Learn English on your smartphone: useful and free apps for language learners

**Learning English on your smartphone: a review of useful and free apps**

Mobile apps for learning English help you expand your vocabulary, strengthen your grammar, improve your listening comprehension, pronunciation and writing skills. When choosing an app, it’s important to consider your goals and level of language proficiency: while game-based apps are convenient for beginners, experienced learners may prefer options that provide in-depth practice and repetition. These apps are more effective when used in conjunction with other methods, such as courses, tutoring, reading, podcasts, watching movies or live chat.

**Duolingo**

When it comes to learning English, Duolingo is the first app that comes to mind for many people. And it’s no wonder, because it allows you to learn a language in a playful way, spending just a few minutes a day. The learning process is divided into thematic sections, each of which contains several lessons. If you are not able to listen in public, you can turn off the audio exercises.

The main advantage of Duolingo is that for each lesson, the user earns points and can compete with other students in the leaderboard. This encourages you to devote additional time to training without putting your phone down. However, it also has a drawback: the training is mainly based on memorizing simple everyday phrases and conversations, and the grammatical basics are not explained sufficiently. The phrases in the listening exercises are pronounced very clearly and correctly, which can make it difficult to understand fast and natural speech in real life.

**LinguaLeo**

This application offers a variety of tasks that help to increase vocabulary, as well as develop reading, writing and listening comprehension skills. For example, users can learn new words through the texts of their favorite songs, movies and books (available in the application or downloaded by them), as well as compete with other users. The built-in dictionary can be independently supplemented by the user with words and phrases that are important to them.

As in Duolingo, in LinguaLeo the entire learning process is organized in a game style. This encourages maintaining interest in the English language, feeling constant growth and striving forward. One of the disadvantages is that the program does not develop speaking skills, and some of the training materials and functions are available only through a paid subscription.

**FalaBola**

The main problem of services aimed at expanding vocabulary and grammatical knowledge is the lack of practical communication. Not everyone can fill this gap through live conversations with native speakers, so strangers on the Internet and artificial intelligence come to the rescue. Many people find it more convenient to initially conduct speech exercises with artificial intelligence. For example, the FalaBola neural network Telegram bot evaluates your live speech and helps you improve it instead of criticizing it.

You can communicate with it as if you were talking to a live person - you can leave voice messages on any topic, and the bot will immediately continue the conversation. If there are grammatical and stylistic errors, you will quickly receive feedback and advice on how to correct them. At the end of the conversation, FalaBola will give an overall assessment and prepare a personal quiz to eliminate your weaknesses.

The main advantages of the service: 24-hour availability, adaptability to any user level and topic, as well as the fact that it is in the Telegram bot format. You don't have to open a separate English learning app to practice, you can even do it while you're in a messenger to check the news. One of the drawbacks is that there's no pronunciation feedback, and full access is paid.

**Busuu**

This app has full-fledged grammar, vocabulary, listening and writing courses, as well as pronunciation exercises.

A unique feature of the service is the ability to get feedback: you complete tasks, and other users check and comment on them. This helps you see real mistakes and improve your skills. A convenient system of repeating words and phrases helps consolidate new knowledge, and short lessons allow you to work even with a tight schedule.

The biggest advantage of Busuu is its comprehensive approach: all aspects of the language are covered, and communication with native speakers enlivens the learning process. Lessons can be completed in 5-10 minutes - this makes it easier to find time for practice. There are also disadvantages: some lessons and checking assignments are available only in the premium version, and the free version has a limited number of exercises and functions. In addition, the service is designed for more systematic learning, which may seem too formal for those who prefer to learn in a playful way.

**Simpler**

The application offers a systematic approach to learning English: instead of expanding your vocabulary and memorizing boring rules, you can master grammar using visual associations and practical exercises.

Each lesson begins with the presentation of cards with new words, accompanied by pictures and examples of use. Then the user, having studied short and understandable topics, immerses himself in grammatical rules and consolidates his knowledge with interactive exercises.

Simpler supports offline mode and cloud synchronization to allow you to learn at any time and on different devices. A subscription is required to access all words and modes.

**Andy**

This is a chatbot designed for learning English, through which you can practice live communication in direct conversations. You write to it in English, and it responds like a normal interlocutor: it continues the conversation, explains your mistakes and suggests better phrases. You can choose the topic of the conversation - from everyday phrases to business negotiations - or you can just communicate freely as if you were talking to a friend. To consolidate the material, the bot offers mini-exercises: in them you need to fill in the missing words, choose synonyms or take a short quiz.

Andy's main advantage is a stress-free communication experience: the bot is always patient, adapts to your level and does not blame you for your mistakes. This is a convenient method for those who are afraid of talking to live people, but want to improve their conversational skills. There are also disadvantages - the bot cannot fully replace a real interlocutor, sometimes its answers can sound templated or too formal, slang and jargon that are found in real communication are not used. In addition, the free version has a limited number of messages, and a paid subscription is required for regular training.