By: Jolayna Lang
So, you want to learn a second language? Or, maybe you just need extra help to pass Spanish class? Well, there IS help out there, and I’m going to list a few websites that can either just help you get a good grade, or aid you in taking your second language skills above and beyond!
1. duolingo.com
Duolingo is an excellent website for those who have already have a basic knowledge of the language they want to learn, or those who are taking a class but want a little more practice on the side. The website doesn’t give explanations of the grammar (why the way the language is how it is), but provides opportunity to translate to and from your second language of choice, and learn new vocabulary words.
Duolingo offers: Spanish, French, German, Italian, and Portuguese. There are other languages they are working on turning into full fledged courses, such as Russian, Dutch, Irish, Hungarian, Polish, and Romanian.
Personal Review from Savanna Christensen: “So I saw a few people using the website “duolingo.com” and I asked them what is was. They told me that it helps to teach and retain a foreign language. The person I asked was practicing Spanish, and another person was learning Italian. I thought it sounded interesting and I knew my Spanish was very rusty. I made an account and now I’m addicted to it. I reviewed a lot of Spanish I already knew and am learning new words and phrases. It made learning Spanish a little more fun, especially because I do not care for it. Then, when I had gone a ways through the Spanish course, I added German to my list and now I’m learning to speak German too. I really like German, and it comes more naturally to me than Spanish. I am going to keep learning Spanish because I may need it in the future, and I’ll keep learning German because it’s fun and makes me feel closer to my German ancestors. I highly suggest checking out this website, it’s great for learning or just making sure you don’t forget what you already know.”
2. busuu.com
Busuu is a more comprehensive website for learning a language. It teaches you the grammar and the vocabulary that you need to learn a language from scratch. First, you view vocabulary words and match them to their meanings. Then, you listen to a conversation between two people using the words you just learned, and you answer questions about what you heard. The next step is that you write a little about yourself using the vocabulary, and - this is pretty cool - you can actually select 5 users on the website that speak the native language to correct what you wrote!
The website also allows you to converse with native speakers, review, and print learning materials! If you have a microphone connected to your computer, you can also practice truly speaking the language. You are also provided with numerous activities during the lessons to practice forming sentences. There is so much to this website, it is a very useful tool for those who really want to dedicate themselves to a language.
Busuu offers: German, French, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Polish, Turkish, Arabic, Japanese, and Chinese.
3. quizlet.com
Quizlet.com is a site that can help you remember vocabulary, either for your own personal benefit, or for passing Spanish. I know not everyone cares about foreign languages; they just want to pass. No judgement here. If you want online flashcards, this is the way to go. Quizlet.com allows you to either search for an existing set of flashcards for the words you want to study, or create your own. And me, being the Spanish nerd that I always was and will continue to be, made vocabulary sets of all of the lessons from Spanish II. So, good news for you, the flashcards for those lessons are readily made, for anyone who is in Spanish II in the future to use! Click on this if you want to take advantage of them:
Anyway, Quizlet.com is unique because it isn’t just for Spanish - you can find flashcards on virtually any subject. English, Math, Science, Social Studies… you name it, it’s there.
Quizlet offers: Everything!
Those are my top three personal favorite websites for exercising my foreign language learning muscles. There are many more out there to be discovered and utilize if none of these do it for you. But if you want to have fun learning a second language, or if you want that A+... or B+... or C+... these websites might come of use to you! Enjoy! :)
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