The online language-learning app Busuu is placed somewhere between a complementary study app that you would use in tandem with a full classroom course, and an online program for self-study. It isn’t as rigorous or intense as Rosetta Stone, but it has more core learning content than apps meant primarily for studying, such as Memrise, TinyCards, or Quizlet. The app teaches Italian vocabulary about a range of subjects for all levels: family, free time and food for beginners; and more complex themes such as politics, nature and life choices for more advanced students. Every lesson begins with new vocabulary taught using flashcards and exercises involving matching up words, along with the chance to listen to dialogues by native speakers about the theme. For premium members, there is the option to talk with native Italian speakers and send them exercises to correct and so users can have a far more direct learning experience. As of now, it has a modest collection of languages, but the material contained therein is of very high quality. The app is polished and professional. Busuu is among the better free language learning apps, although its Premium subscription adds a lot and is worth the cost.
Busuu is extremely well organized and has a clear structure in language-learning courses. It has a dashboard where you can see exactly where you are in your course. This is especially great for beginners, who can evaluate their learning curve, knowing what they will learn today, vs what they are expected to have learned by now, and what they will learn next. The structure also allows for good scaffolding, meaning you learn by building on what you already know, rather than being exposed to random and unconnected lessons in grammar, vocabulary, and so forth. Busuu ensures what you learn tomorrow will be built on what you learn today, unlike other sandbox-like apps.
Busuu Premium, not only allows you to take a placement test if you have some prior knowledge of Italian, but also suggests a starting point for your studies at the end of the placement test. Busuu also educates you approximately how long it will take to learn good Italian.
Busuu’s Italian lessons cover the typical reading, writing, speaking, spelling, and generating language you expect in any language-learning course. Every time you complete a series of exercises, Busuu marks it complete on your dashboard, with the dashboard further prompting and directing you on which activities to do next. You have a choice to either move to the next set of exercises, or practise previously learnt lessons. With each lesson marked with a time estimate next to it, a learner is fully aware of approximately how long it will take. You can also take quizzes to test your knowledge.
Busuu offers top-notch design and an exceptionally great user experience. You can select special characters, such as letters with diacritical marks, from the screen whenever they are needed, without having to memorize any complex keyboard strokes. Busuu also offers learners a selection of possible answers to choose from, so as to avoid typing every word of an answer making exercises quick and interesting. There is only one ‘fill-in-the-blanks; exercise, where typing would be faster and efficient than selecting individual letters on the screen, but the app doesn’t let you type on this particular exercise.
If you find yourself repeating the same material a few times by mistake, in the mobile app, I suggest switching over to the web app, that clearly mentions what you would have finished and which lessons you must take up next.
