Today, we’ll help you say yes or no to learning French with Ouino Languages. Stay tuned, to find out whether this method speaks your learning language.
The Ouino mobile app and software contain more than 500 lessons in Spanish, French, Italian, and German as well as 1,000 exercises. Unlike some other language apps, it is curriculum-based, rather than being based on gameplay.
The Ouino language would be great for you if you want to pick up a language again after a long time, if you are more of a structured person, or if you want a lot of practice.
Besides covering the basics, such as vocab and pronunciation, it can also improve your communication skills and help you master verb tenses.
What is the OUINO method all about?
Ouino consists of both software and an app to help you learn French. It’s different from other language apps that are designed as games without any explanations of how the language works. OUINO focuses not only on French content but also on helping you understand how the language works.
Ouino offers a unique approach to language learning, with several customizable features. They claim to be your core French language-learning method.
In addition to gaining knowledge of hundreds of verbs and their conjugations up to 11 moods and tenses, you’ll also get enough French grammar knowledge to properly form nearly any sentence, discover a lot of vocabulary and improve conversation skills. It also allows you to practice all four skills of language learning: reading, listening, writing, and speaking.
The Ouino Learning Path to become French fluent
Ouino uses a nonlinear approach to learning languages. Therefore, you have the option to create the lesson order however you like. A majority of language software products are leveled (1,2,3,4,5) or divided between beginners, intermediates, and advanced users. On the other hand, Ouino stands for customized learning, instead of following the predetermined framework.
They stand for learning words based on their importance and frequency of use. For example, even though the verbs to be and to have are some of the most challenging verbs to learn, they should be studied at the beginning since they are extremely recurrent. The same rules apply to vocabulary learning.
Ouino understands the drawbacks of a linear approach. A problem is that not everyone is working towards the same goal. Everyone will have a different learning path. A person learning for travel will have a different goal than a person preparing for a business trip. That’s why the software offers a tremendous amount of features to completely customize your French learning.
However, Ouino gets that not everyone feels confident about customizing lessons. Therefore, alongside the nonlinear path, they offer a recommended path to get you from point A to point B.
Inside The OUINO French Course
Ouino is divided into five sections: building blocks, verbs and conjugations, vocabulary, conversations, and pronunciations. Each section contains more than 50 lessons. You can play each lesson (with audio and slides) or you can do the exercises associated with the lesson by clicking on it.
In an exercise, you receive a scorecard with the percentage of questions you answered correctly and the number of questions you answered incorrectly. You can earn ribbons for doing well on the exercises. Following that, you have the choice of redoing the entire exercise, revising only the answers you got wrong or moving on to the next lesson.
Exercises contain between 15 and 25 questions at the end of each lesson. After each lesson, you will be given a 4-star rating to assess how well you comprehended the material.
A bit of a drawback is that may get bored with the recommended path after a few weeks. Lessons and exercises could be improved if there was a little more variety included.
Keeping Track of Your Progress
The Ouino team strongly believes that you should be in control of your learning. In order to measure progress, you need real data. Nobody knows how well you understand something better than you do. The Knowledge Stars are meant to help you rate your understanding of each lesson.
Choose a Knowledge Star when you have finished a lesson to indicate how well you understood and remembered the information. A four-star system will be used for rating your knowledge.
1 star ★ – . Despite having attended the lesson, you struggled to understand or recall the words in the presentation. To really understand this lesson, you will need to revisit it several times.
2 stars ★★ – Some of the words you understand and remember, but there are some that are still confusing.
3 stars ★★★ – Although you clearly understand the presentation, it is still necessary for you to revisit it at least once to feel complete and confident.
4 stars ★★★★ –. There’s no need to reread any of the words as you understand and remember them. This lesson has been easy for you.
Those who have already started learning the language elsewhere can also benefit from the stars. When you begin the course, you may already be very familiar with the numbers and feel incredibly confident about them. You’ll be rewarded with bronze, silver, gold, or fluency medals, depending on if you completed between 55-70% to 100% of the course.
You can also keep track of your progress by tracking your actual score on the exercises. The exercises that follow each lesson must be completed once you have finished the lesson. After completing a level, you’ll receive a score.
A Final Thought
If you love structure when learning French, or want to practice a lot, Ouino is your best bet. Both visual and auditory learners will benefit from the teaching methods.
The most unique thing Ouino has is the freedom it gives you to choose how you want to learn lessons and concepts, in which order, and to measure your success based on more than just one criterion. For those who appreciate a more structured learning path, Ouino is a great choice.