Most language apps are not efficient. Here is how I'm trying to fix it.
I love learning languages and I have tried several language learning apps over the last few years, but I didn’t like any of them because they were either expensive ($20-$50/month) or weren’t very effective.
I was using Duolingo, for an example, because it was free, but it was slow and ineffective. Even after having ~150 day streak, I still couldn’t say much in Spanish. I was either passively listening to the language, learning vocabulary without context, or learning sentences that weren’t realistic. So I set out to build my own.
I have tried different approaches and techniques over the last 1.5 years for learning a language quickly and efficiently, and finally found something that works well. This web app uses a 4-step system designed for efficiently and effectiveness.
Decoding: You are given a sentence in your target language (e.g., French) and have to unscramble the English words to figure out what it means.
Encoding: The exact opposite of step one—translating the active thoughts from English back into your target language.
Listening: You listen to the native audio of the sentence and type out the English translation.
Speaking: You hit the record button and actually practice speaking the sentence out loud from day one.
I have been using this app for a while now, and it has been helping me learn French much faster and more efficiently than I could have with Duolingo. It gets me speaking the language from day 01, I learn vocabulary and grammar through context, and I learn phrases and sentences that are practical and realistic.
I am excited to finally launch it and get it into the hands of other language learners. I would love to hear any feedback you have on the method or the app itself!
I’m currently running a free private beta. If you want to test it out and help me improve it, you can sign up for free here: https://www.4tospeak.com
