Apps to Train Your Target Languages in 5 Minutes

Article by Language Atelier, a language school in Prague.

Languages need training and frequent use, but this is often incompatible with our schedule: how could we train our language skills if we work full time?

Well, a great solution is an app on your smartphone or tablet: in this way you can spend just a few minutes studying the language and you can be daily exposed to it.

You also need to find out which app fits better your needs: you have to read a lot of reviews and feedbacks about them, and this means wasting time, which you don’t have.

Well, in just two minutes you can find out in our brief article which app can help you stay focused on your language goals! Please, note that some of them are both free and premium.

Duolingo

• Operative systems: Android, iOS, iPadOS, but you can also access it via browser.
• Pros: 35+ languages, it includes English-Czech combination, completely free, increasing difficulty levels, you can set your daily goal to 5 minutes a day (Relaxed mode)
• Premium version: ad-free, offline mode, additional features

Memrise

• Operative systems: Android, iOS, iPadOS, but you can also access it via browser.
• Pros: 23 languages, you can choose the days and the time you can exercise, it includes the Explore function (you can capture the words around you using the camera), taught words and phrases are put in real-life contexts.
• Premium version: complete access to all the available courses, offline mode, additional features

Mondly

• Operative systems: Android, iOS, iPadOS, but you can also access it via browser.
• Pros: 41 languages, it includes Czech, focus on vocabulary, augmented and virtual reality, access to a chatbot.
• Premium version: cheap life access, you can compare your progress with other students

Busuu

• Operative systems: Android, iOS, iPadOS
• Pros: up to 12 languages, you can choose the days and the time you can exercise, set personal goals, conversation opportunities with native speakers
• Premium version: ad-free, offline mode, additional features (customized study plans, access to additional grammar and vocabulary lessons), an international certificate with McGraw-Hill

Drops

• Operative systems: Android, iOS, iPadOS
• Pros: vocabulary training based on visual learning, 5-minute exercises/little games, perfect for the basics
• Premium version: ad-free

Quizlet

• Operative systems: Android, iOS, iPadOS, but you can also access it via browser.
• Pros: Quizlet has a system for browsing user-made flashcard sets, including language vocabulary.
• Premium version: log in offline, study without advertising, format the texts, personalize audio and images, create diagrams, scan documents, personalized study paths, see your progress

Our best tip is to download 2 or 3 different apps because a combination can give you extraordinary results (for example, you can combine Duolingo and Memrise, because they have different focuses)! Also, if you alternate the apps you don’t get bored!