Useful apps for advanced English learners
(Updated October 2024)
Many language learning apps are designed for beginners or lower levels. They often aren’t challenging enough for advanced learners.
Here are 3 apps that will help you improve your English in a way that is suitably challenging.
Langua
Improve your speaking, vocabulary
Langua provides conversation practice using AI. You can choose a topic and situation for your conversation, meaning you can have a challenging conversation about a specialist topic.
You speak to the app using your microphone. You can read and listen to the responses. It’s similar to using Chat GPT but it also corrects your language and you can save new vocabulary that you learn.
Price: One conversation for free then various options ranging from £12.90 to £29.90 per month.
Daily Language Practice
Improve your speaking, understanding of native speakers
If you like doing a small amount of practice every day, this app offers that, with a specific focus on speaking. And when I say speaking, I don’t just mean reading a sentence off a screen, but talking freely and constructing your own sentence, like we do in the real world.
There is also short daily listening practice, with transcripts. You’ll hear real English speakers, not computer-generated voices. The audio you hear is recorded from real conversations, so it’s more challenging, and you’ll pick up lots of colloquial expressions.
Price: Free!
iTalki
Improve your speaking
iTalki is a well-known app where you can find English speakers for live conversations. If you have a particular accent of English that you prefer, you can filter teachers by country.
Once you reach a certain level, the best way to improve is with real conversations. If you don’t have a chance to use English in your daily life, you can use iTalki to schedule a regular conversation online.
Money-saving tip — if all you want is a conversation, filter for ‘Community Tutors’ who don’t have teaching qualifications and are usually cheaper.
Price: Various, from £7 for 30 minutes
Image credit: kaboompics — www.freepik.com
