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When it comes to learning languages, everyone imagines that it is important to get a good job. But have you ever stopped to think about the benefits this could have for your personal life?
Believe me: there are many reasons why you should dedicate a few minutes of your day, every day, to learning languages. Here are some of them:
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- Improves cognition: Learning languages helps improve brain function, making it better at performing activities such as logical reasoning, memory, attention and problem solving;
- Opens doors to the world around: How about getting to know new cultures and, perhaps, introducing some of this knowledge into your daily life? This is one of the biggest advantages of learning languages;
- Enhances creativity: Expressing yourself in other languages means thinking about how to convey information in a different way. This type of activity sharpens creativity and makes everything more interesting.
Is learning languages expensive?
No! A considerable portion of the applications present in this article have great free versions. Furthermore, even the paid versions are much more accessible than the famous language courses in physical locations.
This happens because professionals work from home. Imagine how wonderful: learning to speak English, Spanish, German and so many other languages without having to leave home! Less time in traffic means more time learning. And enjoying your family, too.
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Do I need to have knowledge of the language?
No! All apps listed below are suitable for all skill levels. Both beginners and advanced learners can learn languages (or improve their previous knowledge) without any major difficulties.
Without further ado: time to learn!
1 – Duolingo
Android [DOWNLOAD]
iOS [DOWNLOAD]
Image: Google Play
This language learning app needs no introduction. It is one of the most famous in the world and offers free courses for you to learn dozens of languages in a fun and intuitive way.
Duolingo uses gamification techniques to make learning more enjoyable: a strategy widely used by the best language teachers to help stick to lessons. Learn English, Spanish, French, German, Russian, Japanese, Korean and many others!
One of its great advantages is that it is completely free. Even the Duolingo for Schools version can be used at no additional cost. The only difference between the paid version (called Duolingo Plus) and the free one is that the premium version removes ads and allows offline lessons.
2 – Babbel
Android [DOWNLOAD]
iOS [DOWNLOAD]
Image: Google Play
Babbel is an application focused on direct conversation between teachers and students. Foreigners are usually responsible for teaching online classes, and this is a very solid feature of the platform, as students will be able to learn the correct pronunciation much more naturally.
In addition, the application has several recorded podcasts so you can train your ear and different pronunciations for the same language. Very interesting, isn't it?
Although much of the content is free, the best is reserved for service subscribers. However, the monthly fee is usually very cheap: around R$ 23. Just quickly compare the price of Babbel with that of any other face-to-face course to see its incredible cost-benefit ratio!
3 – Memrise
Android [DOWNLOAD]
iOS [DOWNLOAD]
Image: Google Play
Do you like games? Memrise makes extensive use of them to teach English, Spanish, French, Italian, German, Mandarin and many other languages. It has an interesting difference over the others: through an Artificial Intelligence (AI) assistant, you can practice your pronunciation until you reach excellence.
More than 50 million users in 189 countries are using Memrise to learn or improve their foreign language skills. It is one of the most popular options available for mobile devices – and a large part of this is due to the vast gamification present in its methodology.
Like Duolingo, it is free and you can organize your own time to learn.
4 – Preply
Android [DOWNLOAD]
iOS [DOWNLOAD]
Image: Google Play
This paid app is considered by many to be the best for learning languages. The reason behind this is simple: from R$ 52/month, students can choose professional teachers based on predetermined parameters such as being native speakers, popularity and price.
Its price is not as affordable as others, as it is a more intimate and exclusive type of learning. After all, teachers always deserve to be rewarded appropriately for their efforts!
If you didn't like the first class, no problem: Preply will exchange the teacher for free with another of your choice. Do you prefer individual classes? Do you absorb the content better this way? Then consider subscribing to Preply.
5 – Speakly
Android [DOWNLOAD]
iOS [DOWNLOAD]
Image: App Store
This app is a good option for learning languages from the comfort of your home or wherever you are. Train your pronunciation through its voice recognition engine and be mistaken for a native!
However, it's important to mention that Speakly doesn't offer as wide a variety of languages as others (only eight). Furthermore, its most interesting features are also only present in its Premium version.
To learn grammatical concepts, Speakly requires a lot of reading instead of dynamic activities. Whether this is a positive or negative point depends on what you think is best for learning.
6 – HelloTalk
Android [DOWNLOAD]
iOS [DOWNLOAD]
Image: TechTudo
Do you want to learn English, but don't have the means to invest capital in it? HelloTalk is a choice. Its free version contains ads and is limited to this language only: to learn others, you must subscribe to its Premium version.
Its paid version has a huge variety of options: in total, there are more than 150 foreign languages for you to learn. It is one of the applications with the greatest number of opportunities.
7 – Open English
Android [DOWNLOAD]
iOS [DOWNLOAD]
Image: Google Play
Famous for its crude and funny advertisements, Open English is an excellent application for learning languages. It is paid and offers live English courses, divided into eight different modules.
There are lots of interactive resources and materials to make learning increasingly dynamic and fun. But make no mistake: the study plans are 100% personalized, tailor-made for each student.
