The study of the Russian language at the initial stage is accompanied by the problem of memorizing a fairly large amount of new lexical units. Many students do not cope with this task due to various reasons.
Therefore, methodologists face the following questions: 1) How to increase the student's motivation for intensive work with new vocabulary? 2) How to make the process of transferring studied units into long-term memory more convenient and productive?
Mobile applications can solve these problems at the stage of mastering the studied vocabulary during extracurricular hours.
How apps help learn Russian
With the development of the internet, there are more and more apps launched. Some of them really help with education, incl. language learning.
If you want to learn Russian with an app, you can also benefit from it.
You listen, see new words and expressions, learn their lexical meaning.
You can complete written and oral assignments that are corrected by native speakers. You can also get help in your own language.
The texts contain the most commonly used words of the Russian language, so you can learn Russian vocabulary with it. And the addition of new words is gradual as the complexity of the tasks increases.
Audio lessons will allow you to study Russian even when you are cooking, walking, or driving a car, that is, there is a significant time-saving.
And, of course, the colorful presentation of the material with illustrations and multimedia effects increases the interest and motivates students to further study foreign languages.
The best Russian learning apps on Android and iPhone
1) italki
One of the most popular international language platforms. If you live in a small town where there are no courses with native speakers or you are learning a rare language, then this application italki is your salvation.
In addition to classes, there is a huge community on italki: with personalized content, the most interesting topics for discussion, news, and much more. Got a question? Our community members are always happy to help you with any questions.
italki is a convenient and useful service for honing your speaking skills with native speakers, which has a lot of advantages:
• Democratic prices.
• It is easy to find a qualified online Russian tutor.
• No unnecessary ads and other annoying banners.
• Possibility to ask questions on grammar and get a detailed answer with examples.
• Free correction of errors in your written notes.
• A large number of informative articles and tips for learning foreign languages.
• italki also introduces new language learning tools: podcasts, quizzes, polls, and more.
2) SpeakEasy Russian
Peculiarities:
• Convenient search, which gives out options as you enter part of the phrase;
• Slow listening function - if necessary, any phrase can be listened to in slow performance;
• Flashcards for learning - with the help of flashcards you can easily test yourself and your knowledge.
SpeakEasy Russian will allow you not to get lost in any situation, whether you are going through passport control at the border or making purchases in a store.
3) Talk2Russia
Three sections have been created for users of the Talk2Russia application. This is an introductory phonetic course that will help you learn the letters of the Russian alphabet, the rules of reading and pronunciation, master the basic intonational structures, as well as elementary and basic courses.
In the application, you can learn new words and expressions, watch an educational cartoon, and also get acquainted with the minimum set of grammatical structures necessary for communicating in Russian at the initial stage.
4) Memrise
Memrise is an online service and mobile app for learning foreign words.
This application has a fairly simple scheme for learning new vocabulary.
A new word is introduced in Russian with a translation into English and is accompanied by a picture for quick memorization, activating visual and semantic memory.
You can also set up your daily goals. Here you can select the number of words you want to learn per day and check if you have reached that goal.
5) Mondly
Mondly is a personal Russian learning assistant that will help you improve your writing, speaking, reading, and listening skills.
Peculiarities:
• Verb conjugations. Want to deepen your knowledge? Click on any verb and get all its forms with translations;
• All materials are available in the audio version - learn correct and clear Russian pronunciation recorded by native speakers.
•Mondly users have access to visual statistics to track their progress. The application builds your personal rating, allowing you to compare your achievements with people around the world.
Tips for learning Russian using apps or other tools
Mobile apps can be used on the go. There is nothing more convenient than having all the materials you need to learn a language on your mobile phone or tablet. So you can devote to learning even the time that you spend on the way to work or study.
There are different approaches to learning a language. There are many applications, everyone can find a convenient one for themselves. Someone learns visual material better, for someone it is easier to perceive new knowledge by ear or in the form of a game.
Regular practice is very important. It is better to study every day for 30 minutes than once a week for 5 hours. Daily practice exercises the brain for better results.
Conclusion
Applications help students:
1) independently acquire and consolidate new knowledge
2) speed up and improve the language learning process
3) has the ability to be interested in learning the language, to give students additional motivation for further self-improvement.
Foreign languages require constant exercises, and the more you do them, the more confident you will feel in a real communication situation.
I am an online Russian tutor. If you want to practice your Russian and improve your Russian language skills online, feel free to book a lesson with me and contact me.
