases to help you navigate the language barrier better.
If you're one of those people that appreciate memes and want to learn a new language, this app is for you as it even uses memes to help you remember certain words or phrases. In a way, it is Duolingo's little brother in terms of gamification.
It also has grammar lessons and speech recognition exegesis that are rather forgiving.
However, the app is very focused on vocabulary, and the app's web version isn't as good as the mobile app. Although it prides itself in its repetitive exercises, you can only tolerate so many repetitions before you decide to stop for a bit.
Memrise is free to use but to unlock some of its other features and offline access, you'll have to pay $8 per month to unlock them.
