Language Learning Resources

Resources for Language Learners

Want to learn a new language or hone your existing skills?

Here are some great resources to help you on your language learning journey. Some are free and some are paid, and in some cases Meridian has been able to secure discounts for our loyal linguists, just click the links below!

Mondly

Mondly is a gamified language learning app serving over 33 languages. While not as visually slick as the more well-known Duolingo, Mondly’s Asian and Middle Eastern language courses are more effectively designed. With hundreds of hours of content and their wide breadth of languages covered, Mondly helps you stay motivated while providing vital vocabulary and grammar that you can curate for your own needs. Try a monthly subscription, with access to all of their languages, for EUR 9,99.

TRY MONDLY

Pimsleur

Pimsleur is perfect for passive or active learning, and focuses on immediately useable conversation. Great for doing chores or commuting, and best supplemented with a vocabulary-heavy app like Memrise or Mondly, above.

Get 10% off with the link below!

TRY PIMSLEUR

Memrise

Memrise is great for cramming lots of vocabulary. The app is free, and while Memrise curates several well-designed courses, you can also download other users’ courses or create your own (but you must download them on your computer, they will then appear in your app).

TRY MEMRISE

Glossika

Language learning does require a lot of repetition and drilling, but luckily Glossika makes this much less painful, and aids motivation by providing you with clear metrics of your progress. Use their browser app, or download audio files to listen to offline. A monthly subscription gives you access to all of their languages. Use this link for $5 off.

TRY GLOSSIKA

Lonely Planet Phrasebooks

Lonely Planet phrasebooks range from USD$4-15, and provide you with a useful at-a-glance breakdown of grammar and pronunciation, as well as nearly any phrase that you could possibly need for basic conversation and travel. If you thought phrasebooks were for travelers only, you might be underestimating their value. Sometimes having a easy-to-reference overview of a language helps give you the context you need to put your lessons in perspective.

TRY LONELY PLANET

italki

italki is a platform that connects you to language teachers and tutors all over the world. Lessons are conducted over Skype, and costs can range between $5 and $50, and you can choose between cheaper community tutors or highly experienced teachers. The platform makes both scheduling and accountability very easy.

TRY ITALKI

Duolingo

While we’re more partial to Mondly, Duolingo is a freemium-model gamified language learning app with a beautiful interface, a great option for amateur language learners who aren’t ready to part with their money. Their “streak” model can be very effective at keeping you motivated. While we cannot recommend their courses for non-Indo European languages due to too many errors and their reliance on user debugging, their European language courses can be quite effective at familiarizing yourself with the sounds and grammar of a new language (when used in conjunction with other language learning methods).

TRY DUOLINGO

Looking for more information on how to learn a foreign language? Check our founder’s blog post, How to Learn a Language (from Anywhere in the World).

This page includes affiliate links, which is our way of both securing discounts for our linguists as well as financing continued research into the best resources out there. We only endorse products that we have tested and strongly believe in.

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