If you are learning French and have used Babbel before, we will give you better options! Check these top Babbel French alternatives.
Babbel French alternatives
If you’re anything like us, you probably dream of one day being able to fluently order pastries in a French café, strike up conversations with native speakers at the local market, or lead a tour group through the Louvre – all in French.
Unfortunately, the reality is that most adults find it extremely difficult to learn a new language as an adult. Even if we have an enormous desire to do so.
That’s why we think Babbel might not be the best way to learn French from scratch. For those of you who are interested in alternative ways to learn French, here are 5 fantastic Babbel French alternatives.
How Babbel works
Babbel is a language learning app that promises to make you fluent in 12 weeks. Sounds too good to be true? We thought so, too. But after analyzing the app, we found that it’s a pretty solid product. There are 3 main components to Babbel: vocabulary, grammar, and hearing.
Vocabulary is the core of any language-learning app, and Babbel’s is no exception. It features an impressive 50,000 vocabulary items, with each word accompanied by vivid images, sounds, and example sentences. Babbel’s grammar section features more than 400 grammar points, including tenses, pronouns, and verb types.
What’s wrong with Babbel
Despite Babbel’s strong points, there are a few things that we’re not so keen on. Firstly, you can only access its content online or via the app, which makes it difficult to use on the go.
Second, it’s quite pricey since you’ll have to pay for a subscription (the cheapest plan costs $9 per month). Babbel is audio-based, so you’ll rarely see written material. This isn’t necessarily bad, but it might make it harder to retain new vocabulary and grammatical concepts.
Italki
Italki is an online language learning platform that allows you to connect with native speakers for conversation practice, online tutoring, and language exchanges. An extensive list of languages can be found on the website, including French, Italian, Spanish, German, Chinese, Japanese, and many more.
Italki’s main focus is connecting learners with teachers to facilitate language tutoring. You can find language partners on the site who will help you practice conversation using various tools, such as video or text chat.
Italki’s language exchange feature enables you to make friends with other learners interested in practicing their languages. Italki is useful if you’re looking for ways to practice your French and make progress outside of the classroom.
Duolingo
Duolingo is a free language-learning platform where you can learn French, Spanish, German, Russian, Portuguese, and a handful of other languages. Duolingo works a bit differently than other apps. Rather than focusing on grammar, dictionary definitions, and texts, the app is mainly auditory.
Duolingo uses sound and images to help you memorize new vocabulary while teaching you the basics of grammar and sentence structure. The app’s innovative technology is designed to make language learning more accessible for everyone, whether you’re a child or an adult.
Duolingo is an excellent app for those who want to learn a language on the side but don’t want to pay for a subscription. The app is accessible on both computer and mobile devices, making it easy to fit language learning into your daily routine.
Lingua.io
Lingua.io is an online language learning platform that offers a wide range of language courses, including a French course, a French business course, and a French medical course.
The French course offers several levels and can be completed entirely online. It is mainly text-based but occasionally features short audio clips.
The business course is text-based, and the medical course combines text and audio. The three courses can be studied separately or together to create a customized French course.
Memrise
Memrise is an online language learning platform focusing on storytelling to make language learning more fun. Memrise offers a wide range of French courses, each based on an engaging story featuring characters and motifs familiar to native speakers.
The app’s French collection can be split into two categories: one for beginners and another for more advanced learners. The beginner course is text-based, whereas the advanced course relies heavily on images and audiovisuals.
Bilingual News
Bilingual news is a fantastic way to increase your French vocabulary and keep up to date with current events. Bilingual news is a French publication written in both French and English.
These publications are also known as “trilingual” or “bilingual” because they publish in three languages – usually English, French, and Spanish.
When you read bilingual news, you’ll improve your French vocabulary and increase your general knowledge.
Michel Thomas
Michel Thomas is an audio language program that teaches spoken French through a revolutionary technique. The program is based on the idea that language is best learned when it is used in real-life situations. Michel Thomas guides you through phrases and vocabulary commonly used in French society, enabling you to use the language immediately.
The program features various audio lessons available online and in apps. The audio lessons feature a one-on-one conversation between Michel Thomas and an experienced French teacher. Michel Thomas is an excellent program for those who want to learn French fast and are willing to put in a bit of effort.
Dialogues in French and Spanish
If you want to learn a language, the best thing that you can do is practice speaking it. We recommend listening to or reading French dialogues if you want to improve your spoken French. Dialogues in French and Spanish are written texts that feature various characters from various occupations and social backgrounds.
Although reading a dialogue in an unfamiliar language can seem intimidating initially, it can also be incredibly rewarding. Reading a dialogue in French might not make you fluent, but it will give you a better understanding of the language and the culture behind it.
Babbel is a great language-learning app with thousands of 5-star reviews and is used by millions of people across the globe, but it might not be for everyone.
If you want to learn a new language, check out our Babbel French alternatives. Hopefully, one of these apps will be a better fit for you.
