BETTER THAN DUOLINGO: The 5 Best Language Learning Tools and Apps

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  • čas přidán 27. 06. 2024
  • Here are the top 5 LANGUAGE LEARNING APPS and TOOLS as recommended from Days and Words.
    Using any of these links for the services described really helps me out and will allow me to keep making the best language learning videos out there.
    Learn a language fast with the power of story at StoryLearning:
    learn.storylearning.com/uncov...
    Join channel members for extended cuts and other goodies:
    / @daysandwords
    LingQ is a platform that teaches you a new language by reading material with your native language as a support. I don't like the design but the technique is very effective:
    www.lingq.com/en/frenchnswedish/
    iTalki. You can get $10 credit applied to your account when you make your first purchase, or you can just check it out for free using this link, which also helps me out by allowing me to take more language lessons:
    www.italki.com/i/CHfEEb?hl=en-us
    Subscribe to see more language learning tips and tricks, as well as reviews of foreign series that you can use to improve your target language!
    / @daysandwords
    Language learning videos, tips and techniques!
    • How To Learn Languages
    The 5 best language apps or tools that you can use to learn languages:
    Duolingo may be the most famous but it's not the best, in fact, it isn't even that good. There are at least five or six apps better than Duolingo, and I am going to talk about my favourite ones and how I use them.
    Number 4:
    An e-reading platform with a few features. The first is that it should give you access to books in your target language if they are otherwise difficult to get (which they are with Swedish). Here is a link to Google books which has a bunch of digital text books (careful not to get lost for days in here!):
    books.google.com.au/
    I also use Bookmate because it has material in some less common languages such as Swedish, Danish, Azerbaijani, Ukrainian and Polish:
    bookmate.com
    Number 3:
    This app is AWESOME. Music speed changer. I now use it as my regular mp3 player, because it has all the features of a normal music app, but a whole lot of bonus ones that make is PERFECT for language learning:
    music-speed-changer.en.uptodo...
    Number 2:
    Busuu. In my opinion, this is the only one of these specific language learning 'apps' that actually UNDERSTANDS what it TAKES to learn a language to fluency. It doesn't just drill vocab and structure like Duolingo or the Babbel app. It asks you to speak:
    www.busuu.com/
    Benny Lewis advocates for 'speak from day 1', but if that's a bit much for you, Busuu definitely eases you into that, which is fantastic. Additionally, there's a great community of people who use it.
    Number 1:
    The hard to pronounce but easy to use auxiliary app for recording Skype conversations. Please use this app responsibly and don't share footage of other people without their permission. (The teachers who appear in this video have given me permission to use this footage).
    www.evaer.com/
    Evaer is a good app anyway but it's great when paired with iTalki:
    www.italki.com/i/CHfEEb?hl=en_us
    Thanks for watching, please leave a comment and I'll reply!
    Also, click that subscribe button! Merci, tusen tack, kiitos, danke... thank you!
  • Zábava

Komentáře • 1,5K

  • @christophermichael5764
    @christophermichael5764 Před 4 lety +2339

    I saw the first 20 seconds and thought "yeah, this deserves a like".

    • @daysandwords
      @daysandwords  Před 4 lety +65

      Thank you. The YT algo seems to have been finding people who hate "irregardless" as much as me recently, because I've had a lot of comments this week about that intro.

    • @ykraineyoon6483
      @ykraineyoon6483 Před 4 lety +5

      Damn literally happened to me

    • @ProperJohnmusic
      @ProperJohnmusic Před 3 lety +2

      Same

    • @potatomilk1234
      @potatomilk1234 Před 3 lety

      Not even past the ad and already liking the vid

    • @irisfellous3804
      @irisfellous3804 Před 3 lety +6

      It was the other way around for me. Saying that someone who makes "mistakes" in their own language isn't a fluent speaker is idiotic and prescriptivist. Starting a video with making fun of potential viewers who might not have much knowledge of the issue is antagonizing and elitist. And speaking in a higher pitched voice to mimic a "stupid" person is misogyny.

  • @busuu
    @busuu Před 4 lety +2450

    Thank you for including us in your review!

    • @daysandwords
      @daysandwords  Před 4 lety +287

      Of course! iTalki are only at number 1 by "effectiveness" but that's not fair because it costs as much for 5 lessons as Busuu costs for a year, so it's not really the same.
      I have found learning a language without Busuu to be MUCH harder.
      I also did a standalone review of Busuu :-)

    • @epikchannel8728
      @epikchannel8728 Před 4 lety +44

      Busuu you app is awesome learn now I can memorize French language now thanks you to your app and creator of this app

    • @Nikolay_Nikolaev
      @Nikolay_Nikolaev Před 4 lety +94

      All good, but you aren't free, unfortunately😭

    • @evelieningels9408
      @evelieningels9408 Před 4 lety +17

      GET SWEDISH

    • @daysandwords
      @daysandwords  Před 4 lety +7

      @@josephs1493 Whatever mate.

  • @lilil6753
    @lilil6753 Před 4 lety +860

    When your intro for your intro is longer than your intro

  • @LAMarshall
    @LAMarshall Před 4 lety +972

    "If you're aiming to start a reading habit"
    Me: *cries in Japanese study*

    • @Mr.Nichan
      @Mr.Nichan Před 4 lety +25

      I wonder what materials you can get in mostly kana.

    • @MorganGale
      @MorganGale Před 4 lety +65

      Kids books usually have furigana alongside the kanji! You can also try Japanese-specific reading apps like Satori Reader.

    • @tach1794
      @tach1794 Před 4 lety +16

      Use a frecuency dictionary to learn the most important kanjis and not learn useless kanjis.

    • @kanrei
      @kanrei Před 4 lety +14

      Learn the kanjis while learning a word. (My flashcards look like this front: word in kanji, backside: reading of the word, meaning. When doin the reverse front: meaning, back: kanji and reading. If this feel too difficult, at least have the word in Kanji and Kana, so that you see the word always with the kanji. Using Wanikani is really useful too, since it teaches you some radicals, then kanjis based on them, then words based on the kanji. So you can build up your kanji recognizing. If you don't use Wanikani, it might help to find a book teaching kanji and make flashcards based on that. The problem with just trying to figure out every word in kanji is that you get a lot of complex kanjis too, so it's better to get books which aim for kanji learning. (This could be kanji books for children, usually sorted based on the class they are in. Books for JLPT. Or maybe directly books for learning kanji, for example "Basic Kanji".))
      Children's books are usually with Furigana or you have just to know some simpler kanji. (I don't know how they level it. I felt some books had more kanjis used than others.) For example I read Guardians of Ga'hoole in Japanese, and I felt like you had to know maybe Kanjis which a third grader would know. But books aimed for younger people are usually with Furigana and not overloaded with Kanji. Also same for mangas. Those aiming for children have furigana. However I recommend children's book more for to begin with, since mangas might use more slang. I found "Magic Treehouse" really useful to begin with, since it's really easy.
      I usually order books on Amazon Japan or honto.jp You might get e-books on both of this sites. (For honto.jp I just had the problem to get the app for iPhone I would have needed a Japanese appstore account. But it was no problem to get the app for the computer.) (Honto.jp might be difficult as beginner to navigate since it is all in Japanese. But at least you find online tutorials on how to reg.)

    • @horgh_japan
      @horgh_japan Před 4 lety +10

      I used Anki with the Kanji Damage library. Kanji Damage was made the Tokyo Damage Report guy, a humorous Canadian living in Tokyo who mused about life in his adoptive country. This was his attempt at boosting his learning efforts while helping others through the use of mnemonics. Mnemonics are, in my opinion, a great way to start getting into kanji learning - especially radicals. Here in Japan radicals aren't all that important in the learning process as most kids are expected to just memorize everything in large chunks (they do everything else that way anyway).
      The thing is a lot of those Kanji with mnemonics books are pretty tame and boring. Kanji damage is pretty irreverent.
      Plus, it's free.
      But anki by itself isn't enough. You need to supplement it with reading. After half a year I knew enough kanji to start (slowly) reading various manga with plenty of re-reads using my dictionary.

  • @hash8944
    @hash8944 Před 4 lety +3106

    ‘U just said irregardless’ so no 😂😂

    • @daysandwords
      @daysandwords  Před 4 lety +68

      Thanks for your support!

    • @daysandwords
      @daysandwords  Před 4 lety +14

      @@hash8944 I'll give it a try, thanks.

    • @chickennuggets6910
      @chickennuggets6910 Před 4 lety +4

      iHashRix is it free?

    • @chuckitaway466
      @chuckitaway466 Před 4 lety +15

      We all know its unregardless

    • @paradoxo9111
      @paradoxo9111 Před 4 lety +5

      @@chickennuggets6910
      There's a free version that I like. It has a few limits: you can't translate phrases longer than six words, and you can only translate a few phrases per day. But I wouldn't recommend using their flashcard system all by itself for any terms you learn. Their spaced repetition algorithm is just plain awful. It's better to export those as files and then put them into something like Anki or Memrise.

  • @henrygreen2096
    @henrygreen2096 Před 4 lety +379

    I repect how staight to the point you are. your intro is literally about a second long. and you have WORTH while information that doesn't make me feel like I wasted my time watching this video. Plus it's entertaining.

    • @daysandwords
      @daysandwords  Před 4 lety +15

      Thank you! My new videos are a lot better actually haha.

  • @mergesviz
    @mergesviz Před 4 lety +80

    This isn’t an app per se, however this has helped me with my exposure to my target language (French) and that’s changing the settings on your phone to your target language. Most apps on your phone will automatically adjust to the new language, and it’s free and easy to do. Idk if this’ll help anyone, but it’s the small things that count.

    • @daysandwords
      @daysandwords  Před 4 lety +5

      Hi - yep, this is quite an old video now, there is a much newer and better one with 12 free language learning tools:
      czcams.com/video/EKWXOtWfbUE/video.html
      Thanks!

    • @cherrywillow3983
      @cherrywillow3983 Před 4 lety

      Yess I did this with my Instagram,and while some stuff still completely throws me for a loop, I know a handful of words that are surprisingly helpful! When you set IG to languages like French, then I’ve noticed if a post isn’t written in the IG language you can’t click translate, which is useful cause then I see the same stuff I understand written in French

    • @chae1557
      @chae1557 Před 3 lety

      My CZcams settings are in Russian. I noticed it’s making a difference

  • @kargovroom7701
    @kargovroom7701 Před 4 lety +729

    *BETTER THAN DUOLINGO*
    Bird kills man after claiming that certain apps are better than Duolingo

    • @kieranstark7213
      @kieranstark7213 Před 4 lety +17

      I guess you can say Duo flipped “der Mann” (German for “the man”) the bird, eh?
      In all seriousness, though, I have Duolingo, and it is very useful for me to learn various languages!

    • @Nico-pq2ky
      @Nico-pq2ky Před 4 lety +6

      @@kieranstark7213 i have a course a norweigian course
      And i see
      Which of these are "the man"
      The mann
      The kvinne
      The engutt
      Or
      The gutt

    • @kieranstark7213
      @kieranstark7213 Před 4 lety +1

      Nico mannen

    • @Nico-pq2ky
      @Nico-pq2ky Před 4 lety +1

      @@kieranstark7213 great! Are you norge or have a same course?

    • @kieranstark7213
      @kieranstark7213 Před 4 lety

      Nico Si, mi amigo!

  • @ackoonsgaming
    @ackoonsgaming Před 4 lety +4

    Just recently stumbled upon this channel today. As a language enthusiast, I've finally found the perfect channel. Cheers, you god damned underrated gem.

  • @JurijFedorov
    @JurijFedorov Před 4 lety +254

    I'm blown away by the quality of the video. Only 388 subscribers. That's just weird.
    Keep doing this!

    • @daysandwords
      @daysandwords  Před 4 lety +10

      Thanks for your encouraging comment!
      I think I only had about 140 subscribers when I made this. If you want to share it on Twitter/Instagram/Facebook, that'd really help me out haha!

    • @daysandwords
      @daysandwords  Před 4 lety +1

      Oh and Jurij, you could also help out that sub count by subscribing yourself haha. ;-)

    • @winkfish
      @winkfish Před 4 lety +3

      Not anymore lol

    • @daysandwords
      @daysandwords  Před 4 lety +2

      @@winkfish Funnily enough though, I had a comment just three days ago on one of my new videos that was essentially the same thing but stepped up to now, because as they pointed out, my production value is a lot higher than a normal sub-4000 subcriber channel.

    • @Miki-sv6uy
      @Miki-sv6uy Před 4 lety

      @@daysandwords Perhaps because your production value is a lot higher? :P Great content, thanks to you I've discovered Busuu which does indeed provide a great introduction into a new language ^^

  • @whalienpippa
    @whalienpippa Před 4 lety +196

    If you're going to Duolingo to learn sentence structure/grammar, then that's a huge mistake. But if you're going there to get vocabulary, it's wonderful because the vocabulary it teaches you is the most used in daily conversations and it had actually helped me understand conversations in the targeted language for at least a bit.

    • @medaoi
      @medaoi Před rokem +6

      I agree! I learn English, Japanese and German with busuu and Duolingo. I used busuu to learn structure and grammar, while duolingo I use to learn vocabulary and I always note all of them, because, for me, the better way to memorize is writing.

    • @the0skeptic
      @the0skeptic Před rokem +4

      i hate duolingo now
      the new update is so bad

    • @logan9920
      @logan9920 Před rokem +1

      DUo is great to start with for first few weeks mixed in with CZcams videos it gets you addicted then move on to Babbel etc. and try and talk with people online.

    • @ultimategamer2669
      @ultimategamer2669 Před 9 měsíci

      @@the0skeptic I'm happy to say that after the new update which erased most of my progress a second time, I'm done with duolingo forever. Seriously, f***** that app...

  • @cassif19
    @cassif19 Před 3 lety +8

    7 months after first watching this: Thank you so much for introducing me to Busuu. It is absolutely amazing! I can't believe how much german I've learned in such a short time

  • @georgiaamerikulad7045
    @georgiaamerikulad7045 Před 4 lety +370

    So no-one is gonna write them in the comments?😬

  • @tristacho5472
    @tristacho5472 Před 4 lety +38

    I’m so traumatized by tech youtube I was waiting for the nord sponsorship when you said vpn 🤣

  • @bmoraga01
    @bmoraga01 Před 4 lety +2

    Absolute bombshell video! Cannot thank you enough. Will let you know when I make the changes you've researched and recommended. Thanks from southern California.

  • @that1guycliff
    @that1guycliff Před 3 lety +1

    I'm finding this video over a year after it came out but exactly when I need it. You've got a new subscriber. Thank you.

    • @daysandwords
      @daysandwords  Před 3 lety +1

      CZcams insists on promoting my old videos. Don't let anyone tell you that you need good sound and light, because none of my videos have done as well as this one and my sound and light is 10x as good now.

  • @qazzy9861
    @qazzy9861 Před 4 lety +5

    This video just changed my whole perspective about learing language💖
    Subed

  • @divereconomist3960
    @divereconomist3960 Před 3 lety +4

    Many many thanks for your advice and information! Currently learning Russian for 1 year. I can't believe I can now read in Russian and understand elementary conversations. BTW I'm Saudi Arabian and I have lived in Australia for nearly 4 years from 2008-2012. It was one of my best years of my life. I made lots of friends and good memories.. Accept my regards and I hope you will keep posting these useful videos for language learners.

  • @RareEarthSeries
    @RareEarthSeries Před 4 lety +186

    Irregardless is correct. It is a very common misconception that it isn't a real word, but it is.
    It just happens to be an irregular and somewhat redundant word, like inflammable or dethaw.

    • @daysandwords
      @daysandwords  Před 4 lety +69

      BAHAHAHA.
      A few things to go through here:
      1) I never said it wasn't a real word. I just made fun of my alter ego for using it. WE ALL KNOW that it's a "real word", meaning that the dictionaries were forced to put it in because enough window lickers started using it.
      2) Being a real word doesn't make it correct. You can use a word and be wrong. You can use an acrhcipelago word and jump rustic. (See, they are all real words there.)
      3) Just say regardless. Being a real word doesn't excuse you using a longer word where a simpler, shorter one would have done.
      4) Many have come here fighting this fight before, and none have lived to tell the tale.

    • @katya_fhs
      @katya_fhs Před 3 lety +18

      @@RareEarthSeries I still think it's an ugly word that sounds redundant, and as a non-native English speaker I have a strong feeling it would make me sound like I don't have a proper grasp of the language if speaking with natives (never heard anyone in my work environment use it, and most of my coworkers are American, Irish, and Canadian).
      I like Merriam-Webster's Q&A under its definition.

    • @RareEarthSeries
      @RareEarthSeries Před 3 lety +7

      ​@@katya_fhs The word itself isn't 'wrong', because it doesn't break any of the hard rules of English. That's why its useful to teach, I argue. As English is an amalgam of German, Celtic, Pictish, French, Latin, Greek and Norse, correct 'proper' conventions often contain correct 'improper' forms as well. A great example of this is in how we pluralize animal names (s, or no s).
      People tend not to use unconventional words, particularly in work settings, because they've been socially prompted to treat those words as 'less educated'. But the question is really what is language, and what is its purpose. If the goal is to get meaning across to a different person while following the patterns and rules that allow English comprehension, then irregardless is fine. There is a more 'proper' term to use, yes, but in this language that in no way negates the 'improper' use entirely.
      The intent of language is to express meaning, and irregardless does that exactly as well as regardless, with the same meaning and grammatical structure. It just makes the speaker sound slightly less educated, as that's how much of society (as seen by this video) treats unconventional words. Conceptually, it is virtually indistinguishable from the difference between "no" and "nuh uh".

    • @Jauphrey
      @Jauphrey Před 3 lety +11

      @@RareEarthSeries Just to make things more confusing for this discussion--my degrees are in linguistics, I'm currently a grammar instructor and freelance technical writer, and am often pulled in to these kinds of debates. My credentials don't--nor should they--matter. What I'm about to spout is easily verified. :) Also fair warning, I'm not going to be a rude or claim that anyone is an idiot. This is a good debate and I want to jump on in this bad boy!
      I agree with both of you. That isn't to say that "irregardless" both is and is not correct, but rather that both interpretations are accurate depending on where you stand and the situation. Etymologically, it's generally not difficult to trace the history of a word, even and especially "incorrect" words like irregardless. Have you ever been told that it's wrong to say "less than" and that you should say "fewer than"? Or did you have a physical reaction to the fact that my question mark was placed outside of the quotations I used? What about prepositions at the end of a sentence? There's all kinds of these things.
      The history of both language and grammar is long and ever evolving and it rubs me the wrong way when someone's intellect comes into question because of misspellings or misused grammar. I understand why people feel so strongly about certain "rules," but I also believe there's a time and place to judge. Let's take "irregardless," for example:
      This is the perfect word to describe "linguistic prescription." I just realized how long this response is so I'll be super quick: the way a word should be used VS the way a word is actually used. Irregardless is certainly incorrect according to prescriptive linguistics, no question there. But according to descriptive linguistics, it's an a-okay colloquialism. That said, I would not advise using it in written or formal documents. In speech...that's up to the person you're speaking with. I've heard it all at this point so I might be biased in that I no longer have grammatical pet peeves. If we're speaking and I understand you, then we're good. :) Have a good one, y'all!

    • @Adam-hp2xg
      @Adam-hp2xg Před 3 lety +2

      Words are words.

  • @nikosoikou4649
    @nikosoikou4649 Před 5 lety +8

    music speed changer

    • @daysandwords
      @daysandwords  Před 5 lety

      Yeah, I use it all the time. For example, today, I had almost 4 hours of driving to do for work - and I used music speed changer to listen to my French lessons at 110%, because I really don't need to hear the lesson played back at normal speed. So in that time, I get in almost 5 lessons of 'playback' instead of 4.

  • @gilgaladinfp8452
    @gilgaladinfp8452 Před 4 lety +180

    I just started learning japanese. . . And just a day using busuu made me learned so much already I use it together with Human Japanese, Quizlet, Drops and Bunpo. . . hope it will help other peeps out there. . .

    • @MetalHeart8787
      @MetalHeart8787 Před 4 lety +7

      ive studied Japanese since 2002 and my favorite thing ever was the Cdrom by Transparent Language. they have all kinds of Languages also mainly the basic ones BUT they did put one out called 101 Languages.theres many ways / apps/ programs. to use out there.

    • @mapsarabic1227
      @mapsarabic1227 Před 4 lety

      Tofugo | lingodeer

    • @forget-me-not8522
      @forget-me-not8522 Před 4 lety

      Thanks!

    • @editorialadventure7580
      @editorialadventure7580 Před 4 lety

      @@MetalHeart8787 sry i didnt get you

    • @SofijaGvozdeva
      @SofijaGvozdeva Před 4 lety +6

      I highly recommend japansepod101.com
      I've been using it for a while as an intermediate learner, and i must say that the lessons are very well organised and entertaining. It's podcast-based, includes conversations, grammar and vocab breakdown

  • @debbiewilson9712
    @debbiewilson9712 Před 4 lety +5

    Wonderful!!! Such awesome info and short intro!!

    • @daysandwords
      @daysandwords  Před 4 lety

      Thanks Debbie!
      I didn't think I'd have to update this list by the end of the year but now I think I do!

  • @joaninha3484
    @joaninha3484 Před 4 lety +1

    Just came on to say Thanks for the Busuu recommendation. It’s amazingly comprehensive and I like the community feel 👍🏼

  • @MsMyra22
    @MsMyra22 Před 4 lety

    Wow I'm super impressed with how quickly you responded to my question. Thank you very much.

  • @user-rr1br7gs6u
    @user-rr1br7gs6u Před 4 lety +24

    I love using lingodeer to study japanese it explain also about grammar and culture, it's not just about memorizing a lot of word

  • @rebeccanorris4586
    @rebeccanorris4586 Před 4 lety +53

    "Well you just said irregardless so....no." OMG I choked LOL

  • @nicsabot
    @nicsabot Před 4 lety +1

    Dang, love your channel! Thanks for this organized information.

  • @parlbesatt
    @parlbesatt Před 4 lety +1

    Vilken fantastiskt post! Rekommenderades till mig och jag blev så glad! :)

  • @lawrencemaitland
    @lawrencemaitland Před 4 lety +6

    I subscribed because I LOVE how fast your intro was... I hate how people have videos of themselves laughing amongst friends and slow music and shit. Yours is straight to the point. Cracking videos well

    • @daysandwords
      @daysandwords  Před 4 lety

      Hey there - thanks for watching and for your comment!
      The channel has changed names now so it's kind of moot about the intro but anyway haha. My newer videos are way better.

  • @btbjorsvik
    @btbjorsvik Před 4 lety +16

    After seeing the same tips and tricks in thousands of videos, this was something new and creative, amazing job. Greetings from Norway :)

    • @daysandwords
      @daysandwords  Před 4 lety

      Thank you! These sorts of comments really help.
      I am planning on an update to this video with 10 apps/programs soon!

    • @btbjorsvik
      @btbjorsvik Před 4 lety

      @@daysandwords Can't wait, already tried do subscribe a month to that ebook thing of yours, lets see if it works out for me, even though im not that much of a reader

  • @saraimarte
    @saraimarte Před 4 lety

    I wanted to thank you for your immensely high quality content. I enjoy it so much!

  • @simplypretentious
    @simplypretentious Před 4 lety +1

    I signed up for Busuu because of you. I'm very excited to continue my French and German language learning journey

  • @ajisroadtrippin5505
    @ajisroadtrippin5505 Před 3 lety +19

    I learn German by watching the Nico’s Weg series on CZcams. I wish there were more series in other languages like that.

  • @NautilusXO
    @NautilusXO Před 3 lety +4

    HOO boy, I got really bothered by the non-word "irregardless" and then realized you used it as a set-up for the joke. Genius.

  • @AndrewDaniele87
    @AndrewDaniele87 Před 2 lety

    I hardly subscribe to a channel after just a couple of videos, but your honesty did it! I'm trying to learn Italian which led me to the fascination of language learning in general

  • @maxspierings7344
    @maxspierings7344 Před 4 lety

    thanks for the clear info!
    It helps out a lot to get some tips on how to structure my learning more effectively

  • @peterlockitt6771
    @peterlockitt6771 Před 3 lety +6

    I am enjoying Busu for learning Spanish and would highly recommend it. I like that you can also review and revise any problem areas without limit.

  • @Tomanita
    @Tomanita Před 5 lety +5

    This was super helpful! Thank you😃 I never thought about setting up a VPN but it really makes sense if you can't get access to the content otherwise. It's also a great idea to record your iTalki lessons. I'm definitely doing that once I start taking lessons on there.

    • @daysandwords
      @daysandwords  Před 5 lety +1

      The weirdest thing with a VPN is that even if I just turn it on to the 'default' which is an Australian server, even THAT manages to confuse the Netflix servers and Netflix shows me a TONNE of foreign stuff that doesn't come up otherwise.
      I actually have another app that I find useful, which can cut the beginning and end off mp3 files (quickly and en masse), but it's a bit complicated because it's really only useful with the Pod101 series... so that was getting a bit specific.
      But I want to do a review of the Pod101 series sometime soon.
      Yeah... even though I get annoyed with iTalki the company, I love the teachers on there so much. I also used to teach on there.

    • @Tomanita
      @Tomanita Před 5 lety

      The Reykjavik Review
      Oh wow, that's cool😃 I might set one up if run out of good stuff to watch on Netflix. I never studied with Pod101, so I'm curious to hear your opinion.

  • @Urduseekhiye
    @Urduseekhiye Před 3 lety

    I completely agree. I often do record my lessons, but they're just sitting there. I need to go back and review them - great reminder! Thanks!

  • @alexisrene2442
    @alexisrene2442 Před 3 lety +1

    Seriously one of the best videos about this on here. Thanks a ton man 🤙🏼

  • @akaikkiller
    @akaikkiller Před 4 lety +625

    This guy really hates Duolingo for some reason lmao

    • @khangarraty727
      @khangarraty727 Před 4 lety +107

      i think duolingo has a bit of a reputation in the language 'community' i guess as overrated. Definitely true. In no way a bad service but it sells itself as 'learn a new language' which if you complete the duolingo course, you will not have done haha

    • @iwanjones7334
      @iwanjones7334 Před 4 lety +124

      The point he is making is that it is over-hyped and only of limited usefulness and I agree with him

    • @HELL0NESSA
      @HELL0NESSA Před 4 lety +46

      @@iwanjones7334 well yeah, nothing compares to immersion or learning in a class setting. But its free and can get you to the basics until you want to step it up and need more advanced instruction.

    • @kuhaku9635
      @kuhaku9635 Před 4 lety +20

      Tbh,as a native indonesian speaker and level b-2 english speaker,it's soo bad. The translation is inaccurate or not well phrased

    • @muhammadhelmihibatullah8113
      @muhammadhelmihibatullah8113 Před 4 lety +11

      @@kuhaku9635 agree lol. Im a native indonesian and tried to "learn" bahasa indonesia with english as the first language (just wondering lol). The translation is so bad, i was also got so many wrongs when answering it as a native.

  • @thisisbgm
    @thisisbgm Před 4 lety +3

    Thanks for making this. I just started my learning language journey and these tools will be super helpful. I already had my first italki lesson otherwise I would use your link. Gonna get Evaer for lesson 2 and onward!
    Also: I'm learning Danish so I feel your pain on Swedish not being on Busuu... It sounds great!
    Tak!

    • @daysandwords
      @daysandwords  Před 4 lety +1

      Thanks, yeah, I am actually working on a course (set of videos) exclusively about the Nordic languages (all except Icelandic) and what I did with Swedish versus what I would do differently this time, and where to get all the best free resources and everything. It is HUGE so it has to be a members' course (Patreon) but yeah that's the plan.

    • @thisisbgm
      @thisisbgm Před 4 lety

      @@daysandwords sounds like that will be really helpful for folks. Tracking stuff down in Danish is a bit like sifting gold! I've been cobbling together bits and pieces from all over. Keep me posted (if it's ready soon) and let me know if there's anything you're looking for that I could contribute (if it's more in the future and any of the on-my-own compiling of resources would be helpful),

  • @jimnip265
    @jimnip265 Před 3 lety

    Awesome, thanks for the advice. Downloading now

  • @stevenbagley9858
    @stevenbagley9858 Před 2 lety

    Just subscribed to your channel and liked this video. Super informative and definitely will try some of these out. Keep up the great work.

  • @Alexander-om7oj
    @Alexander-om7oj Před 3 lety +9

    I would add VLC Player to this list!
    I use it to watch movies with subtitles loaded in both my native language and target language. It has hotkeys for virtually every function. So I watch a piece of a movie without any subtitles and if I have difficulties understanding a phrase I just rewind it, listen again, then maybe turn on subtitles in my native language and then rewind again and again with subtitles in target language. And all that just by using arrow keys and two letter keys as hotkeys.
    Very convenient

  • @Aerinn21
    @Aerinn21 Před 3 lety +17

    I used Duo for quite some time, had a super short affair with Babbel (only one lesson available for free, come on...), then switched to Busuu and yes, it is awesome. (I'm learning Russian with them) I hope they're gonna add more languages, fingers crossed for Norwegian and Romanian. Drops is nice as well, quite fun method of learning. And don't forget old school flash cards :)

    • @paraschivadiana1386
      @paraschivadiana1386 Před rokem +1

      Oooh, as an Romanian girl I'm proud someone want to learn my language :))

    • @JoeJoe-lq6bd
      @JoeJoe-lq6bd Před rokem +1

      @@paraschivadiana1386 I am trying right now but there aren't that many resources for it.

  • @flickamina8423
    @flickamina8423 Před 2 lety

    Thank you so much. This has been very helpful

  • @hannahtamzar3921
    @hannahtamzar3921 Před 4 lety +1

    I don't know how I came here but I'm so glad. Thnx (:

  • @3atrocks
    @3atrocks Před 3 lety +16

    i've just started using Pimsleur to attempt to learn some Japanese.. 2 lessons in and it's going pretty well besides the fact that i'm *extremely* unmotivated 😂

  • @onesyphorus
    @onesyphorus Před 4 lety +183

    Thought it was gonna be a vpn sponsor but no!

    • @daysandwords
      @daysandwords  Před 4 lety +18

      Ha.
      I made this video when I had 200 subs, so no one was offering to do any kind of deal.
      I did get an email from one a few months later but since it's not the VPN I use, I wouldn't feel right recommending it. I might ask the company that I use it if they'd be keen, but it's because I use them anyway.

    • @acquaura4404
      @acquaura4404 Před 4 lety

      @@daysandwords What vpn do you use? I

    • @daysandwords
      @daysandwords  Před 4 lety +3

      @@acquaura4404 Well I use nordvpn but these days Netflix stops you from using one at all. One viewer did tell me that it is tricked by Express VPN but I haven't tried that myself. Also most of them do have a "streaming" setting but I think that just prioritises speed, I don't think it gets around the streaming services firewall. A normal VPN normally does work for the free government services from the country, e.g. Sweden has one called SVT (Sverige Television) which means I can watch whatever is on there if my VPN is set to Sweden.

  • @crisalider1398
    @crisalider1398 Před 3 lety

    Thank you for that valuable info, you have a new subscriber!!👍

  • @gardnerdean
    @gardnerdean Před 3 lety

    Great tips. Thank you. I plan to try all 5(6).

  • @notallthatbad
    @notallthatbad Před 4 lety +83

    "My biggest regret with learning Swedish is that I took too many lessons rather than going back and getting everything out of the lessons I already had."
    Priceless insight - I never thought to record the lessons, although it should have been completely obvious. Thanks for this. I'm currently taking Turkish lessons via Skype and this will be an invaluable approach for me.

    • @daysandwords
      @daysandwords  Před 4 lety +2

      Sitting watching the lessons back is something I just hate STARTING but once I start I love it. I dunno why.

    • @grayfox6930
      @grayfox6930 Před 4 lety

      @@daysandwords yeah, no one remembers everything from one lesson the first time. It is very important to redo your lessons to really hammer it into your mind.

    • @mochhhhee
      @mochhhhee Před 4 lety

      Ahhhh I took like 2 years of Japanese lessons in Skype and now I regret that I didn't record them

    • @asdfds45
      @asdfds45 Před 4 lety +1

      I can help you with Turkish if you want

    • @notallthatbad
      @notallthatbad Před 4 lety

      @@asdfds45 That is very kind. Do you have Tandem (phone app)?

  • @nolwheezy1008
    @nolwheezy1008 Před 4 lety +225

    But Duo is so cute 😢

  • @brandonsmith1198
    @brandonsmith1198 Před 11 měsíci

    I do enjoy this. I hope you have fun with a happy learning.

  • @nolanbennett346
    @nolanbennett346 Před 4 lety

    I absolutely love this list
    Thank you

  • @BrentStrathdeePehi
    @BrentStrathdeePehi Před 4 lety +4

    Thanks I’ll definitely check a couple of these tools out - I’m learning Indonesian and as a non mainstream language it can be difficult to find effective tools

    • @daysandwords
      @daysandwords  Před 4 lety

      Yeah, although I think there is IndonesianPod101 isn't there?

  • @nikablue9340
    @nikablue9340 Před 4 lety +27

    The amount of sass in that intro, though 😂

    • @daysandwords
      @daysandwords  Před 4 lety +1

      He has become a regular character haha:
      czcams.com/video/EKWXOtWfbUE/video.html

  • @powerflower6727
    @powerflower6727 Před 2 lety

    Thank you for your fabulous intro!

  • @danm7596
    @danm7596 Před rokem +1

    Great stuff. I feel like a lot of people get hung up on boring apps and then lose motivation (like I did). I've had way more fun just wandering through all parts of the web seeing what I can find in my target language. It feels like an adventure into another culture and makes me genuinely want to understand the things that I come across.

  • @sincerelyme1193
    @sincerelyme1193 Před 4 lety +8

    Duolingo is not bad. You can use it for the basics. You can also use it to test your skills. It does not necessarily make you completely fluent in any language but it will definitely give you a head start.
    Imagine this: You are stuck in a cave and you have a flashlight. The cave symbolizes the language barrier. That flashlight symbolizes duolingo or any online learning app like it. It can give you light so you can be guided throughout the cave. You come across what seems to be some incredibly large boulders about twelve feet tall that are blocking the exit. You obviously can't carry the boulders by yourself, and the flashlight won't be of use for this so you need another set of tools for this job.
    PS. I did not come up with this metaphor on my own. Courtesy to Rafael Leon, the youtuber who came up with this.

    • @gatopardoantico5657
      @gatopardoantico5657 Před rokem +3

      Actually it's Plato who came up with the cave metaphor. Definitely not a youtuber.

  • @silent_cipher9308
    @silent_cipher9308 Před 3 lety +4

    Well that's ironic.
    I got the duolingo ad at the beginning of this video 🤣🤣

  • @yoshi04cgn
    @yoshi04cgn Před 4 lety +2

    A great list thanks for sharing

  • @yamrotseleshi
    @yamrotseleshi Před 4 lety

    Thank you for your amazing advice. I didn't know some of them😊

  • @variousartists-topic6823

    *_My fingers brought me here._*

  • @chelos5
    @chelos5 Před 4 lety +16

    I learned French by Duolingo. It was worthful for me.

    • @daysandwords
      @daysandwords  Před 4 lety +7

      Worthwhile.
      Yeah, it was for me too, but that doesn't automatically put it into the top 5 apps for language learning. The good think about 5 of the 6 apps I mentioned are that they can be used for ANY language. Busuu is the only one that has a limit to the languages you can use it for.

    • @Nick.ureuil
      @Nick.ureuil Před 4 lety +4

      I speak French fluently I try to learn English I am at my beginnings I can help you with your French

    • @bro-ss2eu
      @bro-ss2eu Před 4 lety

      What level are you now

    • @chelos5
      @chelos5 Před 4 lety

      @@bro-ss2eu after Duolingo I continued to learn French by the Book New French With Easy. It was Published by Assimil. This method so improved my skills in French.

    • @chelos5
      @chelos5 Před 4 lety

      @@bro-ss2eu I can assure that, my level now is at least B1 in according to CERF.

  • @cheryl184
    @cheryl184 Před rokem

    Thank you so much for this list. I had never considered that my e-reader might have a translation tool but it does! 🙂

  • @AshInTrees
    @AshInTrees Před 4 lety

    Such a great video, thanks man.

  • @hayhay1818
    @hayhay1818 Před 2 lety +20

    Thank you! I was so tired of Duolingo lessons in Russian that made me repeat "The horses eat apples", babbel doesn't allow you to learn more than one language at once, and memrise is great for vocabulary (especially Mandarin) but to learn how to speak not so much.

  • @harmenbreedeveld8026
    @harmenbreedeveld8026 Před 3 lety +19

    The moment you mentioned VPN as a crucial tool, I knew you were going to give good tips. A VPN is so useful, it helps me to watch Norwegian tv programs, which are free in Norway, but not accessbile abroad. Watching a country's tv programs is often fun, and fun is so crucial in language learning.
    Also love the other tips, am going to try out some of them.

    • @daysandwords
      @daysandwords  Před 3 lety +3

      Yeah I do the same for Swedish. It literally quadruples the amount of Swedish content available.

  • @luizcmpedrosa
    @luizcmpedrosa Před 4 lety +1

    Usei seu link do Italki. Obrigado pelas dicas. Vão ajudar a consolidar meu inglês e a iniciar os estudos em um 3° idioma.

  • @alexanderperepelitsa9095
    @alexanderperepelitsa9095 Před 2 lety +1

    Thanks for this nice video, it is the very first video of yours I watch and immediately subscribed to your channel. I do agree with you, it is very sad busuu does not have Swedish.

    • @daysandwords
      @daysandwords  Před 2 lety +1

      This is quite old now. For Swedish I would recommend the second half of this video:
      czcams.com/video/InqEZDCaLRs/video.html

  • @leiragamer6823
    @leiragamer6823 Před 3 lety +3

    I don’t want to be that one person who disagrees, but I have been using Duolingo. Maybe when I learn a little bit more of the language I could try to use some of the others to learn it better. I may even try to learn to read a children’s story in Spanish. But this is a really good review. Gran trabajo 👍

    • @daysandwords
      @daysandwords  Před 3 lety +1

      Oh don't worry, you are far from being the one person who disagrees. Pro-Duolingo comments are my most common comments.

  • @Yehezkel82773
    @Yehezkel82773 Před 4 lety +18

    It’s great to pick music in your target language, write down the lyrics, and then playback at half speed or slower and speak and read along with the song

    • @llddau
      @llddau Před 3 lety +1

      I’ve been singing in Portuguese, Brazilian Portuguese, and Spanish and I love it, they are such beautiful languages. Anyway I’ve made absolutely sure I know exactly what I’m singing, I hate the idea of just going through the motions, and now I’m starting lessons in Spanish as I really hope to be able to speak it, not just sing it.

  • @wintermelonpls6961
    @wintermelonpls6961 Před 3 lety

    Thank youuuu. I needed this

  • @fb00ab
    @fb00ab Před 4 lety

    Thanks brother! Great suggestions.

  • @IshmaelVargas
    @IshmaelVargas Před 4 lety +8

    That intro made laugh out loud. 😂🤣

    • @daysandwords
      @daysandwords  Před 4 lety

      Thank you! I have had the odd comment about the "irregardless" thing haha.

    • @IshmaelVargas
      @IshmaelVargas Před 4 lety

      @@daysandwords I noticed irregardless right away but I didn't expect the comeback. Brilliant! 😂

    • @daysandwords
      @daysandwords  Před 4 lety

      Haha, brilliant comeback... to myself, in my own script haha.

  • @jedhatfield42
    @jedhatfield42 Před 4 lety +3

    i also like when they give you homework to practice the reading and writing

  • @selmonbhoi6091
    @selmonbhoi6091 Před 3 lety

    Absolutely amazing 🙏🏾....keep it brother 👍🏻

  • @byronlaw6724
    @byronlaw6724 Před 3 lety

    Excellent review. You included a few tools I never would have considered but can easily see how and why they would be irrevaluable...er...invaluable. :D

  • @felipemontero9839
    @felipemontero9839 Před 4 lety +4

    I really like Duolingo and it taught me a lot of german. It won't teach you a language but it's a fun (though probably inneficient) way to learn the basics of a language. BTW I tried to use a vpn but I don't think it allowed me to access german netflix because the titles aviable were the same as before (very few movies or seres in german)

    • @daysandwords
      @daysandwords  Před 4 lety

      Hi - yep, this is quite an old video now, and Netflix no longer accepts most VPNs. There is a much newer and better one with 12 free language learning tools:
      czcams.com/video/EKWXOtWfbUE/video.html
      Thanks!

  • @julianwierny31
    @julianwierny31 Před 4 lety +7

    Like that I have a advertisement of babbel, before the video starts

  • @RaneemABDULAZEEZ
    @RaneemABDULAZEEZ Před 3 lety

    Thank you, this video is very useful 👌 👍 since am starting to learn Spanish and am working on improving my French 💚

  • @luizalexandregruszynski2215

    Thank you very much for all the information about the apps you gave in your video, this will help me to improve my English.

  • @abbymedeiros8387
    @abbymedeiros8387 Před 4 lety +20

    Thank you! I just started learning Portuguese about 8 months ago through classes at my university. I’ve been trying to find an app to use along with the tools that you mentioned, however it seems like many don’t offer European Portuguese and they only offer Brazilian Portuguese. I know that they are similar and it would be important to learn both so that I can communicate with both types of Portuguese speakers in the future, but how do I find an online app or program that can help me learn European Portuguese and not just Brazilian?

    • @LenyLiza
      @LenyLiza Před 2 lety

      daym yeah youre on your own

    • @viniciusdasilvamaria3142
      @viniciusdasilvamaria3142 Před 2 lety +5

      I think it will be very difficult. t
      There are 10 million speakers of european portuguese against 250 millions of brazilian one. GDP Portugal is very ok. Brazil is one of the ten most powerful countries in the world.

    • @himesilva
      @himesilva Před 2 lety

      My dad speaks European Portuguese and he says he can’t understand Brazilians at all haha

    • @carlosmagalhaes7109
      @carlosmagalhaes7109 Před rokem +1

      @@himesilva Is he Portuguese? If he is, he should be able to understand Brazilians. Portuguese people don't usually have any problem understanding them.

  • @racheldurban2051
    @racheldurban2051 Před 4 lety +5

    Have you tried HelloTalk or Tandem? They're free and when I've wanted them I've always been able to find a native speak who's willing to give me a lesson in their language, or else you can help others in your languages and you can just have general conversations... it's great!

    • @ktyy777
      @ktyy777 Před 4 lety

      Rachel Durban yes I love Tandem so far! SO MANY people message me at once and I’m only able to reply to 2-3, but they’re so helpful with grammar. I love the “correction” feature because it helped me with my French

    • @racheldurban2051
      @racheldurban2051 Před 4 lety

      @@ktyy777I love that too! You can get fewer people messaging you by turning 'online' off on your profile once you've got someone to talk to. I think I prefer HelloTalk, though, because it just feels easier to use and slightly less overwhelming!

    • @ktyy777
      @ktyy777 Před 4 lety

      Rachel Durban ah gotcha!! Thanks for telling me that!

  • @AnasKhan-vr9sv
    @AnasKhan-vr9sv Před 4 lety

    Loved the video style dude. KEEP GOING

  • @felixstephany
    @felixstephany Před 3 lety +1

    Thanks for your valuable tips 🙏

  • @kennystrydom2579
    @kennystrydom2579 Před 5 lety +3

    1st.... nice video lad

  • @dilaisy_loone2846
    @dilaisy_loone2846 Před 3 lety +4

    Duolingo is pretty good. I learned most of my English there (like, enough for me to star pretty good in school

  • @comoaprenderidiomas2447

    Thanks for your tips.. it helps a lot

  • @charmbello1706
    @charmbello1706 Před 4 lety

    Thank you for this video! Really usefull.

  • @eyemotif
    @eyemotif Před 5 lety +3

    Hey, love your videos - do you know any good online resources for learning Icelandic?

    • @daysandwords
      @daysandwords  Před 5 lety +4

      Hi kaleb - thanks for the question. Yes, I do! Please note, that despite my username, I am not actually an Icelandic speaker, though I would really like to learn it one day.
      So I have only checked out ONE of these resources personally, and that's this iTalki teacher - he is fantastic, and he's much cheaper than the others because he is not actually Icelandic, but trust me he KNOWS HIS STUFF.
      www.italki.com/teacher/5979160
      There are also the links and resources listed here. I hope that helps you! Gangi þér vel.
      learnicelandicnow.wordpress.com/free-resources/

  • @julianevasconcelos5047
    @julianevasconcelos5047 Před 4 lety +4

    I discovered the best app to learn a new language. It is called Falou App and I love it so much!! I've been studying french and I was able improve my pronunciation very fast. Highly recommend it guys!!

    • @pedropercorino2768
      @pedropercorino2768 Před 4 lety +2

      DDAAAMN I"VE BEEN USING FALOU AS WELL is definitely the best app. I'm trying to learn Spanish it's awesome

    • @daysandwords
      @daysandwords  Před 4 lety +2

      I'll have a look, thanks guys.

    • @henry.g.9093
      @henry.g.9093 Před 4 lety

      @@daysandwords did you have a chance to take a look?

  • @jonathanmendoza7414
    @jonathanmendoza7414 Před 2 lety

    Fantastic, thanks for your information.

  • @mayamorabito1669
    @mayamorabito1669 Před 4 lety

    Very insightful. And honest.

  • @chuweyayekin8108
    @chuweyayekin8108 Před 4 lety +3

    Harry potter is a great way to learn a language. The books have been translated into loads of different languages. The different translations are fairly easy to find for sale online (or at your local library) and typically aren't very expensive. The audio book formats (many of which have been uploaded to youtube) can be paired with the print books so you can see and hear words in your target language.

  • @samueltamang2305
    @samueltamang2305 Před 4 lety +15

    I need a best app for learning French language!!!

    • @daysandwords
      @daysandwords  Před 4 lety +17

      Hi Samuel! If you are a beginner I'd probably recommend Busuu or a relatively unknown app called Ouino. If you commit to one Busuu lesson a day (25 minutes-ish) for 40 days, that should give you a good grounding in French. Also listen to the FrenchPod101 dialogue only tracks over and over. Do those two things for 40 days and you'll be ready to do the things that will REALLY teach you French.

    • @samueltamang2305
      @samueltamang2305 Před 4 lety +2

      Days of French 'n' Swedish thanks man!!! It may help me a lot.

    • @camelopardalis84
      @camelopardalis84 Před 3 lety

      @@samueltamang2305 No matter how far along with your French learning you are: If you haven't yet started taking the gendering of nouns seriously, start now! I didn't pay enough attention to whether a noun in French is masculine of feminine as a child and teen, during my years of mandatory French lessons, and in retrospect I can say that this is easily one of the top two things that went wrong with my French learning.

  • @DemoysView
    @DemoysView Před 11 měsíci +1

    Busuu is amazing, I'm excited to finally hear a language CZcamsr positively talking about it

  • @metincenktas8835
    @metincenktas8835 Před 4 lety

    you are just wonderful! thanks for such a helpful video :)