You want to learn languages, but you don’t have money? Don’t worry! I know that anyone can learn any language FOR FREE nowadays. $0 needed. Sometimes you may need an internet connection and a laptop or a smartphone, but many times the only thing you need for learning languages is an open mind. I know this from experience. I have used approximately 0€ for learning French, and nowadays I understand it quite well.
Today I am going to answer the question, “How to learn languages for free?”
No money? Don’t worry; You can learn languages for free!
Smartphone Apps – Simply Powerful and Easy
If you have a smartphone, you already have an ultimately powerful tool for language learning in your pocket. Some smartphone apps are so powerful that it almost feels that the phone does all the work for you and you learn languages automatically. Here are some of the best ones:
Again, one of the most popular language learning apps out there. Millions of downloads, more than 100 languages available, hundreds of thousands paid memberships sold. Rosetta Stone language app is a success story. And if so many other people have got learned languages by using this app why wouldn’t you? You can also practice your pronunciation with Rosetta Stone to speak like a native. They are using very high-quality pictures, and application looks beautiful in general. It makes the learning process even more enjoyable.
Powerful language learning movement made by two brothers who speak about 10 different languages fluently. Probably you have seen some of their videos on Youtube where they switch the language every two seconds. The founders of Babbel are real experts in language learning, so I believe that their app is also very profitable. I have given it a try, and it’s profitable with a friendly interface and useful vocabulary.
Mosalingua
This great app teaches you full sentences in your new language. You will learn the same sentence in several ways which make it easier to remember. Then after a few days, the app reminds you to review the sentences just when you are about to forget them.
The power of Mosalinuga is that it guarantees that you don’t remember the sentences that you have learned. You will learn the same sentences over and over again until you finally master them.
Probably the most famous one. In Android’s Google App Store it has been downloaded +50 million times. Duolingo doesn’t teach you only single words, but it shows you full sentences. You will earn points while studying the language which can motivate you to push forward. Then you can compete with your friends and other members of Duolingo. This application helped me very much to get started with French but especially with German.
Memrise is also a very popular app with more than 5 million downloads in App Store. This application shows you flashcards of important words or sentences in a language that you want to learn. You will quickly enlarge your vocabulary. You can set daily goals to keep you motivated. When you achieve a certain amount of points and daily streaks, they will give you badges that can give you another glimpse of motivation. What a fantastic app!
Your smartphone can be a great tool to learn a new language!
Full Reviews Coming Soon!
Here I only gave you a glimpse about these powerful language apps. In the following weeks, I will also write full reviews of each of these programs so you will get better information about these apps and you can decide which ones are best for you.
If you know some other useful language learning apps, share it with us by leaving a comment below!
Youtube Videos – Tons of Useful Material
Youtube is one of the best resources online to learn any skill. You can also find endless of hours of useful material to practice almost any language. I think that one could become a fluent speaker even only by using Youtube videos. In Youtube you can for example
- Find language tips for beginners/intermediate/advanced
- Find language exercises
- Watch videos in your target language. News, motivational videos, audiobooks, literally anything.
- Find podcasts to practice a foreign language
- Learn grammar and pronunciation from different videos
- Find funny Youtube channels where they teach you a foreign language.
Youtube is an endless library of videos. You can forget old boring techniques when you can find inspiration from Youtube. But I need to give you a little WARNING! Be careful that you don’t end up watching a cute baby or cat videos when you are supposed to study a foreign language! Okay, I give you a little concession. You can watch baby videos too if they are speaking your target language and you think that you could learn something there. But don’t fool yourself. 😉
Podcasts – Learn Languages Without Using Your Time
Podcasts are an awesome tool to learn languages for free. You can listen to a podcast in a car, on a plane, in a train or literally anywhere. Just put your headphones on and start listening. There are so many useful podcasts for various languages that can give you a foreign different language at various levels. You can find podcasts for beginners, intermediate speakers and even for more advanced speakers.
I used podcasts a lot when learning French. Many times I listened to a podcast when I was cycling from one place to another. I didn’t need to use the time for studying because I just listened when the knowledge sank into my head. I have listened to all podcasts of “Coffee Break French” and “Francais Authentique.”
If you are learning other languages, it’s easy to find podcasts. Just write to App store (or to Google) “French Podcasts” or “Learn Spanish Podcasts” “Chinese Podcasts for Beginners” and so on. Coffee Break series is for example for many different languages so you can search for “Coffee Break Spanish” or “Coffee Break Italian.” If you need more help to find good podcasts for you, just leave a comment below and I will help you to find one.
You can listen to podcasts anytime, anywhere.
Google -> Language Exercises for Your Level
On Google, you can learn all these resources and much more. But if you are looking for proper language activities, you can do a search in Google and find tons of great exercises instantly.
You can search for example,
- German language exercises for beginners
- French listening exercises
- Chinese writing exercises
- Spanish pronunciation exercises
- English language activities for advanced students
- and anything you want to practice
The Internet is like an ultimate library which has no walls. It just keeps on getting larger and larger. Many times people say that you need to be careful with the information you find from on the Internet. And that’s entirely true. However, when you are trying to learn a new language, almost any contact with that language makes progress for you.
Do exercises, read, listen, speak and do anything with a language. Of course, somebody can teach you grammar in a wrong way on the Internet, but I would say that you will find the right information very quickly from Google.
Find a Language Partner – This is Fun!
Italki is a language learning community where you can meet new people who are learning languages too. You can also buy language lessons, but they also have lots of free resources. All people that I have met through Italki have been friendly and open-minded. The community also offers many other benefits. You can write an article in a foreign language, and a native corrects it for free. You can read language learning tips from professionals etc. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND Italki.
In some areas, Hellotalk is even better than Italki. You can learn a language partner ultimately fast. Just download the app to your phone, set what language you are learning and what is your mother tongue, and you will immediately have an opportunity to connect with native speakers.
Find Exchange Students or Expats or Immigrants
Finding a language partner online is easy and fast but finding a language partner in “real life” can be even more fun. If you are studying in a university, you can ask from the office if there are exchange students from some country. That is the way how I found some Spanish students when I was studying. I asked an international coordinator if she knows there Spanish exchange students and she gave me a contact. Then I got an opportunity to get to know some friendly people and practice some Spanish.
There can also be many foreigners who are working in your country. For example, Chinese people are everywhere! Find out where they have their communities in your town and go to practice some Chinese with them. The Same principle applies to any other language.
Do you want to learn Arabic, Kurdish or Somali? For example, in my hometown, there are many immigrants who come from Arabic countries. If I would study Arabic, I would certainly practice with some immigrants. Meanwhile, I would have an opportunity to hear about their life and learn about different cultures.
Go to a Library – Peaceful Environment and Wonderful Learning Resources
The real library can sound a bit “old-fashioned, ” but they still provide fantastic resources for language learning. You can find language learning DVDs, CDs, books and entire courses. The best thing is that most of the time you can borrow them totally for free. My close friend learned the basics of French fast by borrowing Pimsleur-course from the library. He didn’t need to use a single euro to get one of the world’s leading language course into his hands.
Is Something Missing? – Leave a Comment Below!
I believe these free resources will give an enormous boost to your language learning. Have you used some of these apps/resources? Leave a comment below.
Are there some awesome learning resources that are not on the list? Please, let us know about them by leaving a comment.
Hello Roope,
I have been wanting to learn Japanese language for a long time and didn’t pursue it because of the cost involved. You have done a great job listing out the ways that one can learn different languages for free. I’m sure millions out there would appreciate what you have done.
Looking forward to more useful tips from you down the road.
Thank you once again.
Hi Rehmiee,
I am sure that you can learn to speak and write Japanese fluently even for free. There are a huge amount of Japanese speakers worldwide. You can easily find language partners from Italki. Then you can use some of those applications that I have mentioned to expand your vocabulary. I recommend to put little efforts every day instead of many hours once a week. For example, 20 minutes a day can already start giving good progress for you. You can for example listen to a Japanese podcast on your way to work and back home and you are already making good progress.
Just some ideas and brainstorming. I believe that you will make it 🙂
-Roope
Good summary. I also recommend using subtitles in a language you want to learn when you are watching movies or TV shows.
Personally I have found out that the easiest way to learn a foreign language is when I am relaxed and having fun.
Also I think it is very important not to focus too much on the grammar rules when beginning to learn a new language. I always think about the way we learned our native language. It was by listening and repeating, the actual grammar rules came back ways later in life. Languages are about communicating your message across, so don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Actually making a mistake in a foreign language can lead to some of the most interesting situations in your life 🙂 so just keep on talking 🙂
Regards,
S.
Hi Sinisa,
I fully agree with you that we learn fast when we are relaxed and having fun while we are studying. Kids don’t learn to speak their native language by sitting in front of textbooks so why should adults then?
When adults learn with natural techniques, they learn actually faster than children. But if we try to “force” it by trying to memorize vocabulary lists of 200 words, nothing will happen.
Relaxing and having fun while learning is one of the best advice one can give for language learning.
Nice job Roope 🙂
Thank you Alena. I will keep on working on a site all the time and publish 2 new posts every week on Wednesday and Sunday 🙂
Thank you for searching out several different options for learning languages free of charge. As much as I would like to expand my conversational German, I don’t want to have to pay to do it. I did start Duolingo after reading about it on this site. It had never occurred to me that their were free language apps and sites to support the learning of another language. So much of the web has found ways to charge learning opportunities that to find quality free sites can be a challenge.
Duolingo has been helpful but I find that I forget almost everything I learn within hours and even faster. Sometimes I can’t even remember a phrase long enough to score out of a practice while I’m doing it. I do like that they get you to write the words out as well as pronounce them as I find that I often will retain things better if I write them down.
However, I think that I will check out some of the other free language sites you have listed in this post and see if I can find something that keeps me motivated to learn continuously rather than sporadically as I have been. With Duolingo unless I keep at it regularly (every day) I don’t retain a thing.
Hi Linda,
it’s completely natural to forget words and phrases when you are studying a new language. Some language experts say that you need to learn a word 40 times on average until you have mastered it. Sometimes it takes more, sometimes less.
I was struggling with the same challenge. I thought that I have studied the same phrase already 10 times but I still can’t remember it. But after hearing that it’s completely natural, it helped me to just practice more. Practice makes progress and every time you repeat the word, you improve your skills a little bit.
This is very helpful to us Roope, especially those people who doesn’t have enough money to spend for learning new languages. The basic requirements should be at least a PC and internet connection or even a mobile phone for having those application to run.
The big challenge there is the patience of everyone because at first it’s just like walking like a blind man. Set a plan for your goal and it will follows.
True. Internet connection and a proper device is enough 🙂