Learn Spanish

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Mondly Spanish App

The Best Alternative to Duolingo

The Mondly App lets you learn the Spanish language in a playful way with a series of interactive exercises.

This Spanish learning program contains:

• Spanish vocabulary trainer with 5000 words
• 50 topics and categories to choose from
• 2100 Spanish lessons, including grammar
• Conversation trainer for common situations (speech recognition)
• There is even a virtual reality version of this learning app

Mondly has around 45 million users worldwide. This language course has the advantage of having 41 source languages and 41 target languages.

Summary: Mondly is very similar to the Babbel and Duolingo apps and is even better in terms of quality. The cost-benefit ratio for the lifetime access to all 41 languages is unbeatable.

Link: Mondly Spanish App and Online Course

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Babbel Spanish App

Better than Rosetta Stone

Systems: Android and iOS Apps, Online-Version (PC and Mac)

Suitable for: Beginners, Intermediate, Advanced, Students, Business Spanish

Content: Vocabulary trainer with native speaker audio and speech recognition, grammar, exercises

Prices: Free (initial lessons), USD 12.95 (1 month), USD 84 (12 months)

Overall Value:

The Babbel Spanish Learning App is quite similar to Rosetta Stone.

Babbel also focuses on combining pictures, listening, reading, writing and speaking. For this, Babbel has native speaker audio of all the words and speech recognition just like Rosetta Stone.

The Babbel App also offers improvements over Rosetta Stone:

• Classical explanation of grammar (Rosetta Stone has none)
• You are shown translations of words (unlike in Rosetta Stone)
• Traditional vocabulary trainer is included in the Babbel App
• The pricing of the Babbel app is much lower

Babbel is one of the oldest language learning apps and has over 10 million subscribed users world-wide.

Summary: Babbel includes most of the advantages of Rosetta Stone and even eliminates its disadvantages. Highly recommended!

Link: Babbel Spanish App and Online Course

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Spanish Basic Course

From 17 Minute Languages

Systems: Online Access (PC, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS)

Suitable for: Beginners and Advanced Learners, Students, Professionals

Content: 1300 words (basic course), 5200 words (complete course), grammar, verb conjugations, exercises

Prices: USD 29,95 (Basic Course), USD 97 (Complete Course)

Overall Value:

The Spanish Basic Course contains a vocabulary trainer for the basic Spanish vocabulary (1300 words) with native-speaker audio, as well as grammar explanations and various exercises.

The vocabulary trainer works with a long-term memory method, in which the new vocabulary is checked at increasing intervals.

You can choose between text input, multiple choice or simply confirming whether you knew a word or not.

The exercises include text comprehension questions, filling in word gaps or just vocabulary lists where one side is covered.

The basic course corresponds to the official language levels A1 and A2 (explanation of CEFR language levels).

The Complete Course contains:

• Basic course for beginners (basic vocabulary with 1300 words)
• Intermediate course (1800 more words)
• Advanced course for experts (2100 words)
• Additional specialized vocabulary
• Covers the official CEFR language levels A1 to C2

There are 17 different languages you can use to learn Spanish with this app.

Summary: Much cheaper and even better than the famous Rosetta Stone. There is a free demo version available and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Link: Spanish Basic Course and Complete Course

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Rocket Languages: Spanish

Learn Spanish Without Subscriptions

Systems: Android and iOS Apps, PC and Mac

Suitable for: Beginners, intermediate, advanced learners, students, business

Content: Exercises with native speaker audio and speech recognition, writing, grammar, culture

Prices: Free (initial lessons), USD 89 (basic course), USD 249 (full course)

Overall Value:

Rocket Languages offers a complete Spanish language course for download, without monthly subscriptions. It covers the beginner, intermediate and advanced levels (A1-C2).

This Spanish learning software and app features:

• 6000 Spanish words in the lessons and exercises
• Complete grammar explanations and exercises
• Pronunciation and conversation trainer
• Spanish native speaker audio and speech recognition
• Explanations of cultural differences via audio and video

You can use the Rocket Languages Spanish course completely offline on the computer and on your smartphone after the download.

Summary: Excellent premium Spanish course on par with Rosetta Stone but without a subscription. You pay only once and own the software. There is also a 60-day money-back guarantee.

Link: Rocket Languages Spanish Learning Software

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Rosetta Stone: Spanish

Most Famous Language Learning App

Systems: PC, Mac, Android, iOS Apps

Suitable for: Beginners, intermediate, experts, professionals, business

Content: Spanish lessons with native speaker audio and speech recognition

Prices:
USD   36 (3 months)
USD 145 (12 months)
USD 299 (Lifetime access)
USD 349 (Lifetime access for 24 languages)

Overall Value:

How does Spanish learning with Rosetta Stone work?

Rosetta Stone has a different approach to language learning than many other online courses or language apps such as Duolingo, Memrise and others.

The idea behind Rosetta Stone is to learn a language like you did as a child - by using pictures in combination with listening, speaking, and reading.

Each Rosetta Stone lesson includes the following exercises:

• Pronounce the words or phrases correctly (speech recognition)
• When reading or hearing a word, click on the correct picture
• When looking at a picture, click on the correct word
• Type in a spoken word correctly, etc.

A possible disadvantage of Rosetta Stone is that there are no grammar explanations or translations of the Spanish vocabulary.

Instead, you are supposed to learn the grammar and the meaning of words from the context or recognize the meaning from the pictures.

Rosetta Stone Apps and Online Version:

The Rosetta Stone Spanish learning software can be used online with a subscription for 3 or 12 months or with a Lifetime Access.

In addition to the online version, there are now also Rosetta Stone apps for iPhones and Android smartphones.

Summary: Time-tested method, but the lack of grammar explanations and translations may make Rosetta Stone not suitable for everyone.

Link: Rosetta Stone App and Online Course

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Ling Spanish App

Playful Spanish Learning

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

Content: Spanish 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 Mondly, Babbel or Duolingo.

Ling uses "gamified learning", which means learning the Spanish 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 Spanish 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 Spanish.

Summary: Good ideas that make learning Spanish more fun.

Link: Ling Spanish Language Course App

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Glossika Spanish App

Spanish for Advanced Learners

Systems: iPhone App, Online Version

Suitable for: Intermediate and advanced learners

Content: Spanish advanced exercises

Prices: USD 17 (1 month and 1 language), USD 31 (1 month and all 64 languages)

Overall Value:

The Glossika app is for people who already have some basic proficiency in Spanish or already know a similar language.

The app has an entry test to determine your Spanish proficiency level. You can start from A1 to B2 (beginners and intermediate).

Glossika works with whole sentences instead of single Spanish words. You can choose which topics you want to learn.

This app has intentionally no "gamification". The only exercises are reading, listening, typing the sentences and speaking into the microphone.

There are also no grammar explanations. You are supposed to understand Spanish grammar from the context, like in Rosetta Stone.

You can try the complete app with all 64 languages for 7 days for free (without providing payment information).

Summary: Effective exercises for advanced learners, but somewhat higher price and not much variety.

Link: Glossika Spanish Language Course App

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Lingodeer Spanish App

Learning Spanish for Beginners

Systems: Android and iOS Apps, Online-Version (PC and Mac)

Suitable for: Beginners, intermediate, students, travel vocabulary

Content: Exercises with native-speaker audio and speech recognition, grammar

Prices: USD 12 (1 month), USD 60 (12 months), USD 99 (unlimited)

Overall Value:

The Lingodeer App is somewhat similar to Duolingo or Babbel, but has a more extensive list of features:

• Spanish native-speaker audio for each word and speech recognition to practice the correct pronunciation.
• You can even choose between different speakers.
• 200+ lessons, vocabulary trainer, exercises, quizzes.
• Very good grammar explanations, significantly better than in many other apps such as Duolingo or Rosetta Stone.
• Suitable for beginners and intermediate level learners (A1-B1).
• User community (native speakers) can give pronunciation feedback.
• You can download the app and use it offline.

The use of playful exercises and "achievements" ("gamification") is supposed to make Spanish learning more interesting and motivating.

Summary: The Lingodeer App impresses with excellent grammar lessons and speech recognition. However, this app has lessons only for beginners and intermediate level learners.

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uTalk Spanish App

Learning Spanish Playfully

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

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

The vocabulary is divided into 60 freely selectable topics. The special thing about the uTalk app is that you get access to all 160 languages.

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 Spanish Language Course App

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MosaLingua Spanish

App like Babbel, Mondly or Duolingo

Systems: Android and iOS Apps, Online-Version (PC and Mac)

Suitable for: Beginners, intermediate learners, pupils, students, travel vocabulary

Content: Spanish vocabulary trainer and most important grammar

Prices: USD 5 (Vocabulary Trainer App), USD 59 (12 months subscription to the full online version)

Overall Value:

The Spanish App from Mosalingua can teach over 3000 words, which include native speaker audio and pictures.

The grammar explanations in this app are limited to the 20% that are most frequently used in practice according to statistics.

The online version for computers contains the entire grammar.

As far as the exercises are concerned, there are classic vocabulary quizzes and also fun exercises like anagrams and word puzzles.

This Spanish learning app also has a "Hands Free Mode" that allows you to learn words while driving or jogging.

Summary: For beginners, the Mosalingua vocabulary trainer app offers great value for the money. The full subscription version is comparable to Babbel or Duolingo and has a similar price.

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LingQ Spanish App

Innovative Approach to Learn Spanish

Systems: Android and iOS Apps, Online-Version (PC and Mac)

Suitable for: Beginners, intermediate, advanced learners, students, professionals

Content: Video and text lessons, browser extension to import any Spanish texts, vocabulary trainer

Price: USD 10 (1 month subscription)

Overall Value:

The LingQ Spanish App is basically a translation program that is combined with a personalized vocabulary trainer.

In addition to the lessons and texts that are included in this app, any Spanish text can be imported. LingQ has its own browser extension for Firefox, Safari and Chrome to import texts (including ebooks).

You can click on any word in the texts to see a translation and this adds the word to your personal vocabulary trainer.

LingQ also has many videos and podcasts, the content of which appears as a text next to the video or podcast — so that any word there can be clicked on and saved as well.

Unfortunately, there are no grammar lessons, meaning that this app will not suffice on its own to learn Spanish.

Summary: Very interesting way to learn Spanish vocabulary on any subject. However, you need other apps for Spanish grammar and conjugations.

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Bluebird Spanish App

Spanish Lessons and Exercises

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

Content: Spanish 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 Spanish.

The Spanish language course in this app includes the following:

• Daily video lessons in three difficulty levels
• Basic Spanish vocabulary on several dozen topics
• Common Spanish 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 Spanish, 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 understand 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.

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Cudoo: Spanish Course

Online Learning with Certificates

Systems: Online Access (PC, Mac, smartphones)

Content: Spanish 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 Spanish Language Course

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Clozemaster Spanish

Exercises for Advanced Learners

Systems: Android and iOS Apps, Online Version

Suitable for: Intermediate and Advanced Learners

Content: Multiple-choice selection of missing words in sentences (with native speaker audio)

Prices: USD 8 (1 month), USD 60 (12 months), USD 140 (lifetime access)

Overall Value:

The Clozemaster app is intended for intermediate and advanced learners who have already mastered the basic vocabulary and want to practice.

The only exercise is to choose the correct missing word in a sentence from a list of four words. The translation of the sentence is displayed as well. At the end, the sentence is also spoken by a native speaker.

In the English version of this app there are 70 languages to choose from.

Large languages have up to 50,000 vocabulary items (words, phrases, and verb variations), while smaller languages often have only 500.

In the online version, you can also type in the missing words. The smartphone app now offers speech recognition.

Summary: An interesting method that is quite fun. Since many apps teach only at a beginner level, this is a good addition for advanced users.

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Mango Spanish App

Includes Grammar

Systems: Android and iOS Apps, Online Version

Content: Spanish lessons with native speaker audio, grammar, culture

Prices: USD 7.99 (1 month), USD 80 (1 year),
USD 18 (1 month and 70 languages), USD 180
(1 year and 70 languages)

Overall Value:

The Mango Languages App offers 70 languages, including Spanish.

This app also has some grammar lessons and cultural explanations. The explanations in English are all recorded and well done.

However, the number of lessons for learning Spanish is quite small, which means that this app is only suitable for absolute beginners.

There are no exercises, except for the repeated vocabulary tests.

You can also record your own pronunciation in the app and compare it with the recording of a native speaker.

Summary: Good quality, but not much vocabulary. Only for absolute Spanish beginners.

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Busuu Spanish App

Not really recommended

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

Suitable for: Beginners, intermediate, high school students, college students, travelers

Content: Lessons and vocabulary trainer with native speaker audio, grammar

Prices: USD 9,99 (1 month), USD 69 (12 months)

Overall Value:

The Busuu App is a language learning app for 12 languages, including Spanish. The interface is similar to apps like Duolingo, Babbel or Mondly.

• With this app you can learn Spanish up to beginner or intermediate levels (A1-B2). The expert levels C1-C2 are not included.

• The Busuu app has Spanish lessons with native speaker audio and pictures (no speech recognition), as well as a vocabulary trainer.

• The app can be used in offline mode.

• A unique feature of the Busuu app is a kind of internal social network where users can give feedback and correct each other.

Unfortunately, the grammar explanations here are not that good and the lessons are also structured strangely (difficult words before easier ones).

Summary: Definitely the weakest of the tested Spanish learning apps in terms of quality.

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LinguaTV Spanish App

Learning Spanish with Videos

Systems: Android and iOS Apps, Online-Version (PC and Mac)

Suitable for: Beginners, advanced learners, students, travelers

Content: Spanish vocabulary trainer, videos with texts, various exercises

Prices: USD 89 (3 months & 2 courses), USD 149 (6 months & 4 courses)

Overall Value:

The LinguaTV App teaches Spanish primarily with videos. The texts and vocabulary also appear next to each video, including translations.

The Spanish courses at LinguaTV include the following exercises:

• Vocabulary trainer to learn Spanish words
• Finding word pairs, filling in gaps, etc.
• Making a sentence out of text blocks.
• A kind of Tetris with Spanish words
• Text comprehension quiz

This app offers Spanish courses for language proficiency levels A1 to C1.

Summary: Learning Spanish with videos works well, but it doesn't justify the relatively high subscription price of this app.

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Duolingo Spanish App

Well-Known Language Learning App

Systems: Android App, iOS App, PC and Mac

Content: Exercises with native-speaker audio

Prices: Free (with ads), USD 12.99 (1 month), USD 60 (12 months)

Overall Value:

The Duolingo App offers beginner language courses for 36 languages, including Spanish. Duolingo covers mostly the basics as well as some intermediate level Spanish vocabulary.

The major drawback of Duolingo (just like Rosetta Stone) is that there are no grammar explanations.

The vocabulary learning with Duolingo is "gamified", which means it is structured like a game with levels, experience points, achievements, etc.

The interface is relatively similar to the apps from Mondly and Babbel.

Summary: The vocabulary trainer and the exercises of the program are okay. However, it is not possible to learn Spanish grammar with this app.

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Memrise Spanish App

App with User-Generated Lessons

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

Content: Spanish lessons and vocabulary trainer with native speaker audio, grammar

Prices: USD 8,99 (1 month), USD 60 (12 months), USD 110 (unlimited)

Overall Value:

With the Memrise App you can learn over 90 languages.

This includes even very small languages - however, in such cases the language courses are often limited to just a few lessons.

One special feature of the Memrise learning app is the large number of lessons created by users (native speakers).

The quality of these lessons varies greatly though. For example, only the basic forms of verbs are usually taught, without the conjugations. Some languages also do not have an audio recording of the words at all.

Another good idea of the Memrise app are the user-generated tips and mnemonics for each word to help you memorize them.

Summary: User-generated lessons are a good idea. In practice, the quality of the lessons leaves a lot be desired.

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Lingo Spanish App

Playful Spanish Learning

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

Content: Spanish lessons and exercises

Prices: USD 19.99 (1 month), USD 40 (3 months), USD 60 (6 months)

Overall Value:

The Lingo Play App offers language courses for 70 languages. It offers "gamified learning", which means learning vocabulary in a playful way.

Each Spanish lesson offers the following exercises:

• Presentation of new words with translation and image
• Decide whether a Spanish word matches the image
• Select one of four pictures that matches a word
• Type in the Spanish word for a picture
• Correctly type in a spoken Spanish word

In the full version this app offers up to 5000 Spanish words. The interface of the app is similar to Babbel, Duolingo or Mondly.

There is also a multiplayer mode and competitions where you can test your Spanish skills against other people.

Summary: Overpriced Spanish course that does offer some good exercises, but is not better than other similar apps.

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Drops Spanish App

Alternative to Babbel and Duolingo

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

Content: Spanish lessons with native speaker audio, vocabulary trainer

Prices: USD 13.30 (1 month), USD 72 (12 months),
USD 164 (unlimited)

Overall Value:

The Language Drops app is most notable for having 47 target languages and 40 source languages, similar to Mondly.

You can learn about 3000 Spanish words and phrases with this app. However, there are hardly any exercises, except for introducing new Spanish words and matching these words to pictures.

You can choose from which topics you want to learn new Spanish words and at what skill level you want to learn (whether you know the language somewhat).

If you want to try the app for free for two weeks you have to provide your payment information and then cancel it.

The "deal" you get in the app is more than 3 times as expensive as when you click "Get Premium" on the website (USD 38 per month instead of USD 13.30 per month).

Summary: No variety, no grammar and only 3000 words. Does not justify the higher price, even if you get access to all languages.

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Instant Immersion: Spanish

Learning Software for Download

Systems: PC and Mac

Suitable for: Beginners and intermediate learners, travel vocabulary, business

Content: Spanish vocabulary lessons and exercises

Prices: USD 35 (Level 1), USD 55 (Level 1-3)

Overall Value:

The Instant Immersion Spanish learning software is available for download only for PCs and Macs.

According to the vendor, this software is supposed to be "as good as Rosetta Stone", but much cheaper because less money is spent on advertising.

Unfortunately, this promise cannot hold.

The software interface is chaotic and all three "language levels" offer a chaotic mix of easy and difficult words.

Essentially, this software only introduces new Spanish vocabulary with native speaker audio and pictures, and then there are a few exercises.

Spanish grammar is not included at all.

Summary: Limited scope and bad interface. At least it is relatively cheap and there is a 90-day money-back guarantee.

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Pimsleur Spanish Course

Most Expensive Software to Learn Spanish

Systems: PC and Mac (incl. Mobile App)

Suitabe for: Beginners, advanced, students, travel vocabulary

Content: Spanish vocabulary, lessons with native-speaker audio and speech recognition

Price: USD 150 (Basics), USD 575 (Complete)

Overall Value:

The Pimsleur App is very similar to Rosetta Stone in that it does not give grammar explanations, verb conjugation tables, etc.

Instead, the Pimsleur method is supposed to let you learn Spanish intuitively, just like your native language - by combining pictures, reading and speaking (speech recognition).

The complete course includes a total of five courses (levels 1 to 5). The beginner course is level 1. Each of the five courses offers 30 daily lessons of 30 minutes each and there are various interactive exercises.

This Spanish learning course for PCs and Macs also includes a mobile app for Android and iOS systems.

Summary: The most expensive Spanish course, even though it is unlikely that learning with it is much better than with the cheaper apps.

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Linguashop: Spanish

Educational Software for Download

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

Content: Spanish 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 Spanish. 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 Spanish 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.

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Simya Spanish App

Not really recommended

Systems: Android App, iPhone App

Content: Vocabulary trainer for Spanish 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 Spanish.

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.

Spanish 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.

Caribbean travel posters from the 1960's

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