Best app for learning Spanish?

[Jersey]

I'm looking for an app to learn Spanish that is audio based so I can listen
while I go for my daily walk. Thanks

 

[SYates]

Duolingo.com has some audio features, but not sure how it would work out when walking. Buen Camino, SY

 

[greenmountainpreacher]

I'm having good fun with Duolingo, but I'll report in seven weeks if it was helpful in actually knowing the language when I was there! Seems to be providing a good intro to Spanish, though.

 

[markgrubb]

If you are walking and listening then podcasts are better for learning than an app. Both Notes in Spanish and Coffee Break Spanish are excellent, start from scratch and have about 100 episodes.

 

[MichaelC]

A lot depends on your time frame and budget. I've used the following audio programs, for Spanish and other languages:

• *** Language Transfer Complete Spanish. All audio, 90 lessons. Free. This course will take you step by step through the structure of Spanish. This is a professional-level course that was funded through a Patreon campaign. I can't recommend it highly enough.

• Michel Thomas. All audio. Cost. Michel Thomas covers similar territory as Language Transfer. There's a nice synergy if you do both simultaneously, but I don't think it's necessary. If you have to pick one, pick Language Transfer. If you can find a free copy of Michel Thomas as the library, then by all means use him also!

• Pimsleur. All audio. Can be expensive. Pimsleur is great for developing automaticity in speaking, and for developing a decent accent. It covers the necessary grammar, though it doesn't cover a lot of vocabulary. Each level has 30 half-hour lessons. There are a few drawbacks, though. 1: I find that you really need to complete two levels to reach a usable, semi-functionable speaking level. You'll want at least two months, and that is doing one lesson per day. 2: It is incredibly expensive. If you can find it at a library, then by all means use it. You can also buy it with credits if you are an audible.com member, and that can bring the price down to a manageable level.

I would absolutely recommend Pimsleur if you can find it an an affordable price. I don't think it's worth the hundreds of dollars per level that they charge on Amazon.

I never found some of the other free language learning podcasts to be useful.

There are a few other apps that are a nice addition to language learning, though they aren't stand-alone courses like the ones above (and you can't do these while walking):

• Lyrics Training - Online only. Free. You pick your language, select a song, select your level, and then practice by filling in the missing words as you watch a music video. It's super fun.

• LingVist. Free. This is mostly a vocabulary building courses.

• Memrise. Free. Similar to DuoLingo (free) and Babbel (cost), though I think the official Memrise language courses are better organized. My experience is that these kinds of apps are good for light study, but not so effective if you are aiming to really learn a language well.

 

[trecile]

I agree that podcasts are great to listen to while you walk.
There are some suggestions here: http://www.fluentu.com/spanish/blog/spanish-podcasts/

If you have an Android phone this app aggregates many Spanish learning podcasts: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.vaikeo.spanishlearning&hl=en

 

[markgrubb]

I forgot to mention Language transfer as well. I only came across it recently on the recommendation of a friend. There are 90 podcasts starting from scratch and they are of very good quality
http://www.languagetransfer.org/complete-spanish
Edit-just seen that Michael C has already recommended it. I think it, coffee break spanish and notes in spanish are all very good and of similar quality

 

[Jersey]

A lot depends on your time frame and budget. I've used the following audio programs, for Spanish and other languages:

• *** Language Transfer Complete Spanish. All audio, 90 lessons. Free. This course will take you step by step through the structure of Spanish. This is a professional-level course that was funded through a Patreon campaign. I can't recommend it highly enough.

• Michel Thomas. All audio. Cost. Michel Thomas covers similar territory as Language Transfer. There's a nice synergy if you do both simultaneously, but I don't think it's necessary. If you have to pick one, pick Language Transfer. If you can find a free copy of Michel Thomas as the library, then by all means use him also!

• Pimsleur. All audio. Can be expensive. Pimsleur is great for developing automaticity in speaking, and for developing a decent accent. It covers the necessary grammar, though it doesn't cover a lot of vocabulary. Each level has 30 half-hour lessons. There are a few drawbacks, though. 1: I find that you really need to complete two levels to reach a usable, semi-functionable speaking level. You'll want at least two months, and that is doing one lesson per day. 2: It is incredibly expensive. If you can find it at a library, then by all means use it. You can also buy it with credits if you are an audible.com member, and that can bring the price down to a manageable level.

I would absolutely recommend Pimsleur if you can find it an an affordable price. I don't think it's worth the hundreds of dollars per level that they charge on Amazon.

I never found some of the other free language learning podcasts to be useful.

There are a few other apps that are a nice addition to language learning, though they aren't stand-alone courses like the ones above (and you can't do these while walking):

• Lyrics Training - Online only. Free. You pick your language, select a song, select your level, and then practice by filling in the missing words as you watch a music video. It's super fun.

• LingVist. Free. This is mostly a vocabulary building courses.

• Memrise. Free. Similar to DuoLingo (free) and Babbel (cost), though I think the official Memrise language courses are better organized. My experience is that these kinds of apps are good for light study, but not so effective if you are aiming to really learn a language well.

Wow you are pretty thorough. Thanks Michael
I have Michael Thomas on flash drive. I like it but listening in the car doesn't work when driving here in North Jersey traffic lol
My goal is just to communicate better with my friends family & friends who don't speak English. I'm OK in a Spanish bar/restaurant.

 

[Kiwi-family]

We LOVE Michel Thomas as mentioned above.

 

[GPeachy]

Fluenz.

 

[Lmsundaze]

For people who have studied Spanish but have difficulty in comprehension during conversation (most non-native speakers without years of experience) I recommend the podcast News in Slow Spanish. It comes for both intermediate and advanced, with extras of gramatical things and expressions. It keeps me company on the treadmills in our North Carolina summers when it is too hot to walk. Not free, but I really recommend it for listening practice.

 

[wally]

one thing you should understand is that the television stations carry one or two English language channels. Most people, including adults, that you meet from Spain understand English. Don't be surprised if you find that they don't feel comfortable speaking it. Likely they will respond in their own spanish or their own local dialect.

The better you can speak Spanish, the more likely they will assume that you are fluent and so then expect that they will speak even more rapidly - Do you see where this is going?

It's nice that we make the effort. Most of the people who are in the tourist segment speak passable english.

Don't expect to make yourself into an expert linguist as this will only cause confusion later on. see above...

Buen Camino

 

[kdespot]

I second the vote for News in Slow Spanish and a lot of it actually is free. You can listen to the first half of dozens of old episodes along with the new one that comes out at the end of each week without paying (on iTunes or online). Online you'll find a script of the dialog with translations for lots of words. (Needless to say, you'll want to select the European Spanish, or not "Latino"). Here's my suggestion for using it (I'm a retired Spanish teacher): Listen to the same 2-5 minute segment at least three times, then listen to it while reading along with the script. When you listen for the fifth time you'll be pleasantly surprised at how much you understand. Make flashcards for words that you think will be handy to know on the Camino. Yabla is another good site.

 

[MichaelC]

One more thing, if your reading level is decent but your audio comprehension is lagging: some of the recent Netflix series out of Spain now have closed-captions in European Spanish. Regular subtitles are difficult, because they don't actually match what people are saying. Closed Captions are great because they are word-for-word. For me this has been invaluable - I can understand Spanish when people speak nice and slow, but am lost with informal conversation at normal speeds.

Shows you might check out: Velvet, El Mar de Plastico, El Tiempo Entre Costuras, Club de Cuervos, Las Chicas de Cable. The plots can be kind of soapy with the dramas (lots of beautiful people and forbidden love affairs), but they're also kind of fun.

 

[Antonius Vaessen]

I followed the advise to try the language transfer course and I very much agree. It's a very nice and good program with offers good insight in the structure of the Spanish language without any emphasis on memorising. I used it the last week during my daily walks wearing a headphone.

 

[oliversisson]

have you tried Konjugation Keyboard? take a look at the video below to understand how it works (15 seconds). basically you can conjugate Spanish while you type in any app on your iPhone or Android

 

[Lirsy]

In case this could be useful, I found this:

VideoEle. Curso de español para extranjeros gratis

Curso de español para extranjeros online y gratis con vídeos. Unidades didácticas con una guía y actividades interactivas. Canciones para aprender español

videoele.com

Select at the top your language, students and the level you want (from A1 to B2). This will open a video collection. From what I saw, you can get the video transcript by pressing "Transcript".

It seems to be based on the official Spanish school program for foreigners. (ELE - Español como Lengua Extranjera- Spanish as a foreign language).

And only two tips like native Spanish: Don't worry too much about pronunciation (in Spanish pronunciation, being important, is not as important as in English) and if you get lost in a conversation ... just tell people to repeat and to speak slower ! No one is going to be upset for that!!

 

[trecile]

In case this could be useful, I found this:

VideoEle. Curso de español para extranjeros gratis

Curso de español para extranjeros online y gratis con vídeos. Unidades didácticas con una guía y actividades interactivas. Canciones para aprender español

videoele.com

Select at the top your language, students and the level you want (from A1 to B2). This will open a video collection. From what I saw, you can get the video transcript by pressing "Transcript".

It seems to be based on the official Spanish school program for foreigners. (ELE - Español como Lengua Extranjera- Spanish as a foreign language).

And only two tips like native Spanish: Don't worry too much about pronunciation (in Spanish pronunciation, being important, is not as important as in English) and if you get lost in a conversation ... just tell people to repeat and to speak slower ! No one is going to be upset for that!!

I had forgotten about VideoEle. I was just perusing their videos and found that there is one about the Camino! It's a level B1 video.

 

[islandwalker]

I had never heard of the VideoEle videos before and think they are quite a find! Thank you @Lirsy and @trecile.
For those who want subtitles, they are available in several languages. Use the "cc" and the settings "gear" to fine-tune your preferences.