Recommend a self paced language course/app/software please?

Gazcw

Member
Messages
7,699
The best way I've found to learn another language is to go to a local adult college or more expensively get a private tutor. Books, tapes and all that jazz don't really teach you the nuances of the language.

When you get more confident Gumtree advertises language exchanges, whereby you teach a foreigner English and they teach you their language to a higher level.
Is that why all the Nigerian prince's who want my bank details talk with a Manc accent?
 

conaero

Forum Owner
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34,593
I’m using Duolingo - 203 days in and I paid £60-ish. I think it’s worth every penny. You can learn new languages and brush up on the old ones. It’s set up a bit like a game, so it’s fun, they encourage you to do a bit every day, you can follow friends on it etc. And it can get quite competitive with the league system, another motivation to stop you from getting out of the habit of a daily lesson. I was surprised how much I still knew from O level french and german.
So 203 days in, can you now speak proper English? :cool:
 

sionie1

Member
Messages
1,310
Duolingo here as well for Italian, previously had Italian lessons however made the mistake of choosing the most amazing looking teachers, subsequently didn't learn a lot, other than to be shouted at in Italian by a lovely lady. Whilst paying for the privilege.... I'd say try and find someone local though to teach you. The hardest part of learning the 'Romantic' languages is getting your head around the masculine/feminine and the rules.. I still struggle with that.
 

MarkMas

Chief pedant
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8,795
Has anyone here used any software etc to learn a language? (Spanish to be exact)..

Ive looked at Babbel, Rosetta Stone, Michel Thomas.

I’d like to be able to say more than “a bottle of wine please” :as001 (2):


I'm a huge fan of the Michel Thomas approach, as I think you are really internalising the underlying structure of the language (also, blessedly, through a no-book approach), rather than laboriously memorising stock phrases or vocab. This allows you to actually say new things, and understand what is being said to you. But the recordings only go so far. I would supplement this with a conversation practice class with other people.
 

Nayf

Member
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2,734
My wife has done quite well on the Duolingo app, learning Portuguese. It did involve picking up some less than useful vocabulary early on (Armadillo in Portuguese, anyone?) but now she has got to a good level of competence just using the app. However, that's more in the few minutes a day mode.
Yeah I had that when trying to learn Portuguese. It’s now a point of mirth with my Brazilian in-laws that I know Borboleta and Abacaxi but struggle with almost everything else.
 

Nayf

Member
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2,734
Duolingo here as well for Italian, previously had Italian lessons however made the mistake of choosing the most amazing looking teachers, subsequently didn't learn a lot, other than to be shouted at in Italian by a lovely lady. Whilst paying for the privilege....
If I were a single man…