Learn a new language with fun, bite-sized lessons created by experts. Connect with a supportive network of native speakers for authentic feedback and cultural insights. Easily see your progress and what needs more revision to help you learn a language faster.
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★ Google Play – Editor’s Choice ★
NEW LANGUAGE, NEW OPPORTUNITIES, NEW YOU
Learn Spanish
Enjoy learning Spanish with our courses, including Spanish for Travel and Complete Spanish. Practice listening and pronunciation with coursework centered around real-world situations, news stories and interviews. Our podcast is the best way to immerse yourself in the Spanish culture.
Learn Japanese
Japanese learning that’s clear and easy to understand with expertly designed lessons. Busuu’s award-winning Japanese courses cover everything from the conversation skills and phrases for travel, to in-depth courses in hiragana, katakana, and kanji.
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From beginner to advanced levels, Busuu offers compact and effective courses designed by language experts in 14 different languages. Learn French, Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, English, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Turkish.
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★ Features ★
Award-winning course content
Start to learn just what you need to improve your reading, writing, and speaking with high quality course content. Our course material is updated regularly to make learning easier and more engaging: from comprehension exercises built around real articles from El País for Spanish learning to our new manga-based Japanese learning course.
A supportive community of learners
Use the Conversations feature to connect with and learn alongside our community of over 120 million language learners. Get feedback on how the language is really used in daily life so you can speak like a local.
Built-in organization
Stay on track to meet your language learning goals – whether you’re learning for business, travel, school, or pleasure. With Study Plan, you can set goals and see what you need to do to meet them, then add regular study times and reminders to help you stick to it.
Unique tools designed for better language learning
With Vocabulary Trainer & Grammar Review, you have a record of new vocabulary you’ve learned and a smart tool to help you work on words and grammar you’ve struggled with in lessons.
Level up your learning with native language tutors
Work with friendly, professional tutors one-on-one or in group lessons to take your learning to the next level. Book lessons in your time and build your speaking confidence as you learn languages.
Plus, certifications to show your progress, Offline Mode for on-the-go learning, crystal-clear audio and so much more.
Discover how far you can go when you learn with Busuu, a Chegg Service.
★ Rated excellent by PCMag ★
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Overall, I love the tool. I’ve used Duolingo and have a subscription to Babbel. Neither offers as much at the intermediate to advanced level. I have two complaints: 1.) There’s no way to turn off sound effects. I can’t practice without headphones because it drives my partner crazy. 2.) I don’t like having Spain lessons as required in the Spanish module. I have no desire to learn Spain Spanish. Maybe set it up as a separate option. Those two things are enough to plummet my overall rating.
This app combines learning with helping others to learn. Those you help can reward you with extra points. I find both learning and teaching enjoyable. The problem I see is many native English speakers are not well versed in grammar. Consequently, all too many English speakers click on “it’s perfect” for the work of English students — even when it’s replete with errors.
Busuu is by far my favorite way to learn spanish. It’s easy to navigate, a good balance of quizzes, pictures, social media, and speaking. They offer explanations and breakdowns of words, and reward you with fun points when you make your goal. You can review your previously learned words and grammar with quizzes at any time, keeping everything fresh in your memory. I love the community portions where we can critique each other’s speech. THANK YOU for a great learning app! I’m having a ton of fun!
Very user-friendly. I’ve been learning Japanese and the pacing and lessons are perfectly done. A much better alternative to duolingo, I have to say. You only have to watch one (1) add for every lesson you learn, instead of being bombarded with adds and distracting from the lessons. I strongly recommend this app, especially for Japanese.
The app had a placement test when first launched and it placed me into far too advanced a level because it is trying to teach me past tense of verbs that I don’t know in the present tense and nearly every sentence has multiple words that I have to look up (the app doesn’t include the ability to check what words I don’t know mean). There is no way to go back to lessons it skipped me past. I can manually click the missed lessons, but then it goes to the more advanced ones when I click next lesson
So far has good content but some things are finicky. The audio clips are very cumbersome to use and when you pause the bar keeps moving. When peer reviewing user submitted questions there appears to be html code in the headers (i.e. Maybe I’m more accustime to Duolingo, but it feels like there’s not enough review. You do a lesson and it moves on. It leaves the reviewing up to the user which just feels off. I love the UI design of the app, and I want keep using it.
Great language learning app. Better than Duolingo imo. Two main improvements I would suggest: 1) Make it easier to save vocabulary words from the lessons into the list for review or reference. And 2) If lessons from El Pais could have more translations in the lessons. The other lessons translate with each answer, it would be good to see it. Or simply have more vocabulary resources available throughout the lesson, repeating the same page multiple times(or having an option to do so)
Does NOT work offline. I used Busuu 3 years ago while traveling and I loved it. I used it on flights and all over the place by downloading lessons and working on them as I traveled. This year, 2022, it does not work offline. Maybe 10% of the time it does, but that is pretty useless. Not on the airplane, an 8 hour flight. Bummer. I paid for it too. I still like it, but I can’t use it the way I need to.
I used to love it and thought it was the best of all the language learning apps, especially because of the community aspect. But then Chegg bought it & got rid of the lifetime unlimited plan. I’d subscribed enough times in the past that my plan was to just get a lifetime subscription, especially since I was doing multiple languages. But they recently removed that option & and seeing the expired deals just piss me off when I think about re-upping. Also the Google login doesn’t work for me anymore
Best language learning app I’ve used. The lessons are short but powerful to help you retain more. They are structured in a way to help you progress in a meaningful way rather than just giving you random vocabulary to memorize. It’s free with a short ad for each new lesson, which is a great deal imo.
I have been looking for an good Japanese app for a while now and this one is incredible!! Not only is the teaching in depth, but they even delv into the culture, giving cultural background and tips! And the community is so fun! You get to make friends who the language you are learning and they can help you out and correct your exercises of you wish! All around, a wonderful app!
Edited 10/2022: I still really enjoy this app, but after the update it’s super buggy. The app crashes a lot and some features no longer work smoothly. I am unable to see the leader board because it’s always stuck on the “loading” screen. 06/2020: I really like this app. I like how the courses are structured and the fact that you can get help from native language speakers.
The app was working great, especially the correction exercises. Suddenly you could no longer listen to recordings of others or yourself once posted. This was really disappointing for me as the interaction aspect of this app was the most exciting part for me. If this part can be rectified I would strongly recommend, otherwise you will be frustrated.
Pros: Overall, the format is straightforward. Being able to receive corrections from native speakers is a nice feature. Cons: Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like the review section is available offline. From my experience, the review repeats the same basic words and phrases too much. I would suggest other apps like Duolingo for review. I also have a problem with my notifications. When I take a look at one and then go back, it does not show which notifications I have already looked at.
Best language learning app I’ve used so far. A mix of speaking and listening exercises I found helpful like with Rosetta Stone but in a more fun format like Duolingo but more comprehension based than Duolingo. I get exercised wrong because it isn’t too easy. I also feel like grading exercises gives me a confidence boost and it feels good to be a part of other people’s language learning journey. Needless to say, I bought the premium version.
I liked that the grammar section was separate. Also, being able to save the words that I had forgot was very useful. Besides, the lesson tips are great for reviewing. I suggest adding podcasts and more videos for a better experience. Also it would be better if we could listen the pronunciation of all the exercises and not just some of them.
Great app! (Free and paid) Amazing support team!! (Costumer service) The one thing I dont like too much is that they have a feature for doing Writing and Speech excersices and being corrected by native speakers (which in itself is cool) but actually being corrected is unlikely unless you have a lot of “friends” on the app (like a social media app), and they limit how quickly you can get friends on the app, so its not that easy to actually benefit from that feature. Also, the app has bugs.
Of all the language learning apps I’ve tried, I liked this one the best. The interface is really easy, the phrases I’m learning seem most useful and my favorite part is that you can connect with native speakers. I thought the only downside was that it isn’t free for the full course, but as i progress it asks me to spell out foreign words im hearing with no help. This is a frustrating feature because I can know the word, but still get the spelling wrong and it doesn’t count.
This is probably the best app that I’ve tried, and I’ve tried them all. There is a reasonable methodology to develop good grammar, listening, writing, and speaking skills. The key is the large peer network for review and correction, so you actually are being corrected by native speakers. It works. But after an abbreviated free period, you have to pay for this correction. Much better than the faux exchange sites which really are all about dating, but this site badly needs some one-on-one chat capabilities. It’s too limited with it.
I like the structure of the app. The lesson plans are easy to follow. The free trial is great, but cannot really afford to pay $69.99. Granted as a year long subscription, it’s not too bad, but just can’t do it. Would’ve also liked a break down for the alphabet instead of going right into speaking sentences. Just as a means to hear how certain letters/combinations should be pronounced, but maybe one day I use this app again.
If you’re serious about language learning, I cannot recommend this app in good conscience. The app WAS perfect. Very comprehensive. However, after lesson 64, the thorough explanations and practice disappeared. This is a common complaint (for Japanese and other languages too). It was very much about memorization and guessing. Like Duolingo. Even the audio quality declined. Maybe they didn’t think I’d make it that far, but there is a clear difference in the lesson structures from that point on…
Overall I like the app and think it works well. I’m learning Spanish as a native English speaker. But I have a huge complaint that drives me nuts: After you get about halfway through Busuu, directions and explanations are no longer in English. This is fine for directions for an exercise. However, when learning a difficult grammar concept, it’s hard enough as is. But, if I don’t fully understand the language, sometimes it’s extremely difficult to understand the concept.
First of all, you really should pay for a subscription. At $7 or less/mo, it’s a steal for those who are serious about learning a language. Personalized study plans, useful grammar and vocabulary lessons, intuitive user interface, and the ability to have your work corrected by real, native speakers. It’s really a fantastic resource that’s worth way more than it costs.
I’m pretty frustrated. I want to like Busuu but there are a lot of problems pushing me to use competing apps to fill in the huge gaps that Busuu leaves. The best part of the app is the social section / conversation prompts. Being pushed to speak and then get feedback from natives is very helpful. I end up looking up lots of ways to say words and such to fill in the prompt. A lot of competing apps don’t have this feature and it’s the main reason I still use Busuu. That being said, they don’t do anything to really prepare you for these prompts. The hints are in kanji and you have to Google Translate it yourself. On the mobile app, I can’t highlight the text so it’s a pain in the *** to translate. There is virtually NO grammar taught. It’s like, here are sentences and dialogue passages. GOOD LUCK. Granted, I do like the dialogue passages because I do the extra work to pick out some of the phrases on my own. But there isn’t really any progression. They throw in so many words you haven’t learned yet. So really you just listen for words and Google Translate everything else. It just feels so lazy and incomplete. I really question how much Busuu actually considers how a learner progresses through the app. Other gripes: – Can’t get rid of romaji on the web app. – The dialogue can’t be translated if you completed all the answers. So instead you answer all but 1 word of the dialogue and then translate. It’s… annoying. – You don’t really learn words unless you immediately review them later. The vocab section is like.. memorize 10 words. Okay, we’ll ask you 5 multiple choice questions you can easily guess. You passed? Cool! There isn’t an easy way to just drill the words. You have to star each one. – And what’s with the vocabulary where you have to memorize entire sentences? Nothing about grammar or how sentences are structured. – You get a false sense of “progression”. You can blow through lessons in less than 10 minutes. But then if you’re not constantly reviewing and practicing on your own, that “65% to Fluency” is garbage.
Like others, I first found the amount of upselling messages in the app to be too much. But I was learning a lot so I kept using it. At some point, the upsells went way down–so they seem to listen to the feedback! I’ve also had two great experiences with support when I ran into bugs. So I’m learning a lot, and when there are issues Busuu addresses them. Seems good to me!
It’s been pretty good so far, but you have to get the subscription to use the whole thing. It does a great job going over grammar and mixing various types of learning (audio, speech, visual, fill in the blank, open response). The audio does work the best with my voice and there are sometimes I have to pronounce things differently than the audio in order to trigger a correct answer. I really really like the aspect of having other people grading some of the community response questions.
I love the way you can meet people from other countries and make new friends. I’ve made many friends here. But from a learning aspect, it’s not very effective. There is way too much reading and writing and not enough speaking and learning. Plus the app is asking you to be too perfect in your responses. If you miss an accent or misspell a word, it punishes you for it. Plus it needs to be more regional. I live in the US and want to learn Latin and South American Spanish not European Spanish. Most of my friends here are from Mexico and Colombia and they always correct my mistakes cause you teach European Spanish. I have recently switched over to another app and I can learn twice as much in half the time. I just want to learn the language, not learn every nook and cranny of it. I just want to speak it not teach it. So since I’m paid up for another 9 months, I just get on just to assist my friends with their English exercises. Making the friends gets this app a 3 instead of a 1.
The app itself is great, however the way they operate their business is TERRIBLE. I signed up for the free trial, and when I tried to cancel it, couldn’t find anywhere to manage my subscription. Not on Google Play, not on the app, not on the full online version. So I emailed customer service… they claim the app is $9.99/month, but they charge you for the ENTIRE YEAR. Then, since it had been over a week since my trial expired they wont let you cancel or refund any part of the YEARS membership.
I dunno what this app might have been like, but the placement test wasn’t very good. The audio is scratchy and generally poor quality, and that was half the questions. Kind of annoying – I’m not starting from lesson one just because I can’t hear anything they’re saying. That’s just a waste of my time. I would love the inclusion of more chances to use listening and conversation skills in these apps, but the audio absolutely has to be stellar quality otherwise it just doesnt work. Good luck
Busuu is a great app for learning another language. I have been studying Japanese very easily thanks to the well structured lessons. The main issue I’m having is the fill in the blank portions. Text that is more than one line goes off screen. This makes it difficult sometimes to read along and fill in correct answers. This issue happens once or twice in every lessons and each part within it. This is an amazing app but has a major bug that hasn’t been addressed in the few months since I started.
It has been a goal of mine to be a polyglot. This app will definitely help those who are interested. It teaches you exactly what you need to know and it even gives you legitimate scenarios on how to use your newfound linguistic capabilities. It allow other who speak your target language correct any mistakes and give advice. My only real problem is the limited content I get. I dont want Premium and because of that many lessons are locked away unless you get the Premium. I wished they change that.
At first I was kind of annoyed at the extra cost for the quizzes at the ends of lessons and such…but honestly, I’ve stuck with Busuu longer than any other language app. It’s well organized and at least so far, most everything has stuck pretty well for me (I’m halfway through A1). Give the free version a try and consider giving the paid version a go. 🙂
It won’t let me record within lessons to answer. Only records for my practice speaking when I get corrections at the end. Always says there is a connection issue when my connection is fine. I have tried using my phone mic and headphone’s mic and the issue is still unresolved. My app is up-to-date. I love this but this is frustrating when I am paying for the best experience. Please fix.
Actually a pretty good app, but there’s been a big problem recently… When you get a notification, you click it and it opens the app and takes you to the related part of the app, right? Right! But then Premium Plus ad, you close it, and then *boom* you’re on the front page. It’s just super annoying and makes clicking on the notification pointless.
Recently switched to busuu from duolingo. My Italian is already improving so much. I love that I can get feedback on my writing and speaking from native speakers. The lessons are clear, short, and enjoyable. Just enough grammar. The app automatically keeps track of the vocabulary and grammar that’s been covered, and you can go back through and review it whenever you need. Love this app.
I really like this app. It was affordable, its easy to use, I am learning German much better than when I was trying on my own. I have a few suggestions for improvements. It should give the English translation after each slide so I don’t have to keep looking up meanings to words. Also the button on the bottom of each page that we click to continue is covering the special characters and I have to scroll down then click. It would be really nice if they fixed that.
I love this app! I’ve been using it for almost one year and had had no issues. It has a great UI and is very intuitive. You can practice vocabulary, get feedback from native speakers and connect with a tutor (though tutors are a bit more expensive than other apps I’ve found). While I haven’t tried every other language app out there; I can and have recommended Busuu over all the most popular apps to everyone I know.
Great app for learning a new language. You are able to connect with native speakers and hear how they would say what you are working on. The only problem that I have found so far is with the profile image that you can add. Sometimes it rotates a picture that shouldn’t be rotated and their is no way to rotate it correctly. It took me a while to find an image that I had that would not rotate incorrectly to use as my profile image. This needs to be corrected in the App. Great app otherwise.
I tried many of the other language learning apps. Busuu is better. I only have 2 gripes: 1. I wish the app would add all words that are introduced to the review system, instead of just those that are explicitly taught. That would help grow my vocabulary more quickly. 2. I never get community corrections on my Japanese exercises, but the Spanish speakers have been very helpful. I paid for Premium, and I think it’s worth it.
I’ve had a Premium Plus subscription for about a year, but I’ve had to drop my original rating by two stars. This is my favorite language learning app, but there are two things that really make me consider switching to a new one. For one, the Spanish course is geared towards those who live in Spain, and I wish they would tailor one for LATAM. For two, it marks you wrong even when you just miss one letter, and they don’t accept alternate translations, even if they mean the same thing. Please fix.