This is something I see quite often these days: people want to learn Spanish (or any other language) with apps. Mostly because they’re free, I may add, but also because they are convenient. Who doesn’t like to get on their phone and feel productive while looking at a screen? You kill two birds with one stone.
For the record, I have nothing against these apps. I have used them myself, but they have their time and place. They also have their limitations, which users discover sooner or later.
Pros of learning Spanish with an app
Let’s start with the pros of learning Spanish with an app:
- it’s convenient
- it’s portable
- it’s flexible
- it’s cheaper than learning with a teacher.
Contras of learning Spanish with an app
- in the long run, it’s not cheap because you will eventually need a teacher
- it’s not personalised
- as sophisticated as their AI software is, it’ll never be real interaction with people
- at some stage, what you learn there it’s not going to be enough for real life
- you can’t ask questions to a person who knows about grammar or syntax.
So, when is it convenient to learn Spanish with an app?
When you learn Spanish for fun
To put is plainly, when you’re learning a language for fun.
That was my case when I tried to learn Portuguese.
I didn’t really need the language for everyday use; I just wanted to learn it for the fun of it. Because why not? I had Brazilian friends and I wanted to interact more with them in their language, but I wasn’t in real need to speak it properly in my daily life.
Another example is when you live in a non-Spanish speaking country and you find the language appealing. You might want to learn it in case you go there on holidays, or you have Spanish speaking friends and want to talk to them in their language.
In these cases, an app can be a great solution, because it gives you the basics. If they have IA to simulate conversations, then you´ll have a decent base, but it still won’t be enough.
When you are going to move to Spain
Another case is when you’re going to move to Spain or any other Spanish speaking country. Ideally, you would have classes with a teacher, but let’s be honest: who has time to go to Spanish class when you’re organizing a move with a young family to another country in a few months?
(Thank you, companies, that move people around with only a few months’ notice!)
So an app can be of great help to start with. At least it would help you get to your new country with the very basics of the language to get by. Nothing wrong with that. In fact, it’s better to have that than arrive here with nothing.
And attention here: even for your children this could be a good option.
I have seen so many expats arrive in Spain in the middle of the Summer in a panic because their kids don’t speak any Spanish and they want classes ASAP. An app would have been a good alternative to proper classes, in case you were in a hurry.
As a complement to a proper Spanish course when you live in Spain.
I have a student who has class with me twice a week and she also uses an app as a grammar supplement because we focus on Conversación.
She chooses to use the app, not because she needs to, but as a way practice Spanish outside of class. There are, of course, many other ways to practice without apps.
Here I want to emphasize the complementary role of these apps. Living in Spain, you need more than an AI and software to learn what you truly need to know for day-to-day life.
Many apps promise AI voices that sound real for “real conversations”, which can be great if you don’t live in the country. However, when you do live here, nothing prepares you better than real interaction and having a teacher to guide your learning journey, personalize it.
Moreover, if you combine a structured course with daily language practice beyond apps, you’ll create a powerful mix of language input that will significantly accelerate your progress.
