Learn Lao

Systems: Android App, iPhone App, Online Version

Content: Lao vocabulary (2000 words), lessons and playful exercises

Prices:
USD 12 (1 month and all 160 languages)
USD 60 (12 months and all 160 languages)

Discount offer: USD 199 (Lifetime Access to all 160 Languages)

Overall Value:

The uTalk app teaches about 2000 Lao words and focuses primarily on playful exercises. There are several exercises to choose from:

• Read and listen to Lao words (with translation and photos)
• Match the Lao word you heard to a photo
• Speak a Lao word and compare the recording with the original
• A memory game with pictures
• Speak the Lao translation of an English word

The interface of the app is well made and is similar to other apps like Babbel, Duolingo or Mondly.

Summary: Getting access to 160 languages is impressive and the scope (2000 words with native speaker audio and exercises) is also solid.

Link: uTalk Lao Language Course App

Systems: Android App, iPhone App, Online Version (PC and Mac)

Content: Lao lessons with native speaker audio

Prices: USD 8.99 (1 month), USD 79 (12 months),
USD 149 (unlimited)

Overall Value:

The Ling language learning app offers lessons for 60 languages and is quite similar to Duolingo or Babbel, which do not offer Lao courses.

Ling uses "gamified learning", which means learning the Lao language in a playful way. There are mini-games, levels, experience points, as well as tests and exercises at the end of each lesson.

The vocabulary covers about 1000 Lao words and phrases, all with native speaker audio and pictures. Grammar is not included.

This app offers a test to determine your proficiency level in Lao.

Summary: Good ideas that make learning Lao more fun.

Link: Ling Lao Language Course App

Systems: Online Access (PC, Mac, smartphones)

Content: Lao video lessons and quiz tests

Prices: USD 12.99 (one course), USD 24.99 (4-7 courses bundle)

Overall Value:

Cudoo is a kind of online university that offers courses with certificates on different topics.

This includes language courses for 160 languages. These are all beginner courses (CEFR level A1 and A2).

For each language there are 1-10 courses and each course has 20-40 lessons.

The lessons each include a short video with new vocabulary and there are short quiz questions below the video.

Summary: The videos are well made, so especially for smaller languages these courses are a good start.

Link: Cudoo Online Lao Language Course

Systems: Android and iPhone apps, online version (PC and Mac)

Content: Lao exercises with native speaker audio and speech recognition

Prices: USD 9.99 (1 month), USD 100 (12 months), USD 200 (unlimited), USD 400 (163 languages)

Overall Value:

The Bluebird App offers 146 source languages and 163 target languages and dialects, including Lao.

The Lao language course in this app includes the following:

• Daily video lessons in three difficulty levels
• Basic Lao vocabulary on several dozen topics
• Common Lao verbs with conjugations
• Analysis of your own pronunciation (with speech recognition)
• Tests: listening comprehension, filling in word gaps, vocabulary quizzes

There are about 500 video lessons for learning Lao, each 5 to 60 minutes long. For languages with other scripts, the words can also be displayed transliterated in the Latin script.

The Bluebird app has no grammar lessons. Instead, you are supposed to learn the grammar "implicitly" from the examples, like in Rosetta Stone.

Summary: The video lessons and the interface take some getting used to, but the exercises are quite varied. Especially for smaller languages, this app is a viable alternative.

Systems: PC (Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista and XP)

Content: Lao lessons with native speaker audio and speech recognition, grammar

Prices: USD 35 (second language for free)

Overall Value:

The Linguashop educational software ("TeachMe") is available for over 90 languages, including Lao. It also includes an audio CD.

The native speaker audio and speech recognition are relatively good.

However, the interface of the learning software is quite chaotic and there are no exercises — only lessons where new vocabulary is presented.

It is also unclear how many words are included in this Lao learning program. There is no information about this on the website.

Some grammar lessons are included — however, these are basically just images with short texts.

Summary: Poor quality for a relatively low price. You get language courses for two languages when you buy, one as a free bonus.

Systems: Android App, iPhone App

Content: Vocabulary trainer for Lao learning

Prices: USD 9,99 (1000 words), USD 59 (1000 words in 50 languages)

Overall Value:

The Simya App for Android and iOS is purely a vocabulary trainer for 50 languages, including Lao.

The free version contains 300 words and has very frequent "ad breaks". The paid version (without ads) also contains only 1000 words and phrases.

All the words have native speaker audio and you can use the app offline too.

Lao grammar and verb conjugations are not included in this app.

Summary: Not really worth it, as there are much better alternatives like Mondly, Rosetta Stone or even Duolingo.