25+ Language Learning Tools for Speaking, Listening and Vocabulary

---

A good language-learning plan needs resources that match the skills you want to build. The hard part is choosing tools you will actually use.

This list brings together options for speaking, listening, vocabulary, sentence building and confidence. You do not need all of them: pick one or two that fit your next practical goal.

I’ve organized the resources around the common challenges that language learners face:

• Speaking
• Listening
• New Words
• Building Sentences
• Feeling Confident

A note from the Fluent in 3 Months team before we get started: You can chat away with a native speaker for at least 15 minutes with the “Fluent in 3 Months” method. All it takes is 90 days. Tap this link to find out more.

Resources to Improve Your Speaking Skills

If conversation is your goal, speaking practice needs a place in your plan from the beginning.

Yet for some reason, it’s the skill many language learners leave for last. They tell themselves things like:

• I’ll start speaking when I know more vocabulary.
• I need to study grammar before I can speak.
• I am not fluent yet, so I can’t speak.
• First, I need to learn the language on my own before I can speak it with someone.

Do any of these sound familiar?

But when your goal is to have a conversation, you’ll need to start speaking sooner rather than later.

Here are the best tools to help you with speaking a new language:

• Speak in a Week. Don’t believe you can start speaking before you know the language like the back of your hand? I recommend taking Benny Lewis’s free course Speak in a Week. It’s a great way to prove to yourself that you can start speaking today.
• Conversation Countdown shows you how to have your first conversation with a native speaker in just seven days.
• Preply helps you find paid online tutors for speaking practice. Check out our Preply review for a closer look.
• YouTube can give you a simple record of your speaking progress. Make a short private or public recording now, then repeat the exercise later and compare them.

Resources to Improve Your Listening Skills

With a 15 minute conversation in a new language, learning to speak is only half the work. You’ll also need to understand what your conversation partner is saying.

Listening comprehension belongs alongside speaking practice, because a conversation depends on understanding the other person.

Here are several resources for building your listening skills:

• Innovative Language podcasts are a firm favorite among the Fluent in 3 Months (Fi3M) team. They have a wide selection of languages with material for nearly every level. They regularly release new audio and video lessons, and teach languages as they’re used in the real world. Check out our Innovative Language podcast review here.
• Glossika uses the “mass sentence method” and spaced repetition to help you master your new language. It has flexible settings so that you can learn through any combination of reading, speaking, and listening. They provide resources for a lot of different languages.
• Michel Thomas is a popular audio language course available for most major languages. It uses “call and response” where the teacher asks you to translate a phrase and you’re given a moment to respond before two other students – who are in the recording studio with the teacher to make you feel like you’re learning in a group – chime in with the answer. Michel Thomas is geared towards absolute beginners, so it’s a great tool if you’re just getting started. Read our Michel Thomas review here.
• Pimsleur is one of my personal favorites. I have a full time job with an hour commute each way, so I like to make the most of the time I spend in the car. When I’m at the beginning stages of learning a language, Pimsleur is my go-to. It helps me with my pronunciation and helps me build a strong foundation in my language, even if the vocabulary is geared towards a demographic that I don’t fit into. And the pace is one that I can keep up with when I’m driving. This product is on the pricey side, but the digital version of the course is much more reasonable.
• Rhinospike allows you to submit a piece of writing in your target language and get back a recording of it read by a native speaker. The best part is, if you help another learner out by recording a passage for them, this tool is free to use.
• TuneIn Radio lets you listen to radio shows from around the world, with channels for nearly every language.
• ABRSM Speedshifter is a free app that allows you to change the speed of audio tracks and play sections of audio on a loop. It’s perfect if you’ve found a good audio resource that’s too quick or doesn’t repeat material enough for you.

Resources to Learn New Words and Build Your Vocabulary

Many beginner language learners make the mistake of trying to learn grammar too early. Instead, they should focus on learning new words.

Grammar is tough to wrap your head around until you have the vocabulary you can plug in and work things out. Plus, at the early stages, you can get away with the Tarzan approach to speaking. It’s coarse, but it gets your point across and is an easy way to get speaking.

Here are some good resources to build your vocabulary:

• Forvo is an online pronunciation dictionary. When you look up a word in your target language, you get to hear it pronounced by a native speaker. It’s available for all major languages as well as dozens of less common languages. If the word that you’re searching for isn’t yet in the Forvo database, you can request it.
• Anki is a spaced repetition flashcard app and the preferred tool for many polyglots, including Fi3M founder Benny Lewis. “Spaced repetition” means it prompts you to remember words when you’re on the verge of forgetting them, and research shows this is the most efficient way to learn. With Anki you can add images and audio to your flashcards.
• Memrise is another flashcard app that uses spaced repetition. I prefer it to Anki. You can use it to study premade vocabulary lists from other learners, or create your own. Each day you study, you get to maintain your streak and earn points to stay ahead of your friends.
• LingQ is one of the best places to do reading in your target language. It’s also an audio resource and vocabulary learning tool. As you read in your language, you have the option of reviewing new words through flashcards. Check out our LingQ review here.
• Mosalingua is a flashcard app that’s a little more guided than either Memrise or Anki, though it only has a limited selection of languages. You can read our review of it here.
• Drops is an app that helps you pick up new vocabulary in just a few minutes a day. You can choose from a range of word lists, so you can focus on learning words that are relevant to you.
• Reverso Context allows you to search for words within sentences, so you can see them in context.

Resources to Help You Build Sentences in a New Language

Building sentences is how you make the vocabulary and phrases you’re learning your own. Here are the resources you need:

• Duolingo is one of the most popular language learning apps. The app is a great way to review your language on the go, and you’ll want to maintain your streak so you’ll come back to it every day.
• Clozemaster is one of my favorite ways to learn new vocabulary in the context of a phrase or sentence. They have a huge selection of languages to choose from. Available as a web and mobile app.
• Lyrics Training is a fun way to use music to learn languages. You listen to songs, while doing fill-the-blank on the lyrics, so you get to enjoy music in your language and develop your listening comprehension.
• Language Hacking. The Language Hacking books by Benny Lewis show you how to learn a language by speaking it. They are available for French, Italian, German, and Spanish.
• FluentU takes videos from YouTube and gives them interactive subtitles. While the video is playing you can hover over the subtitles to get translations, and boost your reading and listening comprehension at the same time. After the video is over, FluentU tests you on the vocabulary you learned.

Resources to Help You Feel Confident Speaking Your Target Language

Speaking with another person and recording yourself can both feel awkward at first. They also give you useful evidence of what is improving.

A short recording can help because it:

• Gives you the chance to speak the language and observe yourself speaking, so you can see both your strong and weak points in the language
• Can be shared with a supportive friend or tutor for encouragement
• Allows you to see just how far you’ve come

You do not need a polished performance. A brief, honest sample is enough to track progress.

How can you feel confident about taking part in language exchanges and making videos of yourself?

Ultimately, your confidence will build as you do these things. You will likely feel nervous the first few times, and that’s okay (I often still feel nervous when I’m meeting a new language exchange partner).

But if you want an extra helping hand, I recommend these resources:

• Courage to Speak offers exercises for taking manageable steps towards real conversations.

What Language Learning Tools and Resources Do You Use?

This list is a starting point, not a shopping list. Choose the resource that solves your most immediate problem, use it consistently, and change tools only when your goal changes.

Which language-learning resource has earned a lasting place in your routine? Share it in the comments below.