No one ever learned a language from an app. (At least, I never heard of anyone solely learning from an app.) I know I’m making a bold claim! But us polyglots (yes, you are one – even if you’re a beginner) tend to be “app collectors”, always on the hunt for that one killer app that will finally help us become fluent.
You know it’s true – we’ve all spent time searching for the perfect app to teach us Spanish. Sadly, all those minutes spent reading reviews, downloading apps, and signing up for free trials (only to forget to cancel!) could have been spent actually studying Spanish instead!
The truth is: there is no “perfect” Spanish app. There’s no single app that will cause you to speak español. There is no app that will make it “easy” to speak Spanish. There are helpful apps, and apps that can help you with some specific aspects of studying…but every app will always lack at least a couple things.
- Writing, which is important for engaging your senses and helping you remember. Typing letters in an app or website doesn’t allow you to do this.
- Speaking in the same way as a native. You will need to speak with actual people to really get the sense of Spanish. There are some really good AI chatbots that get close, but they can’t replicate the “small things” like casual pronunciation where certain sounds are slurred or dropped, or even regional slang and accents. I actually love to talk with AI in Spanish, but I haven’t found one that’s as good as a real person.
- Listening comprehension. Does spoken Spanish (by real speakers, in natural settings) hit your ears like rapid-fire gibberish? You’re not alone. And unfortunately no app can cause you to become accustomed to hearing and understanding Spanish like its really spoken.
No app does it all, but they can add a lot to your Spanish learning and practice routine. Here are a few that I’ve found to be valuable – and why:
- Conjuu. Helps me drill verb conjugations. It’s simple to use, forces me to type out the conjugations, and allows me to focus my practice on certain verbs or verb forms.
- ChatGPT. Acts as my own personal tutor. By crafting some custom prompts, I can specify what I’d like it to ask me or teach me. Also, I can practice having actual conversations.
- SpanishDict. The best reference site for looking up definitions and conjugations.
- Memrise. Helpful for learning vocabulary.
- Clozemaster. Great for quizzing me on sentences, which includes both verbs and nouns.
There are other useful apps of course, but these all have given me the most noticeable value over the last year. I use each of them differently, but they each have their place.
My point in this post is to tell you not to expect to find a “holy grail” app, but to realize apps are just tools. Even with these tools, you still need to practice the same fundamental skills language-learners have practiced since the tower of Babel: listening, speaking, and memorizing.
My hope for you is that you find the tools that work for you, but don’t get too hung up on finding the “perfect” one. Sometimes, the best tools are a pen, notebook, and a dictionary.
No matter what apps you use (or choose not to use), you can learn Spanish. It takes persistence, time, and practice. You got this!