Originally published in TEACH Magazine, May/June 2019 Issue
For teachers and students alike, summer break is often the time for a much-needed vacation abroad. And while you start planning your perfect getaway, you might want to consider picking up a foreign language to help you on your travels. With Spanish, Mandarin, Hindi, and French topping the list of the most widely spoken languages, here are some cool apps designed to help make learning them fun!
ChineseSkill
(Free – iOS, Android)
This game-based app uses mini lessons to train listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills in the Mandarin Chinese language. Questions start off easy, such as listening for Pinyin (pronunciation), single word translation, drawing Chinese characters with drag-and-drop strokes, and finding the correct order for words in simple phrases—eventually progressing to full sentence translation from English to Chinese. ChineseSkill consists of 45 topics covering everything from greetings, food, numbers, nature, social activities, and more.
Endless Spanish
(Free – iOS, Android)
Geared towards younger kids, Endless Spanish teaches commonly used Spanish words through interactive word puzzles. Learners must assemble letters of words that turn into adorable little monsters, and solve sentence puzzles that transform into animated illustrations of what they describe. See the word “grande” (big) grow larger, and the word “flor” (flower) open and bloom! The app also tracks progress by rewarding points and badges, and includes a narrator who pronounces each word that is displayed.
French Class
(Paid – iOS, Android)
Linguineo’s French Class app offers a full course of 10 language lessons covering conjugations of more than 100 verbs and a vocabulary bank of over 4,000 words, as well as 40 grammar topics and 200 useful phrases. Activities include games such as crosswords, word searches, and recognize the image exercises, along with an awards system. Users can keep track of their progress by saving statistics and summaries of their completed exercises, together with errors made.
Learn Hindi
(Free – Android)
Featuring over 11,000 words and phrases with audio pronunciation, Learn Hindi created by FunEasyLearn allows users to practice reading, writing, and speaking Hindi. Lessons begin with the alphabet and individual words, then move on to full sentences that are divided into different categories such as making friends and travel. There are over 30 quiz games as well, including one where learners listen to a word and then choose the corresponding image. With a useful integrated search tool, users can also find instances of an exact word or phrase translated into the language.
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