Learning a foreign language can be fun but challenging, especially if you don’t have the funds to pay for private tuition, or any spare time to attend classes.

Luckily there are quite a few smartphone apps available as effective study aids, and some of them are even free.

Yello has researched three of the best free language apps that are worth downloading.

Duolingo

Over 300 million people are learning a language on Duolingo. It’s become one of the most popular foreign language apps around because of its user-friendly approach and personal interactivity.

Lessons cover speaking, writing and reading so you pick up a basic understanding of your chosen language quite quickly while also having fun as you learn.

One of the best aspects of Duolingo is the gradual progression from beginner to more advanced phrases and sentences.

It also helps that the app gives you praise and ‘rewards’ for improving.

Memrise

Memrise has been successfully using memes and games in a flashcard style to help people advance their foreign language skills since 2010.

The app’s learning method focuses on associating the words you are studying with funny or bizarre situations. Memes are utilised alongside courses to helpfully and playfully enable users to recall foreign vocabulary.

Memrise also employs a repetition algorithm which works out how often you should review a word and sends prompts when necessary.

Busuu

Busuu teaches several languages including English, Spanish, French, Polish, German, Italian, Portuguese, Chinese, Arabic, Japanese, Turkish, and Russian.

Users control the pace of their learning and begin with a placement test which ensures you start at the right level.

The app includes full vocabulary and grammar courses, accent training and interactivity with native speakers from around the world.

Busuu (named after an endangered language spoken in Cameroon) has over 120 million users worldwide and is available on Apple and Android phones.

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Que estas esperando (what are you waiting for). Install any of these apps, and you’ll soon be on your way to becoming bilingual – happy studying!

Sources: Lingualift, Make Use Of and PC Mag.