# Recommend app to learn Spanish **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 4, 2021, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-app-to-learn-spanish/951876 "2021-10-04T16:44:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2021, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-app-to-learn-spanish/951876/1 "2021-10-04T16:44:58Z")
I want to give a friend a Spanish language learning app for her birthday (Latin American Spanish). She already speaks some Spanish at, I guess, an intermediate level, although she hasn’t used it in some years and is rusty. One thing she has mentioned specifically is she doesn’t fully understand how to use the subjunctive. I don’t want to get her something that will force her to go through elementary stuff that she already knows. I’ve used Rosetta Stone many years ago for a different language and liked it, but I don’t know if it’s appropriate for her. They used to offer multiple levels for each language (basic, intermediate etc) but I don’t see that on their web site now. Any recommendations? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2021, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-app-to-learn-spanish/951876/2 "2021-10-04T16:57:03Z")
I don’t know if there is an app or not, but Great Courses has good Spanish courses for both beginning and intermediate levels. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2021, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-app-to-learn-spanish/951876/3 "2021-10-04T16:57:39Z")
I’ve tried a few and still prefer Pimsleur audio. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2021, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-app-to-learn-spanish/951876/4 "2021-10-04T21:20:56Z")
We’ve done Pimsleur, Rosetta Stone and Great Courses. We prefer the GC because you are listening to an active university professor with a PhD in the language. Same for their French course, which is excellent. The courses come with workbooks. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2021, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-app-to-learn-spanish/951876/5 "2021-10-06T22:59:33Z")
I am fixing to drop some actual money on learning another language, having proven to myself over nine months of rarely missing a day on Duolingo that this is something I’m actually willing to stick with. Rosetta Stone is selling a lifetime pass for $179 at the moment. I kind of like the idea of just paying once. I know I’ll use it, and if one day I get a wild hair to have a look at, oh, Russian or Tagalog, I’m already set. As I looked around for other options, I came across a site called Mondly that got pretty good reviews and is offering a lifetime pass for 90 bucks for the next four days. That it’s marked down from $2,000 for a lifetime pass makes me roll my eyes a little, I will admit. And the reviews, while generally pretty complimentary, appeared to suggest that it’s a little stronger with beginning learners as opposed to intermediate or advanced learners. Just thought I’d toss it out there. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2021, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-app-to-learn-spanish/951876/6 "2021-10-07T00:47:22Z")
If she speaks intermediate Spanish already, I would recommend the Destinos web series (free). As a bonus, it includes all the different accents, and they vary a lot. The best book is Spanish Review and Practice (McGrawHill), which is essentially comprehensive. There is probably a good app; but never seen it myself.