Thursday, January 23rd
2025 Language Learning Program Reviews
Busuu
- Costs $50 for a year or $13.90 monthly
- Offers learning for multiple languages including English, Spanish, French, Japanese, Dutch, Russian, Arabic, Turkish, Portuguese, Polish, Korean, Chinese, German, and Italian
- Provides courses from A1 to B2 level, up to C1 for English
- Has a community of 120 million users for learners to interact and practice with
- Allows learners to choose their own area of study
- Lessons teach speaking, listening, reading, and writing
- Easy grammar tips incorporated into lessons
- Provides a Review tab to target specific weak areas
- Allows learners to earn points and compete on a Leaderboard
- Has an average of 4.6 stars from over 16,000 reviews on Trustpilot
The newest member of the Chegg family, Busuu is a language learning platform where you can learn English, Spanish, French, Japanese, Dutch, Russian, Arabic, Turkish, Portuguese, Polish, Korean, Chinese, German, and Italian. Their courses align with international standards (CEFR) and cover levels from A1 to B2, which means you can go from being a complete beginner to having a good command of the language.
Set your pace
No matter if you're a fast learner or someone who needs a little more time, you set your own pace. Plus, you get to practice with other learners - they've got a massive community of 120 million users. Their lessons focus on practical topics that you'll actually use. So, whether you're ordering food in a restaurant or asking for directions, Busuu can teach you exactly what to say.
Choose your own adventure
Once you've selected the language you're learning with Busuu, check out the Courses tab to choose an area of study. When learning Japanese, for example, you can progress from A1 to B2 with their "Complete Japanese” course, or you can take their A1 "Learn Japanese through manga” course. They've also got courses on reading and writing kanji, hiragana, and katakana, which we appreciated. Unfortunately, not every language learning program has stepped up to the challenge of teaching you to write letters or characters not found in the Latin alphabet.
Read, write, listen, and speak
Busuu's lessons cover all four primary language skills: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. The exercises in each lesson may include true/false questions about the content of a phrase; fill-in-the-blank questions; and listening to short exchanges between two speakers, then answering questions about what was discussed.
Learn grammar in context of new vocabulary
Interspersed throughout the lessons are also short explanations of the content, often accompanied by tables of related phrases. For example, when learning how to ask where someone lives in German, you'll be presented with the formal and informal versions of "you” and a few different ways one could respond to that question. Also, be sure to read the helpful tips given after you've answered a question and before you move onto the next one. We find Busuu's inclusion of these explanations to make it a little more engaging than some similar language learning platforms.
Use the Review tab to target specific weak areas
While it's true that you have to take Busuu's lessons in a particular order, if you'd like to move on from a unit and start the next one, you can take a short Checkpoint quiz. You'll just need to score over 80%. Also, with Premium, you'll have the ability to review grammar and vocabulary topics anytime you want from the Review tab.
Earn Leaderboard points by correcting and completing exercises
To interact with the Busuu community, you'll first need to make sure your profile contains up-to-date information about which languages you speak and at what levels. Then, from the Discover tab in the Community section, you'll see writing and speaking exercises submitted by other learners in the languages you speak, which you can then correct. This is a great way to earn points on the Leaderboard. Likewise, you can participate in these exercises and submit them for review. Just make sure to use the filters to show only the exercises available for your target language.
$50 for a year, or $13.90 monthly
It's possible to use Busuu for free, but your access to lessons, feedback, and certain features will be very limited. With a Premium account, you'll get access to all lessons, an ad-free experience, Level Completion Certificates (for select languages), faster Community feedback, and the Smart Review spaced repetition tool. At the time of our review, you could get a year of Premium for $50 (or $4.17 a month), discounted from $166.80. If you want to renew your subscription month by month, you'll pay $13.90 each time.
22 hours as effective as a college semester
Busuu has over 16,000 reviews on Trustpilot, earning an average of 4.6 stars. Most of these reviews are about interactions with customer service about billing issues or lost streaks, but there are plenty of compliments about the lesson quality in there, too. While we didn't find any reviews left by users attributing their fluency in their target language to Busuu, an independent study in 2016 found that using Busuu Premium to study for 22 hours can teach you as much as an entire college semester. That's pretty good - and could help you save some money.
Competitive pricing brings rating up
Busuu teaches a decent number of languages, hits all four skills required to be considered proficient in a language, and doesn't skip over grammar. And, at only $50 for a whole year, they won't break the bank. They're an option worth checking out for your language learning program.
More Language Learning Program Reviews
What is the Best Language Learning Program?
Language learning programs are great for all kinds of people. Students often find them useful for supplementary learning in tandem with their school coursework. Professionals might use them to gain an edge in the global job market, where knowing more than one language can be a big advantage. Travelers can use these programs to learn the basics of a language before visiting a new country.
Online language learning programs can solve several problems. Traditional classes can be expensive, time-consuming, and inflexible, with fixed schedules that can be hard to fit into a busy life. Language learning programs, on the other hand, are often more affordable and can be used anytime and anywhere you have an internet connection. They offer different ways to learn, such as interactive exercises, games, and conversation practice, making learning more engaging and effective.
Language Learning Program FAQ
Continued from above...
Imagine this: In high school, you struggled through Spanish class, barely passing and feeling frustrated every step of the way. The rigid schedule and overwhelming, boring homework of the traditional classroom setting just didn't work for you. Years later, as an adult, you find yourself wishing you could speak another language fluently.
Maybe you want to try again with Spanish, or branch out to something new, like French, German, Italian, or even Arabic. You realize there must be a better way to learn than those old high school methods, and you start exploring language learning programs designed to fit into your busy life.
Language enthusiasts and lifelong learners can use these tools to explore new languages and cultures. There are many types of language learning programs, each with its own strengths. Some focus on "immersive” learning, using pictures and audio to teach you in a way similar to how babies acquire their first languages. Others use games and competition with other students to make learning fun. Some programs offer audio-based instruction, which is great if you prefer to listen and practice speaking while on the go.
There are a handful of things to keep in mind when choosing the best language learning program for you:
- Learning style. Think about how you learn best. Do you prefer seeing, hearing, or interacting with what you are learning? Pick a program that matches your learning style to help you stay interested and retain more information.
- Language focus. Not all programs offer every language. Make sure the program you choose has good resources for the language you want to learn, including conversation practice, grammar lessons, and cultural insights.
- Cost. Language programs can be free, paid, or a combination of both. Consider what you can afford and compare the cost with the features and benefits. Free programs can be great, but paid services often offer more comprehensive and structured content.
- Flexibility. Look for programs that fit into your schedule. Mobile apps are good for learning on the go, while desktop versions might offer more detailed resources. Some platforms offer a combination of both. Whatever you choose, you want to make sure the program's format works with your lifestyle, or you won't use it.
- Difficulty. Some language learning programs are so much fun that you don't find it difficult to get some practice in every day. However, that doesn't necessarily mean you're actually learning to speak the language. Look for a program that challenges you to step outside of your comfort zone and provides you with opportunities to test how much you really know.
- User experience. A user-friendly interface can make learning a new language much easier and more enjoyable. Read reviews and, if possible, try a demo.
The language-loving experts at Top Consumer Reviews have evaluated and ranked the best language learning programs available. We hope this information helps you find the right service for you, making your journey to fluency in a second (or third, or fourth) language enjoyable and successful.
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