🚨 GIVEAWAY ALERT 🚨 We're giving away a FREE language course every month to one of our subscribers. It takes less than 10 seconds to enter! More details can be found here: th-cam.com/video/Ahx8El0al0E/w-d-xo.html
I am trying to learn portugese so that I can understand what the commentators are saying when I watch portugese football. Using Duolingo paid version, came here for a review of other possible solutions as I have yet to hear portugese football commentary say anything about "the cat plays piano" ;)
I suggest doing a periodic update of this video since these companies are always updating their methods and courses. I started using Duolingo because (it has a free version and) my granddaughter asked me to. She lasted less than a week. I'm approaching a year of having used it daily. To me, gamification is key. Also, for those using Duolingo the limit on how long you're able to use it can be bypassed (at least on the mobile version, I almost never use the actual website) by tapping the spot the heart counter occupies. It then gives you the chance to practice to earn hearts. I have used the app at times for 5-6 hours straight because of this feature. I also eliminate or lessen language learning "burnout" by switching languages at least once an hour or so. If I'm tired or frustrated with one language (Hebrew for example) I'll switch to another one. However..., I don't recommend more than one at a time until you achieve speaking fluency with one language other than your native tongue. This is so you have a structure of neurons built into your brain that is all ready for new language learning. If you do this, you will soon see the similarites in different languages as well as the differences and it should help in defining the hardest thing about language learning: the differing structural rules of grammar, etc for them. For example, some languages don't have articles like English does. Instead, they have suffixes that do the job of articles. So, for example, to say tea in Romanian is "ceai," but to say the tea is "ceaiul."
I have used Duolingo for many months and today added Babbel. I was pleasantly surprised at the depth of understanding I gained after only 15 minutes. With Babbel I'm learning the language, not only gaining vocabulary.
I have been using Duolingo every day for over 600 days. I completed all the castles, but then they changed it. I believe I have been exposed to everything Duolingo has to offer, yet I still can’t speak the language. Apparently they only teach 2700 words in the language that I’m learning. That’s the vocabulary of a 3 or 4 year old. This video is already outdated. They completely changed what he showed.
I'm using Babbel and Duolingo for Spanish and definitely agree with your points. Duolingo is kinda fun and feels like I'm playing a game but Babbel is where my brain is really being tested and stretched. I've subscribed for 3 months and with the subscription its also worth mentioning that Babbel has two free 1 hr online lessons available with a teacher. Thats a game changer as far as I'm concerned.
I’ve been doing DuoLingo Spanish Free daily for about 4 years. Having gotten to travel to Latin America a handful of times, I am able to make and maintain basic conversation. I think the key to any of these is consistency. If you do it 15 minutes a day you won’t be fluent, but you will learn a language
@sjwestmo I know there are a lot of free materials on the internet, but sometimes I caught myself thinking, "how is this for free? aren't they trying to get me hooked and then remove my access to the free podcasts so that they can start offering me a subscription? nope, still free."
What I like best about Duolingo is the amount of content they give you in the free version. It’s incredible. It also lets you learn as many languages as you want (39 total) and switch your target language from one to the other whenever you want as often as you want. The only real limitations of Duolingo come if you’re the competitive type. It automatically ranks you against other users in leagues of 30, which reset every week. You’ll really need to be a “Super” member if you want to place 1st on the leaderboard every week and win the Diamond tournament at the end.
The problem with Babbel is it only covers 13 European languages. It is not a fair comparison to the other two which include far more choices of harder languages. I am amazed that after a break from learning Japanese, the learning program I retained the most knowledge was with Rosetta Stone. I don't have to translate in my head as the Japanese word or phrase automatically pops into my head. With others, you learn translations. I have also tried Duolingo and Buusu and was highly disappointed in the results. I have other smaller programs that are about the same teaching translations. For me, the immersive approach works best and easiest to recall without effort.
"The problem with Babbel is it only covers 13 European languages. It is not a fair comparison to the other two which include far more choices of harder languages." Exactly. I want to learn Korean and Mandarin and I'd love to have those languages included in the app
Thank you for the quick overview it was just what I needed. I have been using Duolingo for almost a year and I am ready for a more in-depth learning experience.
I am a fan of Duolingo. I am learning French via duplingo cause i want to apply to B-Schools in France. Very helpful review, keep such quality content coming. Thank you
I am a fan of Duolingo too. It was the first language learning app I’ve ever used. I’m grateful they opened this door for me, but after 6 months if using it, I got curious about other apps. I have now tried Pimsleur, Rosetta Stone, and Mondly. In my opinion, Pimsleur is by FAR the best. I learned more in 1 week using Pimsleur than 6 months on Duolingo and I used Duolingo EVERY day, I’m in the Diamond league, I have over 60,000 XP points in my first 6 months, so I am VERY familiar with Duolingo. Duolingo is like a game, its fun, you learn a little as you go, it’s great for practice, but it is not a serious learning tool. Pimsleur is a serious learning tool. Rosetta Stone may have a lot you can learn, but their mobile app is awful. Everything is very dated and not user friendly. I don’t like it. Mondly is very similar to Duolingo, but with more features and in my opinion better. But Duolingo is great for the social aspect, competing with friends and family, and great for Practice. If you really want to learn a language, apps like Pimsleur, Rocket Languages, Babbel, and Busuu are much better. You will learn more in 1 month using Pimsleur than 1 year using Duolingo. Good luck! Bonne chance!
I tried Duolingo for several months trying to learn Spanish. I did the lessons every day. After six or seven months, I could tell you how much my cat liked swimming in a pool. But I still couldn't ask the way to the restroom. I don't have a cat. I don't have a pool. So my ability to discuss a hypothetical cat's love for swimming in a more or less mythical pool was worthless. On the other hand, I often need to use a restroom. In short, Duolingo is a waste of time. I'm hoping for better things from Babbel. Thanks for the video.
Rosetta Stone is the one if they're the same from many years ago. Did a sample with Rosetta and it had me thinking the language in that sample session. Duolingo was a waste of time trying to teach the same as High School. Rosetta was the one to teach a language to think in it and understand. I hope Rosetta is the same today because I'm looking to them to learn a language. I already know can't learn with Duolingo.
Oh, that is really unfair!! I've been using it for like 300 days for learning German and it helps a lot .. i already went to a course and i have books to study from in the first place but Duolingo.. it teaches me a lot of words and verbs and maybe sentences without any effort .. and this has huge effect on my language. But tbh i think, if u totally depend on it, it will not surprise u.
It appears I'm in the minority in this crowd. I've been simultaneously using Babbel and Rosetta Stone, so I can't be truly objectively sure which is most responsible for my learning ultimately, but I feel a strong preference for Rosetta Stone. That said, I definitely agree with most of your cons to Rosetta Stone. I actually like how repetitive it is because I feel like it's carving itself into my brain in a way that I can recall it on demand. What I don't like about Babbel is that I feel like it TELLS me about the language, and then it TESTS me on it, but it doesn't TEACH me about the language. At the end of each lesson, I feel like I haven't learned much if anything. It seems to expect me to remember things that it's only told me once before telling me a bunch of unrelated details. If and when I can get a lifetime full subscription to Duolingo, I think I'll add that as well. I wish all films and shows on all streaming channels had all the languages they've been dubbed in available to all viewers regardless of where on Earth they are because I think that would be a great help.
You are not in the minority. I had a sample of Rosetta many years ago and it had me thinking in the language. Rosetta stated they teach the same way you learned to understand and speak your own language from birth. I tried Duolingo and was a waste of time. Same as High School which did not have me Learn a new language. If Rosetta is the same Rosetta is #1. I never tried Babbel but tried Duolingo and was completely disappointed.
Thanks for sharing. I’m considering Babel but an Asian friend of mine recommended Rosetta, so I’m trying to do my research. He absolutely LOVED Rosetta.
I've been studying languages since 2014, almost 10 years now. I've studied Latin, German, Russian, Korean, and Japanese to at least intermediate level or more. I have to say that I wouldn't recommend anyone seriously trying to learn a language for more than travel to use these apps and services. The best resources for becoming conversational are real people, grammatical resources (there's a lot of good free stuff online for most languages), and Anki cards. When I learn a language, I start with basic grammar and useful phrases and start talking with native speakers while studying new vocabulary and grammar points a little bit every day. I promise sticking to something like that will be 10x quicker than matching vocab words to pictures for a few minutes a day. There are usually plenty of people who would love to chat with you in pretty much any language even if you're a beginner along with lots of Anki decks to learn any vocabulary and phrases you want. You don't need to spend a bunch of money to learn languages these days. If someone insists on wanting to use an app, I agree Babel is probably the best one for light studying.
Nice comparison; thanks. I found very limited options for the language I wanted to learn; Duolingo has a course for it, so I'm using it and really enjoying it. After I started the course for the new language, I started using it to refresh a couple of other languages that I was once very good with, but haven't used in years. I am finding those courses fun and effective for reviving my rusty languages. I am using the paid-version of Duolingo.
I used free Duolingo for about 6 months, but after their most recent update they made it nearly impossible to progress to further units unless you were already a native speaker or highly proficient in the language you're already learning. I had to take advantage of their New Year deal and pay for a full year. Since then, I've been looking for anything I can do to enhance my language learning experience because I only know one fluent German speaker, but he isn't a native speaker.
I have been researching Duolingo, Rosetta Stone and Babbel. Your review helped me make my decision to aid in my brushing up on my French before we go to Europe next Spring.
This is JUST what I was looking for. I just returned from a medical mission in Honduras & was at such a disadvantage not knowing the language. I’m leaning toward Babble after watching your review.
I loved your honesty!!! I just got back from Morroco last evening and I am committed to refreshing my French so that I can go back and actually converse with the friends I made there. I'm 65 and took French for 5 years in high school so it's really rusty. I know I can do it if I make up my mind. Thank you for providing these comparisons. You are an excellent speaker and easy to follow!!!
This is the most informative video I’ve found about this topic. I’m a homeschooling mom with twins about to start their high school language requirement. This really helped me to plan out their curriculum.
When I retired recently, I decided to go back some languages I studied in school and to add some additional languages that had intrigued me for some time. I am currently using DuoLingo with: Spanish, French, German, Latin, Russian, Japanese, Korean, and Yiddish. (It may be that only DuoLingo has all those languages.) So far, so good. I agree about grammar being useful in understanding how the language works, but it's easy to go overboard with it. My take is that learning grammar isn't really learning language, it's learning about language. As such it can be very satisfying, and can also assist in the more formal uses of language where adhering to stylistic convention is very important (this is why native speakers are taught grammar in school).
I think that "learning grammar" and "learning grammar" can be two different things. You learn grammar in such a wat that you hardly notice it or you can do"direct" grammar lessons, where you have a list that tells you when you have to use which tense etc. 😊
@@gshenaut Yeah, I think I understood what you meant. ☺️☺️ I love that you study Yiddish by the way. Once I met a tourist in Ukraine, he spoke a bit with me in Yiddish, so I can hear it. He was there to see where his ancestors lived. I cherish this memory a lot.
I had a sample of Rosetta Stone many years ago and loved it. Rosetta stated it would teach the language you wanted to learn the same way as you learned to speak your own language from birth. That is what I experienced at the time. Rosetta had me thinking in the language and that is the only way I would be able to learn it. I tried Duolingo and was a waste of time. Using English to teach me another language is a huge stumbling block for me. For instance, Uno in Spanish is One and Dos is two but if you tell me Uno is One and Dos is two to teach me this other language it's jibberish to me. I will not think Uno as One and Dos Two although can say it. Rosetta was the one that had me thinking in the language to actually learn it.
Thank you for the reviews. I’m looking to gift my son with a program for Christmas. As a teacher that has studied language acquisition, I appreciate how well you covered the pedagogy of each platform.
I live in Los Angeles, where Spanish is spoken alot. My mother was Spanish speaking, but I was raised by English speaking grandparents, so I never learned Spanish in the home. I took Spanish in high school and junior college, and got pretty good, but as the saying goes, "No use, you lose it, and I did!" I have a Spanish speaking neighbor whom I'm attracted to, hence my renewed interest interest in learning Spanish again. I've heard of both Babble and Rosetta Stone. Based on your video, I will first start off with Babble, and then move onto Rosetta Stone to augment my learning via Babble and see what happens.... wish me luck! : )
Thank you so much! I was using the free Duolingo and it pretty good, but like you said, some of the sentences were weird. I saw this weekend that Babbel has a lifetime offer for $199. I think I'll go with it. Thanks again!!! Maybe I'll try the giveaway and see if I can win the Babbel course in Spanish. 🤩💞
Thank you so much for this comparison! I was about to purchase Rosetta Stone as I had received a coupon in my email for a huge discount. After watching your comparison, I'm glad I didn't and will keep an eye on the sales for Babbel - Keep it up!!!
Thanks for this indepth review. I do have a Rosetta Stone and you are correct in your analysis. Helpful to know what the other popular online language lessons are like.
It definitely helps, but you really have to try out all of them to see what really helps you. I noticed very soon how little Duolingo can teach, but the motivational factor does it for me.
This is very helpful. Thank you! I have been using Duolingo to learn German for several years, but I really want to get more intense learning and take it to the next level.
In the German Duolingo, often they use the English slang that younger people such as in their 20s, use and put in the German language. That’s fine, but they should also use the other words that many people use for example, many Germans, especially the younger ones use the word job when they talk about people’s occupation, but many other people use the original German word Arbeit. And I don’t think Duolingo has ever used that word, but many of the people I talk to in Germany when I used to live there a few years ago mostly use the original German word so it’s good to know both.
I’m talking about people that have English as a native language in are trying to use German and Duolingo that often Duolingo only puts in the slang terms but not the other terms and it’s helpful to know both
Great video. Thanks for the comparison. I use Duo and Babbel currently. I’m considering Rosetta Stone also. This gave me some good info to think about.
For me it’s Duolingo. I’ve tried them all and this is the easiest for me to learn with. It does have a lot of grammar a lot more than Rosetta Stone for sure. Also, it keeps improving. This video is quite old and a lot has changed at Duolingo since then.
Agree, a dated review. Duo Max offers quite a lot of explanation when you click “Explain..” Even when you are correct explaining your answer is where the learning takes place. Not saying Duo doesn’t have its weaknesses,
Your video really helped me decide which language app might work best for me. A friend had suggested Duolingo. However, after I watched your video, I realized that what would work for me might be different than what they liked... or maybe they recommended it due to the free version. I don't know, but I do know now that I am going to try Babbel. Thank you for doing this comparison video. Well done!
My husband is Italian and doesn’t speak it, but I need to learn to speak Italian conversationally in order to attain citizenship as his spouse because there is a test. I wasn’t sure what to start with but this has been super helpful, thank you!
I'm an ESL teacher, and I work with adults. I am looking for a language learning course for some of my students. Thanks for your honest review of these 3 language apps. I've made a decision based on your reviews. Thank you!
This was very helpful. I've been trying to decide between those apps reviewed. I've been using the free Duolingo app for a while but have the same objections as the reviewer. Looks like I'll be subscribing to Babbel. Thanks again!
I am in love with my Girlfriend of almost 2 years. She is half Hispanic, and uses only Spanish when hanging out with her dad’s side of the family. We both graduated college only a year ago, so most of our time and money is spent working off our student loans. I would love to be able to communicate with her family without breaking the bank! I love the videos! And fingers crossed I get selected!
I'm surprised you didn't talk about smartphone Rosetta Stone vs desktop Rosetta Stone. There's a big difference. The desktop version has been around forever and they ported it over to the mobile platform but didn't really rework things to adjust for a much smaller screen size. All the pictures and text etc just look tiny. And they waste lots of screen real estate as well since it's laid out exactly like on the desktop version. However, they have added translations to Rosetta Stone on the app only. You can press on a word to get a translation now. They've also split up the lessons more so they don't take huge amounts of time (30 minutes being huge), it's like 5 to 10 minutes. I bought Rosetta Stone back in the day and really enjoyed it for the first unit (out of 5). But then starting with the 2nd unit I found the flash card style method too repetitive and I got bored. I haven't really used the other two programs though. I'm trying DuoLingo out. I am really curious to see how it's possible to gamify language learning.
I'm glad I found you! I'm a beginner language learner in Korean and was looking for a good program. Your video gave me a lot of information. Now all I have to do is choose which one Thanks!
I guess I'm the odd man out... studying Italian (not Spanish???) on the DuoLingo app. The competitive gaming atmosphere gives me the motivation that I seem to lack, something that it appears would be required for Babbel or Rosetta to be effective learning tools. Working toward, hitting and maintaining that "Top Ten" rank in my study group not only gets me to come back every day, but also makes me feel "molto bene!"
@@MexicoBaIl Keep wishing, my friend... they are making changes, some that I like, and others that I don't. I don't know why Duolingo eliminated the "Share a Phrase" feature! It was light, informative, often quite comical, and encouraged interaction with other students!
🚨 GIVEAWAY ALERT 🚨
We're giving away a FREE language course every month to one of our subscribers. It takes less than 10 seconds to enter! More details can be found here: th-cam.com/video/Ahx8El0al0E/w-d-xo.html
I am trying to learn portugese so that I can understand what the commentators are saying when I watch portugese football. Using Duolingo paid version, came here for a review of other possible solutions as I have yet to hear portugese football commentary say anything about "the cat plays piano" ;)
Done
👍
Because I plan to do extended travel in South America next year, I want to learn Spanish
I suggest doing a periodic update of this video since these companies are always updating their methods and courses. I started using Duolingo because (it has a free version and) my granddaughter asked me to. She lasted less than a week. I'm approaching a year of having used it daily.
To me, gamification is key. Also, for those using Duolingo the limit on how long you're able to use it can be bypassed (at least on the mobile version, I almost never use the actual website) by tapping the spot the heart counter occupies. It then gives you the chance to practice to earn hearts. I have used the app at times for 5-6 hours straight because of this feature. I also eliminate or lessen language learning "burnout" by switching languages at least once an hour or so. If I'm tired or frustrated with one language (Hebrew for example) I'll switch to another one.
However..., I don't recommend more than one at a time until you achieve speaking fluency with one language other than your native tongue. This is so you have a structure of neurons built into your brain that is all ready for new language learning. If you do this, you will soon see the similarites in different languages as well as the differences and it should help in defining the hardest thing about language learning: the differing structural rules of grammar, etc for them.
For example, some languages don't have articles like English does. Instead, they have suffixes that do the job of articles. So, for example, to say tea in Romanian is "ceai," but to say the tea is "ceaiul."
I have used Duolingo for many months and today added Babbel. I was pleasantly surprised at the depth of understanding I gained after only 15 minutes. With Babbel I'm learning the language, not only gaining vocabulary.
Exactly! That's the difference between them. Thanks for watching and sharing!
15 minutes? Ha! I mastered every language on babbel in that same amount of time!
@@drunkin12Many r/Thathappened
is it exclusively paid for or is it free?
I have been using Duolingo every day for over 600 days. I completed all the castles, but then they changed it. I believe I have been exposed to everything Duolingo has to offer, yet I still can’t speak the language. Apparently they only teach 2700 words in the language that I’m learning. That’s the vocabulary of a 3 or 4 year old.
This video is already outdated. They completely changed what he showed.
I'm using Babbel and Duolingo for Spanish and definitely agree with your points.
Duolingo is kinda fun and feels like I'm playing a game but Babbel is where my brain is really being tested and stretched. I've subscribed for 3 months and with the subscription its also worth mentioning that Babbel has two free 1 hr online lessons available with a teacher. Thats a game changer as far as I'm concerned.
Very well said. Thanks for watching and sharing!
I’ve been doing DuoLingo Spanish Free daily for about 4 years. Having gotten to travel to Latin America a handful of times, I am able to make and maintain basic conversation.
I think the key to any of these is consistency. If you do it 15 minutes a day you won’t be fluent, but you will learn a language
Definitely agree with that. Consistency is key!
Key is to be consistent enough to not let duolingo bird break your legs
@@thecompanioncube4211💀
@@thecompanioncube4211 😂😂😂😂
What I love about Duolingo is outside the platform: the podcasts. I think they are so well produced and presented. Also, the stories are so engaging.
Yes! And I read along with the transcript
@sjwestmo I know there are a lot of free materials on the internet, but sometimes I caught myself thinking, "how is this for free? aren't they trying to get me hooked and then remove my access to the free podcasts so that they can start offering me a subscription? nope, still free."
Yes. Although they are limited in what languages they are available in. But I loved the ones for Spanish I've listened to so far.
What I like best about Duolingo is the amount of content they give you in the free version. It’s incredible. It also lets you learn as many languages as you want (39 total) and switch your target language from one to the other whenever you want as often as you want. The only real limitations of Duolingo come if you’re the competitive type. It automatically ranks you against other users in leagues of 30, which reset every week. You’ll really need to be a “Super” member if you want to place 1st on the leaderboard every week and win the Diamond tournament at the end.
Where do you find the podcasts?
The problem with Babbel is it only covers 13 European languages. It is not a fair comparison to the other two which include far more choices of harder languages.
I am amazed that after a break from learning Japanese, the learning program I retained the most knowledge was with Rosetta Stone. I don't have to translate in my head as the Japanese word or phrase automatically pops into my head. With others, you learn translations. I have also tried Duolingo and Buusu and was highly disappointed in the results. I have other smaller programs that are about the same teaching translations. For me, the immersive approach works best and easiest to recall without effort.
Thanks for watching and sharing!
"The problem with Babbel is it only covers 13 European languages. It is not a fair comparison to the other two which include far more choices of harder languages." Exactly. I want to learn Korean and Mandarin and I'd love to have those languages included in the app
Thank you for the quick overview it was just what I needed. I have been using Duolingo for almost a year and I am ready for a more in-depth learning experience.
I am a fan of Duolingo. I am learning French via duplingo cause i want to apply to B-Schools in France. Very helpful review, keep such quality content coming. Thank you
hi.. planning to go for MiM?
Glad it was helpful!
I am a fan of Duolingo too. It was the first language learning app I’ve ever used.
I’m grateful they opened this door for me, but after 6 months if using it, I got curious about other apps.
I have now tried Pimsleur, Rosetta Stone, and Mondly.
In my opinion, Pimsleur is by FAR the best. I learned more in 1 week using Pimsleur than 6 months on Duolingo and I used Duolingo EVERY day, I’m in the Diamond league, I have over 60,000 XP points in my first 6 months, so I am VERY familiar with Duolingo.
Duolingo is like a game, its fun, you learn a little as you go, it’s great for practice, but it is not a serious learning tool.
Pimsleur is a serious learning tool.
Rosetta Stone may have a lot you can learn, but their mobile app is awful. Everything is very dated and not user friendly. I don’t like it.
Mondly is very similar to Duolingo, but with more features and in my opinion better.
But Duolingo is great for the social aspect, competing with friends and family, and great for Practice.
If you really want to learn a language, apps like Pimsleur, Rocket Languages, Babbel, and Busuu are much better.
You will learn more in 1 month using Pimsleur than 1 year using Duolingo.
Good luck!
Bonne chance!
I tried Duolingo for several months trying to learn Spanish. I did the lessons every day. After six or seven months, I could tell you how much my cat liked swimming in a pool. But I still couldn't ask the way to the restroom. I don't have a cat. I don't have a pool. So my ability to discuss a hypothetical cat's love for swimming in a more or less mythical pool was worthless. On the other hand, I often need to use a restroom. In short, Duolingo is a waste of time. I'm hoping for better things from Babbel. Thanks for the video.
100% agree. Thanks for watching!
Rosetta Stone is the one if they're the same from many years ago. Did a sample with Rosetta and it had me thinking the language in that sample session. Duolingo was a waste of time trying to teach the same as High School. Rosetta was the one to teach a language to think in it and understand. I hope Rosetta is the same today because I'm looking to them to learn a language. I already know can't learn with Duolingo.
Oh, that is really unfair!!
I've been using it for like 300 days for learning German and it helps a lot .. i already went to a course and i have books to study from in the first place but Duolingo.. it teaches me a lot of words and verbs and maybe sentences without any effort .. and this has huge effect on my language. But tbh i think, if u totally depend on it, it will not surprise u.
Dónde está el baño?
I just signed up and this discouraged me. 🤣
It appears I'm in the minority in this crowd. I've been simultaneously using Babbel and Rosetta Stone, so I can't be truly objectively sure which is most responsible for my learning ultimately, but I feel a strong preference for Rosetta Stone. That said, I definitely agree with most of your cons to Rosetta Stone. I actually like how repetitive it is because I feel like it's carving itself into my brain in a way that I can recall it on demand. What I don't like about Babbel is that I feel like it TELLS me about the language, and then it TESTS me on it, but it doesn't TEACH me about the language. At the end of each lesson, I feel like I haven't learned much if anything. It seems to expect me to remember things that it's only told me once before telling me a bunch of unrelated details. If and when I can get a lifetime full subscription to Duolingo, I think I'll add that as well. I wish all films and shows on all streaming channels had all the languages they've been dubbed in available to all viewers regardless of where on Earth they are because I think that would be a great help.
You are not in the minority. I had a sample of Rosetta many years ago and it had me thinking in the language. Rosetta stated they teach the same way you learned to understand and speak your own language from birth. I tried Duolingo and was a waste of time. Same as High School which did not have me Learn a new language. If Rosetta is the same Rosetta is #1. I never tried Babbel but tried Duolingo and was completely disappointed.
Thanks for sharing. I’m considering Babel but an Asian friend of mine recommended Rosetta, so I’m trying to do my research. He absolutely LOVED Rosetta.
I've been studying languages since 2014, almost 10 years now. I've studied Latin, German, Russian, Korean, and Japanese to at least intermediate level or more. I have to say that I wouldn't recommend anyone seriously trying to learn a language for more than travel to use these apps and services. The best resources for becoming conversational are real people, grammatical resources (there's a lot of good free stuff online for most languages), and Anki cards. When I learn a language, I start with basic grammar and useful phrases and start talking with native speakers while studying new vocabulary and grammar points a little bit every day. I promise sticking to something like that will be 10x quicker than matching vocab words to pictures for a few minutes a day. There are usually plenty of people who would love to chat with you in pretty much any language even if you're a beginner along with lots of Anki decks to learn any vocabulary and phrases you want. You don't need to spend a bunch of money to learn languages these days. If someone insists on wanting to use an app, I agree Babel is probably the best one for light studying.
Good point. All the content is free online when you look hard enough, (TH-cam is a great recourse). Also watching movies is super helpful.
What you recommend for learning verbs?
Very helpful. Thank U
You're welcome! Thanks for watching
Nice comparison; thanks. I found very limited options for the language I wanted to learn; Duolingo has a course for it, so I'm using it and really enjoying it. After I started the course for the new language, I started using it to refresh a couple of other languages that I was once very good with, but haven't used in years. I am finding those courses fun and effective for reviving my rusty languages. I am using the paid-version of Duolingo.
The paid version def makes it better. Thanks for sharing!
I used free Duolingo for about 6 months, but after their most recent update they made it nearly impossible to progress to further units unless you were already a native speaker or highly proficient in the language you're already learning. I had to take advantage of their New Year deal and pay for a full year. Since then, I've been looking for anything I can do to enhance my language learning experience because I only know one fluent German speaker, but he isn't a native speaker.
Love the review, thanks. Rosetta Stone is my fave.
I have been researching Duolingo, Rosetta Stone and Babbel. Your review helped me make my decision to aid in my brushing up on my French before we go to Europe next Spring.
Which did you decide on?
How do you like it so far?
Cuál escogiste?
This is JUST what I was looking for. I just returned from a medical mission in Honduras & was at such a disadvantage not knowing the language. I’m leaning toward Babble after watching your review.
Very cool backstory why you're learning!
I love honduras! 🇭🇳❤️
I loved your honesty!!! I just got back from Morroco last evening and I am committed to refreshing my French so that I can go back and actually converse with the friends I made there. I'm 65 and took French for 5 years in high school so it's really rusty. I know I can do it if I make up my mind. Thank you for providing these comparisons. You are an excellent speaker and easy to follow!!!
Great video and super informative! Thank you for all that you do 👍🙏🤙
Thank you for your insight. Very informative.
Thanks for sharing the comparison among the three.
No problem 👍
This is the most informative video I’ve found about this topic. I’m a homeschooling mom with twins about to start their high school language requirement. This really helped me to plan out their curriculum.
Nice, glad we could help!
When I retired recently, I decided to go back some languages I studied in school and to add some additional languages that had intrigued me for some time. I am currently using DuoLingo with: Spanish, French, German, Latin, Russian, Japanese, Korean, and Yiddish. (It may be that only DuoLingo has all those languages.) So far, so good. I agree about grammar being useful in understanding how the language works, but it's easy to go overboard with it. My take is that learning grammar isn't really learning language, it's learning about language. As such it can be very satisfying, and can also assist in the more formal uses of language where adhering to stylistic convention is very important (this is why native speakers are taught grammar in school).
I think that "learning grammar" and "learning grammar" can be two different things. You learn grammar in such a wat that you hardly notice it or you can do"direct" grammar lessons, where you have a list that tells you when you have to use which tense etc. 😊
@@Alltagundso In this context, I meant “studying grammar”.
@@gshenaut Yeah, I think I understood what you meant. ☺️☺️ I love that you study Yiddish by the way. Once I met a tourist in Ukraine, he spoke a bit with me in Yiddish, so I can hear it. He was there to see where his ancestors lived. I cherish this memory a lot.
I had a sample of Rosetta Stone many years ago and loved it. Rosetta stated it would teach the language you wanted to learn the same way as you learned to speak your own language from birth. That is what I experienced at the time. Rosetta had me thinking in the language and that is the only way I would be able to learn it. I tried Duolingo and was a waste of time. Using English to teach me another language is a huge stumbling block for me. For instance, Uno in Spanish is One and Dos is two but if you tell me Uno is One and Dos is two to teach me this other language it's jibberish to me. I will not think Uno as One and Dos Two although can say it. Rosetta was the one that had me thinking in the language to actually learn it.
Super helpful!! To the point and thorough. Thank you!
Great comparison! Really helps me decide what to use as I prepare for a trip to France!
Excelente recomendación,muchas gracias.
Excellent content. Just what I needed to make a decision.
Nice, glad we could help!
Thank you for the reviews. I’m looking to gift my son with a program for Christmas. As a teacher that has studied language acquisition, I appreciate how well you covered the pedagogy of each platform.
thank you for sharing! this is such an amazing content
Glad it was helpful!
Very informative summary. I enjoyed it ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thanks! Informative and useful.
This was very helpful thank you
Great breakdown - just the kind of review I was looking for thx.
No problem! Thanks for watching
I live in Los Angeles, where Spanish is spoken alot. My mother was Spanish speaking, but I was raised by English speaking grandparents, so I never learned Spanish in the home. I took Spanish in high school and junior college, and got pretty good, but as the saying goes, "No use, you lose it, and I did!" I have a Spanish speaking neighbor whom I'm attracted to, hence my renewed interest interest in learning Spanish again. I've heard of both Babble and Rosetta Stone. Based on your video, I will first start off with Babble, and then move onto Rosetta Stone to augment my learning via Babble and see what happens.... wish me luck! : )
This was very informative because I was trying to decide which program to purchase. Thanks.
I'm glad it helped!
Thank you so much! I was using the free Duolingo and it pretty good, but like you said, some of the sentences were weird. I saw this weekend that Babbel has a lifetime offer for $199. I think I'll go with it. Thanks again!!!
Maybe I'll try the giveaway and see if I can win the Babbel course in Spanish. 🤩💞
So grateful for this comparison! much appreciated, thank you!!
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you so much for this comparison! I was about to purchase Rosetta Stone as I had received a coupon in my email for a huge discount. After watching your comparison, I'm glad I didn't and will keep an eye on the sales for Babbel - Keep it up!!!
Thanks for the video. That was extremely helpful.
Great info. Thank you
Thanks for this indepth review. I do have a Rosetta Stone and you are correct in your analysis. Helpful to know what the other popular online language lessons are like.
Glad we could help :)
Thanks for comparing the 3 companies. It will help as I decide on which direction to go.
It definitely helps, but you really have to try out all of them to see what really helps you. I noticed very soon how little Duolingo can teach, but the motivational factor does it for me.
Thanks. You helped me alot
Glad to hear that!
This is very helpful. Thank you! I have been using Duolingo to learn German for several years, but I really want to get more intense learning and take it to the next level.
Very cool! Make sure to check out our videos on Rocket Languages and Pimsleur then too
@@TestPrepInsight Ooh, will do! Thanks!
In the German Duolingo, often they use the English slang that younger people such as in their 20s, use and put in the German language.
That’s fine, but they should also use the other words that many people use for example, many Germans, especially the younger ones use the word job when they talk about people’s occupation, but many other people use the original German word Arbeit. And I don’t think Duolingo has ever used that word, but many of the people I talk to in Germany when I used to live there a few years ago mostly use the original German word so it’s good to know both.
I’m talking about people that have English as a native language in are trying to use German and Duolingo that often Duolingo only puts in the slang terms but not the other terms and it’s helpful to know both
So much information
Thank you
My native language is Spanish and what to keep learning English so now I added the Babbel app to my list of language learning apps. Thank you!!
Good luck!
Hey how was the app for you?
Great video, thanks!
Thanks for the review! Debating Rosetta stone or Babbel currently!
Just subscribed. Great reviews!
Awesome, thank you!
Thank you for sharing your research. It's very helpful. God bless you.
Thank you! You too!
Very helpful comparison! Thanks!
Thanks for the info 👍
Appreciate the honest review
No problem!
Thank you for this video. Your insights are helpful.
Thanks for watching!
Great video. Thanks for the comparison. I use Duo and Babbel currently. I’m considering Rosetta Stone also. This gave me some good info to think about.
Thank you! This helps a lot!
You're welcome!
thank you- super helpful!
Excellent video. Thank you.
Glad it was helpful!
great Duolingo vs Rosetta Stone vs Babbel video review.
Thanks very helpful
Really good video! Thanks ! :)
Glad it helped!
Such a useful comparison- thanks. Agree so much.
Thanks for watching!
New subscriber! Excited to have you help me learn another language.
Thanks for subbing! Let us know how we can help :)
thanks for the review.. using duo right now but might try Babel now too. Had to buy a french grammar book to work out the grammar and the verb tenses.
Yeah Duo alone won't get you there
For me it’s Duolingo. I’ve tried them all and this is the easiest for me to learn with. It does have a lot of grammar a lot more than Rosetta Stone for sure. Also, it keeps improving. This video is quite old and a lot has changed at Duolingo since then.
Agree, a dated review. Duo Max offers quite a lot of explanation when you click “Explain..” Even when you are correct explaining your answer is where the learning takes place. Not saying Duo doesn’t have its weaknesses,
Enjoyed this comparison very much! Thank you. It was very helpful.
Glad it was helpful :)
Thanks so much for the comparison! These were exactly the products I was comparing.
You are very welcome! Thanks for watching :)
Your video really helped me decide which language app might work best for me. A friend had suggested Duolingo. However, after I watched your video, I realized that what would work for me might be different than what they liked... or maybe they recommended it due to the free version. I don't know, but I do know now that I am going to try Babbel. Thank you for doing this comparison video. Well done!
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching!
My husband is Italian and doesn’t speak it, but I need to learn to speak Italian conversationally in order to attain citizenship as his spouse because there is a test. I wasn’t sure what to start with but this has been super helpful, thank you!
Nice, glad we could help!
Great reviews ! Keep up the great work :-)
This is helping me narrow down what I want to try. Thank you
I'm an ESL teacher, and I work with adults. I am looking for a language learning course for some of my students. Thanks for your honest review of these 3 language apps. I've made a decision based on your reviews. Thank you!
Great! Glad we could help!!
The best comprehensive review of all 3 apps! Thank you !
You're welcome!
This was very helpful. I've been trying to decide between those apps reviewed. I've been using the free Duolingo app for a while but have the same objections as the reviewer. Looks like I'll be subscribing to Babbel. Thanks again!
Thanks for watching! Glad we could help
This was very helpful, thank you so much!
This was perfect and timely!
Thanks for saving me the time to evaluate these three programs.
No problem! Thanks for watching!
Thank you… this gives me the information that I needed to make an informed decision
Nice, glad we could help!
I really Appreciate this review!!!
Thanks for watching!
I have used all three, and I whole heartedly agree with everything you said
Nice! Always good to get feedback
Thank you for this!
My pleasure!
Thanks for the info! I really want to buckle down and learn Spanish.
I am in love with my Girlfriend of almost 2 years. She is half Hispanic, and uses only Spanish when hanging out with her dad’s side of the family. We both graduated college only a year ago, so most of our time and money is spent working off our student loans. I would love to be able to communicate with her family without breaking the bank! I love the videos! And fingers crossed I get selected!
I'm surprised you didn't talk about smartphone Rosetta Stone vs desktop Rosetta Stone. There's a big difference. The desktop version has been around forever and they ported it over to the mobile platform but didn't really rework things to adjust for a much smaller screen size. All the pictures and text etc just look tiny. And they waste lots of screen real estate as well since it's laid out exactly like on the desktop version. However, they have added translations to Rosetta Stone on the app only. You can press on a word to get a translation now. They've also split up the lessons more so they don't take huge amounts of time (30 minutes being huge), it's like 5 to 10 minutes. I bought Rosetta Stone back in the day and really enjoyed it for the first unit (out of 5). But then starting with the 2nd unit I found the flash card style method too repetitive and I got bored. I haven't really used the other two programs though. I'm trying DuoLingo out. I am really curious to see how it's possible to gamify language learning.
Thanks for watching Paul! Appreciate you sharing your experience
Great review. It really helped me decide which subscription to buy.
THANK YOU!!! This was so very helpful.
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching :)
Interested in learning Spanish because I will be relocating to a Spanish-speaking country in the future! Thank you for the review it was very helpful!
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching!
I'm glad I found you! I'm a beginner language learner in Korean and was looking for a good program. Your video gave me a lot of information. Now all I have to do is choose which one
Thanks!
Glad it was helpful!
I guess I'm the odd man out... studying Italian (not Spanish???) on the DuoLingo app. The competitive gaming atmosphere gives me the motivation that I seem to lack, something that it appears would be required for Babbel or Rosetta to be effective learning tools. Working toward, hitting and maintaining that "Top Ten" rank in my study group not only gets me to come back every day, but also makes me feel "molto bene!"
Duolingo italiano me fa tanto bene😊
I think I am the only one that wishes to get rid of leagues.
@@MexicoBaIl Keep wishing, my friend... they are making changes, some that I like, and others that I don't. I don't know why Duolingo eliminated the "Share a Phrase" feature! It was light, informative, often quite comical, and encouraged interaction with other students!
Thanks for the advice
Any time
This discussion was very helpful for me to decide on my langage app.
Thanks for the comparison
No problem! Hope it helped!
Thanks for the review. I am trying to choose a program for our ELL students and it was great to have someone who had explored all three programs.
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching :)
Thanks so much for this video. It was very helpful!!
You are very welcome! Thanks for watching
Thanks for the breakdown.
You bet!
Good comparison. Thanks!
No problem!
Thank you for the comparison. The info is succinct, yet provides the pertinent details.
Great! Glad to hear it
I agree with your verdict!!
Thanks for the comparison. Leatning Spanish to assist patients in a medical clinic.
Thanks for the info.