Learning a language is now cheaper and easier with apps like Duolingo and Memrise.
When I was a kid, my parents put me in Chinese classes and I usually dreaded going there because it smelled strong of burning incense and my classmates were often disruptive. The classes were taught by the moms of family friends and they weren’t fluent in English, making it difficult for the students to understand what they were trying to teach.
Thankfully there’s a free market solution to unqualified language teachers. I’m currently learning Spanish and Mandarin through Duolingo and Memrise. The best part is learning at your own pace and not having to pay a dime.
If you’re serious about learning a new language I highly recommend getting both Duolingo and Memrise so that you’ll better understand what you’re learning. Duolingo is overall a good app and their interface makes it fun to learn, but I’ve noticed certain words aren’t explained which is why I recommend Memrise.
Memrise explains each word thoroughly and it has short clips of native speakers pronouncing words.
Duolingo has a robot voice instead of a human. However, they have a chatbot with which you can practice. Memrise has a chatbot but it’s only available for select languages.
The best way to learn a language is to immerse yourself culturally. You’ll learn faster and it forces you to pay closer attention.
Basically, you learn by doing it. I listen to a Spanish radio station and it’s helped me reinforce the words I already know. My coworkers are native Spanish speakers and I’ve learned new vocabulary by hearing them talk to our clients.
Overall, both Duolingo and Memrise are effective if you use both and then supplement your lessons with music, a TV show, or books in the respective language.