Apps like Duolingo and Babbel have in recent years brought language learning from traditional classrooms to the phone screen. Short lessons, points, rankings, reminders and the ability to keep a "streak" have made language learning easier and more entertaining for many users. But can these apps really bring us to proficiency in a language?
Linguistics experts' answer is partly yes, but with an important limitation: the apps are very useful for starting and reinforcing the foundations of a language, but they do not replace human interaction.
Main strength: repetition and consistency
According to ITNA, researchers believe one of the most important advantages of language-learning apps is their use of "spaced practice"; meaning the user, instead of studying something in a single long session, reviews it repeatedly over days and weeks. This method can help vocabulary stick better in memory.
These applications also combine audio, text and images, and perform well for learning vocabulary, short phrases and specific language structures.
On the other hand, a few-minute lessons make it easier for the user to turn learning into a daily habit.
Some studies published by Duolingo researchers have also claimed that completing parts of the platform’s French and Spanish courses can bring a learner’s reading and listening skills to the level of students who have completed four university semesters of the language. However, these studies did not evaluate speaking and writing abilities in the same way.
Main problem: real conversation
The major weakness becomes apparent when a user moves from the controlled environment of the app into the real world.
Speaking exercises in many apps remain structured; for example, the user must repeat a specific sentence or provide the system’s expected response.
But real conversation is unpredictable and a person must understand the other party’s intent in the moment, construct an appropriate response, resolve misunderstandings and adapt to the other person’s speaking style.
For this reason someone may perform very well in an app, but still have trouble speaking when faced with a natural conversation at work, university or while traveling.
Grammar and culture also matter
Experts also believe some apps do not provide deep and explicit explanations of grammar; something particularly important for adult learners.
On the other hand, language is not just a set of words and rules; it develops within a cultural context.
Apps usually cannot convey cultural complexities, social interaction norms and communicative subtleties to the same extent as real experience or classroom instruction.
The biggest enemy is abandoning the program
Even the best teaching method is effective only if the user continues it.
Research cited in Popular Science shows a substantial portion of users stop using language-learning apps within the first months; in one 2019 study, 64 percent of users had stopped using the app after four months and 87 percent after one year.
Therefore features like streaks, points and reminders are not merely for entertainment; their main purpose is to create consistency in a process that may take thousands of hours to reach high proficiency.
What is the best method?
Experts conclude that using language apps is valuable, especially at the early stages. But to achieve real proficiency, they should be combined with interactive activities.
Language classes, conversation with fluent speakers, watching films and series, listening to podcasts and music, and exposure to natural language can reduce the gap between "completing exercises" and "actually using the language."
For example, a Korean learner can learn the basics with an app and then strengthen listening skills and the understanding of the natural rhythm of conversation by watching Korean series.
Ultimately, as these studies show, language-learning apps are best viewed not as a complete replacement for instruction, but as tools to build a foundation, maintain practice continuity and increase daily exposure to the language.