The Best Websites to Learn a Language

Learning a New Language Doesn’t Have to Be Expensive

Bon jour! Hola! Guten tag! Ciao! Namaste! Hello! It has been said that the mark of a truly educated person is their ability to converse in multiple languages. Although language is something that is learned, research suggests that it is an instinct present from birth. The need and desire to communicate is part of human nature.

It is harder to learn a new language as an adult than as a child, but many valuable resources are available to help you gain fluency or a basic understanding of other languages. Many of the website programs outlined below offer free apps, desktop applications and games to help you reach your language goals. Second language acquisition doesn’t have to be a struggle – these online programs aim to help you learn the language quickly and easily.

DuoLingo

The free website and app offers 21 language learning programs (including Klingon!) at no cost. The company has earned a slew of awards from Google and iPhone commending the app for being well built. You pick a language and take a placement test before starting lessons. The website is praised for its large vocabulary library and the ability to hear words out loud, although the voice is automated, not human. The site’s 21 language programs include:

Spanish
French
German
Italian
Portuguese
Dutch
Irish
Swedish
Danish
Turkish
Norwegian (Bokmål)
Esperanto
Ukrainian
Russian
Hungarian
Polish
Hindi
Vietnamese
Hebrew
Romanian
Klingon

Babbel

Babbel offers to help you learn 14 languages for a monthly charge of about $13. The company claims to be the first online language learning platform and maintains the idea that learning should be easy and effective.

German
English
French
Spanish
Turkish
Italian
Portuguese
Swedish
Danish
Norwegian
Indonesian
Dutch
Polish
Russian

BBC Languages

BBC Languages is a free repository of resources from the BBC (British Broadcasting Company). The site offers courses, activities and tests for 40 languages and provides basic vocabulary lessons with sounds and a print out.

Recent articles about essential phrases and guides to certain parts of the world are helpful to users looking to brush up on a language or just learn the bare minimum to travel safely. If you are looking to learn a less popular language, start with this site, as the list is one of the most expansive on the web:

Albanian
Arabic
Basque
Belarusian
Bosnian
Bulgarian
Catalan
Chinese
Croatian
Czech
Danish
Dutch
Estonian
Finnish
Flemish
French
German
Greek
Hungarian
Icelandic
Italian
Japanese
Latvian
Lithuanian
Luxembourgish
Macedonian (FYROM)
Maltese
Norwegian
Polish
Portuguese
Romanian
Russian
Serbian
Slovak
Slovene
Spanish
Swedish
Turkish
Ukrainian
Urdu

busuu

busuu claims that 50 million people have learned a new language with its online software. Offering lessons in 12 languages, busuu has been commended by the New York Times, PC Magazine and edtech Europe. You can download the app or work from the desktop version, both of which are free. The 12 languages you can learn through busuu are:

English
German
French
Spanish
Italian
Japanese
Portuguese
Russian
Turkish
Arabic
Chinese
Polish

Rosetta Stone

Rosetta Stone has been a go-to language learning resource for more than 20 years. The software comes in a variety of CDs ranging in cost from $200 to $600. Rosetta Stone offers a free demo, family pack and a student discount. If you purchase the pack you can download it to your computer, gain access to the mobile app for two years, unlock games, and chat with an online tutor. Languages you can learn through Rosetta Stone include:

Spanish
French
Italian
German
English
Arabic
Chinese
Dari
Dutch
English
British
Filipino
Greek
Hebrew
Hindi
Indonesian
Irish
Japanese
Korean
Latin
Pashto
Persian
Polish
Portuguese
Russian
Swahili
Swedish
Turkish
Urdu
Vietnamese

The Magic of a Second Language

Learning a language takes time and dedication but can be beneficial in your personal and professional life. Whether your goals are to better understand and communicate with someone special in your life, to aid in international travel, or to excel at work, the tools above can help you in your quest to become multilingual.