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If you find it hard to find time to work on your Spanish skills or you simply want to learn in a different way and using different methods, then you should consider learning Spanish with apps.
In today’s digital world, there are hundreds of apps to learn Spanish for free.
But, which ones are worth your time?
Which ones can help you learn Spanish?
Which ones are better for improving your speaking skills, and which ones you should choose for your listening and reading skills?
How to find the best app to learn Spanish
Learning a language, especially Spanish with apps is surely quite unique and fun.
You can use them during your lunch breaks, in a cab or bus, while you are running or just taking a walk in the park.
Today, most of the applications are designed to motivate you to learn more and more, as well as to keep you up-to-date with all the information you need.
There are also many translation apps that can turn your phone into your personal interpreter.
The good thing is that most of the apps are available for free, and are pretty good in helping you learn Spanish.
In order to save your time, in the following lines we’ve listed 10 free apps to learn Spanish.
Some of them are better for boosting your vocabulary skills.
Others, on another hand, are ideal for improving your conversations, etc.
The point is that you can choose the one that suits you best and start practicing.
If you want to have a teacher to guide you, we recommend that you choose a tutor among our professional and fun Spanish native speakers.
Free apps that can help you learn Spanish
- Duolingo
Download available on: Google Play, App Store, Web
Best for improving: Vocabulary skills
Language proficiency level: Beginner, lower- intermediate
Among many on the internet, the Duolingo app is called the champion of the learning apps.
This popular, free app gives the option to learn Spanish in just 5 minutes a day. Lessons on Duolingo are very game-like.
It is ideal for beginners or lower-intermediate learners depending on their learning goals.
You have to identify them before you start learning. Beside language proficiency, you can set how many minutes a day you want to practice on Duolingo.
If you choose the beginner level, you can earn points by answering questions correctly, and then move forward to the next levels.
With around 300 million users, this is the most downloaded free app.
What you might consider is add a little more grammar to your daily learning routine. Although Duolingo is exciting, you might need additional explanations on certain grammar or sentence structure rules.
- Memrise
Download available on: Google Play, App Store, Web
Best for improving: Vocabulary skills
Language proficiency level: Beginner, intermediate
Similar to Duolingo, this app is ideal for improving vocabulary skills. Thanks to each lesson, you can learn around 15 new words.
A variety of topics and lessons is pretty impressive, as well as the possibility to master Castelan Spanish or Latino Spanish.
What makes this app more interesting than others is that you can create your own course.
Memrise app is available for free, although you can purchase a premium account for a month, a year, or have access for a lifetime.
We recommend that you seek additional resources for any doubts that you have in terms of grammar.
But when it comes to vocabulary, Memrise will help you enrich it for sure.
- Vidalingua- Learn Spanish+
Download available on: Google Play, App Store, Web
Best for improving: Conversational skills
Language proficiency level: Beginner, intermediate
This app can help you boost your conversational skills.
It includes lessons, phrases, and exercises that can help you in real-life situations such as Greetings, Accommodation, or Transportation.
Furthermore, this app is more than useful because it offers phrases used in Castilian Spanish and Latin Spanish.
You are free to use Spanish translator Dictionary, which is, according to many users, one of the best ones.
Thanks to its many benefits, this app can get the title as ‘the best conversational app to learn Spanish.’
- Beelinguapp
Download available on: Google Play and App Store
Best for improving: Vocabulary and reading/ listening skills
Language proficiency level: Beginner, intermediate
This interesting app helps you improve your vocabulary, pronunciation, reading and listening skills and much more.
Reading stories, mostly children stories and fairy-tales, and listening to music in Spanish is one of the many possibilities Beelinguapp has to offer.
If you, however, don’t feel like reading by yourself, then you can easily click on voiceover narration and just listen.
If necessary, you can slow down the story or ask to hear it again.
This app is available for free, and there’s a lot of useful lessons. However, not all stories are available for free.
If you wish, you can opt for the premium version, too.
- Busuu
Download available on: Google Play and App Store
Best for improving: Conversational skills
Language proficiency level: Beginner, intermediate
Busuu is among the best applications for learning Spanish and very close to Duolingo.
It is a combination of self-study and classroom learning with several other learners.
The learning materials are of high quality and excellent structure, although there is a limited offer of lessons, especially if you are using it for free.
However, it can be useful enough for learning Spanish if you practice vocabulary with flashcards. You can also get a set of trial lessons.
If this app suits you, you can choose a premium account and an option for various lessons, grammar, quizzes and tests to take, as well as the ability to download the app on your mobile device.
- Quizlet
Download available on: Google Play and App Store
Best for improving: Vocabulary skills
Language proficiency level: Beginner, intermediate
If you want to customize all you have learned so far, then the Quizlet app is the best for you.
You can create your own learning sets and then the app turns them into quizzes, flashcards or games, depending on what you want.
It is free to use but is supported by many advertisements.
Many students, especially language learners, use this app for Spanish simply because it is excellent for self-study, very simple to use, and contains various modes.
- HelloTalk
Download available on: Google Play and App Store
Best for improving: Conversation skills
Language proficiency level: Beginner, intermediate, advanced
For learning Spanish by chatting with native speakers, you should consider the HelloTalk app. It connects people who want to learn a language with fluent ones.
If your native language is English, but you want to practice Spanish, then this app connects you with native Spanish people who want to improve his English.
Be aware that this app doesn’t provide learning tools such as tests, quizzes, or lessons. It is made just to connect people.
It work in the following way: you sign up, enter language(s) you fluently speak and a language you want to practice.
According to the given information, the app offers you a list of people who are compatible with you.
Since this app is focused on interaction with other people, the main (dis)advantage is that your improvement depends on other users, their will to communicate with you and check your errors.
- TinyCards
Download available on: Google Play and App Store
Best for improving: Vocabulary skills
Language proficiency level: beginner, intermediate
We’ve listed this app separately, although it is a companion app to Duolingo.
On TinyCards you can practice the vocabulary that you’ve learned on Duolingo.
It’s pretty simple. Using flashcards, answering questions and short, simple quizzes you can expand and practice your vocabulary skills.
However, don’t be surprised if you find some errors in flashcards decks. Also, there is not so much variety in quizzes. If we leave out these little cons, many language learners find this app very helpful in learning Spanish.
This app is free to use and download. There is no premium account. And if we put together all the possibilities with flashcards and quizzes, its quality is more than satisfying.
- StudyBlue
Download available on: Google Play and App Store
Best for improving: Vocabulary skills, grammar
Language proficiency level: Beginner, intermediate
Interestingly, teachers like to use this app, as well as high school and college students. Why do you think that’s the case?
StudyBlue offers a variety of flashcards that stimulate your brain to think and learn fast.
Using flashcards to practice and repeat nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, verbs, etc., help effectiveness.
If you learn Spanish on your own, this app can help you not to be bored and it can ‘push’ you to go forward.
One more advantage is that its usage is free, so don’t hesitate to try it out and see if its style and method work for you.
- Gritty Spanish
Download available on: Google Play and App Store
Best for improving: Listening, reading, and conversational skills
Language proficiency level: Beginner, intermediate, advanced
If you like listening and reading different and interesting stories, and you also want to learn Spanish at the same time, then this app is perfect for you.
It works like this: you choose a story, and listen to it.
If you don’t understand it completely, or a narrator speaks too fast for you, you can slow down the story or repeat some parts as many times as you need.
Furthermore, you can listen to words and phrases that are used in the story, as well as dialogues.
This app is available for free, although this version is the demo one.
If you like it and feel this is the best app for you, then you can choose the premium version and start learning Spanish in a more efficient way.
Final thoughts
While some of the apps are better for learning vocabulary or grammar, some are better for improving conversations. Others are simply are combination of several skills, but all of them are similar for their unique purpose – to help you with your Spanish knowledge.
Depending on your goals and wishes, you can choose the app for you. You can also use more than one app, combine them according to your needs, why not?
The most important thing about learning Spanish with games is that you can progress and not feel exhausted while learning. Try to enjoy the journey and you will reach your destination in no time.
What’s your experience with apps for learning Spanish? Which one is your favorite?
Let us know in the comments below.
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