LANGUAGE APPS REVIEWS

FluentU is a little different from most language-learning apps, and takes learning German down an interesting path: it focuses on authentic materials in German, instead of exercises and drills. In FluentU, you can watch music videos, read newspaper articles, and other German language media; then, the lessons revolve around these topics. This approach allows you to hear and read the actual German that is spoken by people today. You’ll also learn what’s relevant in German culture today, and what has shaped it in the past.

Vocabulary comes from transcripts of the media you’re watching or reading. At any time, you can pause the lesson and review to meaning of what you’re learning -- for example, the pronunciation of a new word or phrase you’ve just come across while studying. This is a huge plus with vocabulary learning. Further, any new words that haven’t been introduced through the lesson already are also available at your fingertips, as you can look up their meaning through the app’s dictionary.

Each lesson that you complete is catalogued, and new lessons are suggested based on your likes and language interests from that catalogue. As such, FluentU hand-picks the lessons that are most interesting and relevant to your German language needs -- whether you want to be learning about business, history, or pop culture. It’s a unique program that really stands out among the crowd.