Lingora

I am learning the southern accent for Vietnamese and having this app is so amazing. I really enjoy the fact that it only offers A1 content, as I think it is an AMAZING way to not get overwhelmed by extra content. Whether or not the creator has plans to add additional levels in the future is unbeknownst to me, but I think just having beginner level content is really a great way to start this app. and it’s subscription services aren’t expensive at all. with the lack of content available for southern vietnamese, this is truly a godsend in my eyes. however, it isn’t perfect. there are some cons to note: - the UX/UI is pretty… boring. it’s just a black screen with mainly white text. it doesn’t do a lot to grab the users attention, other than serving it’s intended purpose. this isn’t necessarily a con, but it is nice to have aesthetically pleasing content to learn with. - The vocab system is a little boring too. it has 4 options currently; ‘quick review,’ ‘flash cards,’ ‘multiple choice,’ and ‘matching pairs.’ they do what you expect, but i feel like this app could really benefit from an SRS system, even a basic one really changes the learning curve. - there isn’t really any challenge to the lessons. I think the content it introduces is absolutely superb, but when each lesson takes less than 5 minutes… it feels too easy. - the vocabulary trainer for each lesson is extremely repetitive. it’s all multiple choice. the sentence correction section also is essentially multiple choice, as you just click on the words in order. i think this section could benefit from an actual input method, like having to type out the sentence you hear. maybe limiting the amount of times you can listen to the phrase could also add a good challenge. the tone related questions are a little unnecessary, it’s just another form of multiple choice for words we were quizzed on several times before with the other quiz types. - besides sentence blocking, i don’t feel like there’s any actual “teaching” happening. while, yes, i am learning new vocabulary, i’m not really being taught the grammar introduced in each sentence, understanding the nuances between words. maybe a feature that compares words with similar uses would be nice, like when to use nhiều or hơn when meaning “more.” while this app does have a some cons, it still is great for what it is, and for what it offers. especially when it comes to vietnamese learners (specifically SVN because the lack of available content is extremely frustrating). i am excited to see where this app may go in the future, and what it’s intended path will be. there are some features i’d love to see introduced such as visual aids for vocabulary, grammar explanations (or a grammar bank as grammar is always a bit tough for vietnamese). this is worth a download for sure!

It's not easy to find decent Malay learning materials. This app has plenty of practice sentences to help with listening comprehension. Thanks!!