For years now, I have been trying to learn new languages, but I do not have time to enroll in actual physical classes. So, I looked online for ways to learn a new language. Aside from online classes on various courses or learning sites, there are also mobile apps that do the job.

A popular mobile app helps people learn a new language and develop their vocabulary in that new language, and it is called Memrise. Through constant repetition, the app’s premise is that the users can acquire and learn a new language.

ADVERTISEMENT

Memrise follows a flash card-like manner of teaching the language to its users. But, there are more activities and features of the app, so learn more about Memrise below. Also, check what languages are available and how to download the app.

  • About Memrise
  • Memrise Courses
  • Memrise Features
  • Memrise Pro
Learn A New Language With Memrise
Image Source: UI Sources

About Memrise

Memrise is one of the most popular languages platforms with over 35 million registered users. I knew that the app would be great even without trying it because of the millions of people trusting the Memrise app.

Learn A New Language With Memrise
Image Source: Worldwide Insure

Upon looking at the app’s history, it is indeed trustworthy because of its developers and accolades. The app was developed by Ed Cooke, who is a Grand Master of Memory, and Greg Detre, a Princeton Neuroscientist specializing in memory and forgetting.

ADVERTISEMENT

Thinking about the minds behind the app, you will know that it is built with a great premise and foundation. In July 2010, Memrise was one of the winners of the London Mini-Seedcamp Competition. Later that year, Memrise became one of the finalists for the 2010 TechCrunch Europas Start-up of the Year.

The team continues to roll as one of the leading startup companies as it was chosen as one of the Techstars Boston Startups in March 2011. This London-based company slowly gained popularity for the range of topics it has in language learning and the gamification of the content.

Memrise Mobile App

Memrise was initially launched as a web application, a private beta, in 2009 after winning the Princeton Entrepreneurship Club 2009 TigerLaunch Competition. The team then continued to develop the app as they released a mobile version of Memrise in May 2013 that is open to all users.

ADVERTISEMENT

The Memrise app is free to download on both Google Play Store and iOS App Store. The app uses a freemium model but has in-app purchases and premium subscriptions. Most of the app’s features can be used without the premium subscription but require an account to enjoy them.

Signing up to Memrise is easy because I only need to choose whether to connect my Facebook account, Google account, or email address. For those who already have an account, you have to sign in to your account to sync your previous data and progress on the app across all devices.

Memrise Courses

After installing the app, the next step is to choose the course I wish to study among the 20 available languages. The languages include Spanish (Mexico), French, Arabic, Korean, German, Japanese, Spanish (Spain), Chinese, Turkish, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Italian, Dutch, Swedish, Russian, Norwegian, Polish, Danish, and Yoruba.

Learn A New Language With Memrise
Image Source: Memrise

The app has available courses that start with the basics of the language like alphabet and vocabulary. The courses are designed together with the experts on the mentioned languages. So, to move forward on courses, I need to finish or accomplish the level I am busy with.

For example, I chose Korean, so Korean I is the first thing I need to clear to proceed to Korean II. However, Korean I has over 19 levels that I will need to complete. Like other courses, there are several levels, which can be found once you start a course.

For all introductory courses, it focuses on words, phrases, grammar, and the alphabet. The more advanced levels focus on small talks, conversations, advanced grammar, and sentence construction. Memrise ensures that before proceeding with a higher course, users are prepared and knowledgeable on the basics.

More On Memrise Courses

The Memrise app records all the progress of the users, which I like because it also shows my daily streak or the number of days I used the app. Since it monitors my progress, I can also check where I am with the language I am learning and the topics I have completed or learned.

Since the app has several languages that I can learn, it is also possible to start another course even if I am not done with my current course. Yes, I can simultaneously learn multiple languages with the app while Memrise closely records all my progress in each course.

Each course has a description of what I can expect to learn after finishing them. Like in Korean I, I will be acquainted with the alphabet and discover over 538 words in its 19 levels. I like it because in that way I know what to expect at the current level.

Memrise Features

The app’s developers are experts or masters in memory, so the app focuses on memorizing and retaining information to its users. It follows the spaced repetition technique in teaching the new language to us new users.

Learn A New Language With Memrise
Image Source: APK Mody

The retention is done through flashcards of the information that the app wishes us to learn. Spaced repetition means the random repetition of flashcards of the previous knowledge that the users have supposedly learned. With the repetition, they wanted to make sure that the information is retained while learning more.

I like the spaced repetition because it forces me to recall the information that I just learned, and it makes sure that it enters my long-term memory instead of short-term memory. There is the pressure of remembering the information because the previous flashcards randomly appear even at a higher level in the course.

As mentioned, there is also gamification of the app’s content that is a creative way of monitoring the users’ progress. It adds to the enjoyable learning experience on the app because I feel like I am just playing a game and not learning. Memrise knows that if the app is just serious and straightforward, users will be bored.

Memrise Gamification

In the gamification of the users’ learning progress, the Memrise app uses the process of planting a plant. It is like an analogy that when I started a course, I am planting a seed, and as I progress on the courses, I am helping the plants grow and flourish by increasing my levels.

There are experience points that I can gain from every correct answer at each level. The collected experience points are the basis of my rank. The app shows a leaderboard for the week, giving me an idea of how I am doing compared to my peers. I can also check my friend’s progress through their experience points.

The leaderboard makes me motivated to continue on the levels and answer the questions because I want to be on top. Moreover, in the Profile tab, I can check my progress in terms of words learned and the longest streak in terms of days on the app. Overall, Memrise motivates the users to continue learning.

Memrise Pro

Although I can experience most of the app features for free, Memrise has a premium subscription called Memrise Pro. There are three plans: a monthly subscription that costs $8.99, a yearly subscription that costs $7.50 per month, and a lifetime subscription that costs only $139.99 for a one-time payment.

Learn A New Language With Memrise
Image Source: Mobile App Daily

With the Memrise Pro, I can access all the language courses because I can only access some languages on the free version. While for some languages, the only available content on the free version is the introductory courses like Korean I and II. So, I needed to pay for the premium subscription to access the higher courses.

It is safe to say that the premium subscription is worth the money based on experience because of the quality content I can get from the app. Aside from unlocking all the courses in the app, there is an additional video clip from over 30,000 native speakers. This helps learn the language in terms of verbal aspects.

In the premium version, I can learn the written aspects of the language and the verbal aspect. There is more content in the courses that involve immersing with the language by learning with locals and listening to them. Moreover, the app teaches me to pronounce the words.

More Perks On Memrise Pro

One of the most helpful additional perks of the Memrise Pro is downloading an entire course offline. So, I can learn whenever or wherever I want even though I do not have an internet connection.

In the free version, there are interruptive advertisements that pops-up randomly. It indeed interrupts the learning experience on the app. So, Memrise removes all the ads when you subscribe to the premium version.

Conclusion

Memrise is a great language platform and language-learning app that focuses on retaining information through spaced repetition technique using flashcards. The app was developed by individuals who mastered memory and forgetting; that is why the app’s premise is made that way.

The progress of the users in the app is made with a bit of gamification through experience points. The users can see their standing as well on the leaderboard. There is a premium subscription on Memrise for a better learning experience.

Spanish version: Aprende un nuevo idioma con Memrise