• gramie@lemmy.ca
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    6 months ago

    Language Transfer is much, much better than Duolingo for learning a language.

    I am learning Spanish using language transfer after having learned four other languages in more traditional ways. Obviously, immersion is the best way to learn. But if you have to learn any other way, this is the one. Far, far better than Duolingo.

    It’s made up of MP3s, usually about 10 minutes each. You just listen to them and respond to the instructor.

    You can use SoundCloud, or YouTube, or the simple but practical smartphone app. The whole thing is run by one guy, and there is no charge but he asks for donations. I have been paying $10 per month on Patreon for several years now, and consider it well worth it.

    You can learn French, Spanish, Italian, German, Greek, Turkish, and Swahili.

    • Madis@lemm.ee
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      6 months ago

      The problem with Language Transfer is its very limited language selection and its format.

      Duolingo allows reading, writing, listening and speech (last two can be disabled if unsuitable in your context), and it does not impose daily limits. I’ve yet to find an alternative app that does all 5 of those things.

      • gramie@lemmy.ca
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        6 months ago

        Yes, Language Transfer doesn’t have as many languages as Duolingo. Hardly surprising, since the entire system and all the language lessons were created by one man!

        For me, the most important thing is to learn to think in the other language. Everything else follows from that.

        Language Transfer makes a conscious effort not to get you to memorize things, but to internalize them and understand the system. That works perfectly with my own way of learning.

      • gramie@lemmy.ca
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        6 months ago

        It doesn’t look like it. It might be worth suggesting it to the man behind Language Transfer, he probably just doesn’t know about f-droid.