My ratings of 3 language learning platforms
What’s the best way to learn a new language to enhance your travel experience?
Learning a new language when you’re an adult can be a fun way to feel like a student again, make you a more confident traveler, and also allow you a deeper understanding and appreciation of a country’s culture. But, it can also be intimidating figuring out where to start.
I’m taking a trip to Finland next month. I’ve never been to the country, and I’ll be there for half of the time on my own. So, I thought that learning Finnish would be a fun and helpful way to prep for my much-anticipated vacation.
However, I wasn’t sure where to start. I only knew one Finnish word before embarking on this new language journey (kiitos, which means thank you), and also because of its lack of widespread use, isn’t available on all of the major language apps, like Babbel. So, I did some research.
Instead of landing on one language learning platform, I chose three. Here, I’ll detail each of these three platforms, how they help you to learn a language, and whether or not I think they’re worth it.
Two disclaimers
One: I’m not sure if Finnish is the best language to run this experiment with, seeing as it has different rules for its written and spoken use. So, I am sometimes getting mixed messaging from my learning platforms as to the correct way to say something, but hopefully the language you choose to learn won’t have this same obstacle.
Two: I am by no means fluent in Finnish. Far from it. So I am not endorsing any of these options as guaranteed ways to get fluent in a language. I’m proud of the progress I’ve made in a span of four months, but I can’t say with any certainty that continuing with these platforms would carry me all the way to fluency.
Without further ado, let’s dive in. Or, should I say mennään.
Duolingo
Overall: 2.5 Stars
Price: Free ninety-nine!
Duolingo is like the Tinder or Bumble of language apps. We all use it, give up on it for a while, then come crawling back. I don’t think I have to go into great detail explaining how this app works, since I’m guessing most readers have used it at some point. In short, it’s a gamification of learning a language, complete with points systems, rankings, and cutesy characters.
The best thing about Duolingo is that you have no excuse not to use it. It’s free (there is an advanced version with a subscription fee, but I haven’t tried it), each lesson only takes a couple of minutes, and the app will send you notifications to remind you to keep your learning streak alive. So, in terms of building a habit of engaging with your new language every day, it’s a no-brainer to turn to that lime green owl.
However, I’m not convinced it’s the best way to learn a language in an efficient manner. The gamification makes it great for habit-building, but doesn’t necessarily equate to a lot of practical learning. Some of the phrases are bizarre (are there a lot of cats who are wizards in Finland? That’s what this app would have me believe), and the order of the lessons doesn’t make a whole lot of sense (again, I’m not sure why I learned wizard within the first few days and still haven’t learned the word for bathroom). Plus, I can’t find anywhere on the app that does a good job explaining the grammar or sentence structure to me; you sort of have to learn through trial and error.
So, would I recommend Duolingo? Yes, because it’s free and low-stakes, but I would treat it as a supplement rather than your primary learning platform.
Pimsleur
Overall: 4 Stars
Price: $20/ month
The Pimsleur method of learning a language has been around for decades. Developed by linguist and scholar Paul Pimsleur, it has had large impacts on how we learn languages today. Combining this tried and true method with the convenience of an app to me felt like one of the safest bets for selecting a platform.
The cornerstone of the Pimsleur app is its listening lessons. Sure, there are flashcards and quizzes and even a section where you can test out your pronunciation, but the bread and butter of this app is the listening component.
Each lesson is about 30 minutes long, and essentially has you repeat variations of a conversation you may have on a given topic. The repetition and gradual building upon your knowledge is incredibly effective for cementing words and proper pronunciation. Plus, the progression of vocabulary and phrases feels pretty intuitive.
My favorite part of the Pimsleur app is how easily I’m able to slot it into my daily routine. Sure, 30 minutes is a much bigger commitment than Duoligo’s measly two, but the fact that the whole lesson is done via headphones, rather than having to focus on a screen, makes all the difference. I walk my dog every day, so I just pop on a lesson while we take our lunchtime stroll. Sure, I feel a little bit like Colin Firth in Love Actually, muttering random Finnish phrases as I walk around my neighborhood, but at least this multitasking guarantees I’ll get my daily lesson in.
The thing that Pimsleur has over the other two platforms here is that it takes out a large amount of the self initiative. You have to press play and participate, but then the lesson takes it from there. With the other two platforms, you can kind of check out of while going through the motions to get through a lesson, but with the Pimsleur listening lessons, you’re forced to actively think about the language as you translate on the fly.
But Pimsleur’s strength might also be its weakness. Because the lessons are all listening, sometimes I have a hard time conceptualizing how to spell a word, and I find that audio and visual combo helpful for deeper memorization. Plus the fact that, like Duolingo, the Pimsleur app doesn’t do any work towards helping you understand the structure of the language; it just sort of tells you what to say and moves on. At first, this wasn’t too big of a deal. But now that I’m moving further along into more complex sentences, it poses some slow downs for my learning.
Overall, though, I think that if you want to feel confident in speaking a new language at a basic level, and in a relatively short amount of time, Pimsleur is worth every penny.
Her Finland
Overall: 3 Stars
Price: $60 for entire course (I got it during a sale)
Shortly after beginning my Finnish education with Duolingo and Pimsleur, I discovered something very interesting about this Nordic language: there are considerable differences between the written and spoken language. What’s more, neither Duolingo nor Pimsleur give a straight indication as to which version they’re teaching me. I’m learning the language for a trip, so I really want to focus on the spoken language.
Through (what else) social media, I came across a Finnish woman named Varpu who creates online language learning courses. She has a free 10 minute video so you can see how she runs her courses, but what really drew me to her website, Her Finland, was a course titled “Conversational Finnish For Beginners”. That’s me! I’m a beginner, and I want to learn conversational Finnish! The price (especially with a sale) seemed like good value, so I went ahead and invested even more in my language learning journey.
What I really appreciate about the Her Finland course is that it fills in the gaps that the two previously mentioned apps leave. Each of Varpu’s videos are around 5 minutes, and she explains the breakdown of verb conjugations, the differences between written and spoken Finnish, and fun learning tricks to remember certain rules better. She also has a printable workbook and flashcards included in the course.
Essentially, the benefit of this course (or similar courses — Varpu doesn’t have any other language courses, but I’m sure there are people making similar videos for all languages) is that there’s a human element to it. In other words, it feels the most like learning a language in school. I like that Varpu is always encouraging in her calm, no-frills presence. She even sends out occasional emails, welcoming me to respond to her and ask questions if I have any. I can’t ask Paul Pimsleur or Duo the owl questions! Also, I trust Varpu more than the others to be teaching me how people in Finland actually speak, because she is a Finnish person, rather than an inanimate phone app collecting data from who knows where.
I don’t feel that I’m learning the language as quickly through the Her Finland course, but I am getting a better understanding and foundation of Finnish, which I’m sure will help me in the long run.
In conclusion
I think it’s actually pretty beneficial to use more than one language learning app or program simultaneously. For one thing, clearly each program has its strong suits and failings, so why not help yourself out by trying more than one option? Also, I think with learning a new language, it can feel like you’re making more progress than you are when only using it within the vacuum of your preferred program. But by using it on more than one screen, with more than one system, it makes your brain work a little extra to puzzle piece what you’ve learned and pull it into a different context.
And of course, everybody has preferred ways of learning. Just like exercise, my preferred mode of activity could be another person’s worst nightmare (in high school, my cross country team had shirts that said “our sport is your sport’s punishment”). And the same goes with learning, particularly something that can feel so vast and frustrating, like a new language. So give yourself a fair chance and try a few options to see what feels the most rewarding and effective for you (luckily, most apps and programs allow you a free trial before you commit). I love the gamification of Duolingo, and the humanization of the language in the Her Finland course. But I really love how effective the Pimsleur app feels, all while slotting so seamlessly into my daily routine.
Learning a new language can be incredibly daunting. But it can also be fun and rewarding. There are loads of apps and programs out there, so consider what type of learner you are, and what realistically fits into your daily routine, and you’ll be sure to find something to help you on your language journey.
Good luck, or, onnea!
Kiitos for reading! I am also a freelance writer, so if you enjoy my content and are in need of any writing services, please check out my portfolio or email me at [email protected] .