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5 Great Mobile Apps for Learning English

Globalization has brought us international soaps, shampooEnglish has fast become the language in which all international business and relations are conducted, and a firm grasp of the language is often directly correlated to level of success. However, with a large part of the worldhaving time for language classes, achieving the required level of prowess used to be rather difficult. Not so anymore, in this age of Smartphones and Tablets! What we used to have to find a decent class, and pay an arm and a leg for, is now available at the click of a button, right in the comfort of our home (or office, or bus, or anywhere at all).great apps for learning English, and five apps to help supplement thos

Pocket Teachers

1. Conversation English –

Packed with easy-to-understand lessons in tteaches through simple video dialogs, listeningcomprehension exercises. It takes the form of a continuous storyline, so that annoying disconnect you see with most apps is absent.

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5 Great Mobile Apps for Learning English

Globalization has brought us international soaps, shampoos, TV sets and yes, a language. English has fast become the language in which all international business and relations are conducted, and a firm grasp of the language is often directly correlated to level of success. However, with a large part of the world not being native speakers, and the busy person not having time for language classes, achieving the required level of prowess used to be rather difficult. Not so anymore, in this age of Smartphones and Tablets! What we used to have to find

and pay an arm and a leg for, is now available at the click of a button, right in the comfort of our home (or office, or bus, or anywhere at all). We’ve compiled for you a list of five great apps for learning English, and five apps to help supplement those in-app classes!

iPhone Mobile App

understand lessons in the form of videos, this app is made to please. It teaches through simple video dialogs, listening-speaking exercises, vocabulary and reading comprehension exercises. It takes the form of a continuous storyline, so that annoying

apps is absent.

5 Great Mobile Apps for Learning English

s, TV sets and yes, a language. English has fast become the language in which all international business and relations are conducted, and a firm grasp of the language is often directly correlated to level of success.

not being native speakers, and the busy person not having time for language classes, achieving the required level of prowess used to be rather difficult. Not so anymore, in this age of Smartphones and Tablets! What we used to have to find

and pay an arm and a leg for, is now available at the click of a button, right in the We’ve compiled for you a list of five

app classes!

he form of videos, this app is made to please. It speaking exercises, vocabulary and reading

comprehension exercises. It takes the form of a continuous storyline, so that annoying

2. ESL Daily English – An Android Mobile App

This app is in the style of a podcast, which is very convenient if you mean to use it during your commute to and from work. It certainly prevents the problem of strangers throwing some side-eye at the man in the suit who’s repeating stuff into his phone! Plug in your earphones, and listen to the day’s podcast. Perhaps not as interactive as some apps, this one still does the job

3. Rosetta Stone – An iOS Mobile App

Definitely one of the most famous language teaching apps, primarily because it makes the ambitious attempt to teach a language, through that language itself- a bit of an immersion experience, if you will. It teaches simple English words through pictures, puts together sentences, and allows you to learn other words through context. The only downside is that only the demo version is free, for a full version you’ll have to pay up. But, with the impressive way in which it teaches the language, it’s certainly worth it.

4. FluentU

Another unique app, FluentU takes mainstream music videos, commercials, talks and news clips and spins them into an interactive English language learning experience. This app teaches you English in as natural and immersive a manner as possible. It has interactive captions for the videos, and you can click on words you don’t know and see a picture or definition for it, as you watch the videos.

5. Open Language

Systematic to the core- that would be the best way to describe this one! It is organized as per the CEFR- Common European Framework of Reference for Language with A1 being beginner level and C2 being native. Within each such level, you have more categories- business English, English in daily life, English for presentations and interview skills. It really streamlines the process of learning the language! It has dialogs, meanings for the dialogs and an interactive activity at the end of each ‘session’. At $30 a month, it may seem a bit pricey, but compared to the price and inconvenience of a brick and mortar classroom, this one is gold.

Supplement Your Learning

We all know learning should not stop in the classroom (unless you’re in school, in which case, we know that’s how it works!), so here are some apps that will help you apply and supplement the skills the language learning apps teach.

1. Merriam-Webster Dictionary

This app is available for both android and iOS and provides meanings for any word you might encounter at the touch of a button. With pronunciations, synonyms, antonyms and usage provided, this dictionary app will be the most useful tool in your arsenal as you learn the language.

2. SpeakingPal

So you’ve learned a bunch of important words and phrases, but can you really say them right? Much like in French where the difference in pronunciation for poisson and poison can mean the difference between a delicious dinner and a date with death, correct pronunciation is everything in English. This app allows you to record your speech and compare it with that of a native speaker, so you can correct any mistakes. It’s perfect for fine-tuning your skills.

3. Guide to English Idioms

This Android app is great for people who want to use idioms as naturally as a native speaker of English. The idiom, meaning and common usage are given. This one really hits the nail on the head in a difficult area. No more wondering what someone means when they say they “let the cat out of the bag”, when they reveal the details of a surprise party!

4. English Level Checker

This one’s pretty obvious too. An app that lets you test your proficiency level- from beginner to near native. This is useful so you can assess yourself, and how much harder you need to work.

5. iBooks

Reading is often overlooked as one of the best ways to improve your language skills. An App like iBooks (or the Kindle Reader or Nook reader) will let you download a multitude of free and paid ebooks, at various levels of difficulty. As you read, you can utilize a dictionary, or your other resources to really get a grasp of what you’ve read. And there’s nothing better than a good story to really interest you in learning a language!