LingoPie Review: How to Learn Languages with Bingeable TV

Language learning shouldn’t feel like a chore. In fact, the more fun you have learning, the more successful you will be! Multiple research studies prove that having fun is good for your health and learning, including, of course, learning foreign languages. What’s more fun than binging an exciting TV show and learning your target language without even noticing it?

Nowadays, there are hundreds of cool shows in different languages that match different tastes. You can simply go on Netflix, Disney+ or another streaming service, find shows in your target language and watch them for practice. However, there is an even more effective way to learn languages with binge-able content: using LingoPie to maximize your learning.

But, what is LingoPie? In this guide, I’ll give you a comprehensive tour of the platform as part of this LingoPie review. We’ll look at what LingoPie is, how it works, the benefits of language learning through TV shows, how to use LingoPie to take your target language to a new level, the pros and cons of the platform, and much more, including special reader discount that you won’t find anywhere else! Let’s dive in!

Benefits of learning through TV series

Can you really learn a language by watching a TV show? You definitely can! But you need to do it right in order to succeed. For instance, if you watch a show in your target language with subtitles in your native one, you will learn very little, if anything at all. There is a strong temptation to only read the subtitles and ignore your target language that is being spoken.

However, a TV show can offer a lot to language learners like us. Here are some of its benefits:

Watching TV shows improves comprehension – listening comprehension in particular
It provides learners with various situations and meaningful contexts for language use
Such content is highly diverse: different genres and topics are covered, you can hear different speakers and dialects
It is entertaining – and we’ve just learned above that being entertained is a powerful way to learn
Visual context is provided which helps you better understand what you hear
TV shows provide authentic and varied language
Many episodes are short (from 10-30 minutes) so you can easily integrate some quality learning time even if you’re busy.

Studies into learning language by watching TV show that people who have had little success in the classroom or have had no formal language learning at all, make great progress when watching TV shows in their target language. This is great news!

There are at least two ways you can do this. Firstly, you can use TV shows to supplement your regular learning, whether it’s in the classroom, online with a tutor, or any other way.

Secondly, you can make learning a language with TV shows your main way to learn a language. It may sometimes take you a bit more time to figure out some of the more complex aspects – but working them out yourself can also make them much more memorable.

With an app like LingoPie you can learn your target language even more effectively with improved subtitles and built-in flashcards – but let us not get ahead of ourselves. Let’s explore LingoPie in more detail.

Getting started with LingoPie

Note: LingoPie is available on desktop, tablet, and smartphone, but for this review, I’ve used screenshots from their desktop site.

Like most language learning apps, you need to sign up before you can start using it – this is super simple.

Go to LingoPie here, in the top right corner is a ‘Start Free Trial’ button – click it to get started. You can use your email and a password to sign up, or you can do it using your Facebook or Google account .

After that, follow the prompts which will ask you to select your native and your target languages, your level, your daily goal, and your reason for learning. Make sure to choose the boxes that are the most relevant for you to get the most out of your LingoPie experience.

There are currently 6 languages available on LingoPie, including Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, and Russian. More languages are on the way! The language you choose to learn is not set in stone: you can later change it in your profile settings.

Next, you need to select a payment plan. Don’t worry, though. You won’t be charged as you still have your free trial to use, no matter the plan. You can cancel your subscription at ANY time. I recommend trying the app as much as possible during your 7-day Free Trial to decide if LingoPie is a good fit for you.

LingoPie is affordable too. It’s $12 per month, but you can pay even less with an annual or a family plan ($5.40 and $8.25 per month respectively). After these steps, voilà! – you are all set to start watching shows and learning your target language with LingoPie.

How to use LingoPie in 3 simple steps

LingoPie’s interface is very intuitive and right from the start you know exactly where you need to go to watch a show or to review some flashcards.

To get a better understanding of the platform, let’s take a look at how it works. Reading this section will save you some time in learning the ropes and will allow you to start learning your target language right away.

1. Browse

After you set up your account and go to your LingoPie dashboard, you can start looking for some content to watch. If you have used a streaming service before, you will see that LingoPie looks exactly like one! There are lots of different categories and plenty of shows to choose from.

For instance, here are some of the categories available for Italian learners (categories for other languages may differ slightly): new releases, viewers’ choice, editor’s pick, travel and food, short movies, cartoons, comedies, beginner-friendly, documentaries, drama, Italian culture, and many more. And, of course, there are multiple great shows in each category.

Simply scroll through the page to see the category and click through the shows in each category to find what interests you. To get more information about each show, simply click on its thumbnail: you’ll see a short description, the runtime, the show’s genre, and the language level it is most suitable for. When you see something you like, you can save it for later by clicking on the + Add List button.

2. Watch

To start watching a show, simply click the ‘Watch Now’ button on the page of the show you’ve selected – but you can do so much more on LingoPie than just watch a TV show. This is the fun part and what sets LingoPie apart from other streaming services. LingoPie was developed FOR language learners.

Here’s what you can do.

Watch with subtitles in English and/or your target language simultaneously – or without any subtitles at all
Click through to the next caption to fast-forward a bit or go back to the previous one to repeat it
Repeat a fragment of the video on a loop to practice comprehension (I love this feature!)
Pause the video at any time and record yourself pronouncing its fragments to practice pronunciation. These are then submitted and rated.
Slow down the video to suit your level (from beginners to full speed) by up to 0.5x its original speed to make it easier to understand
Try the mash-up function – watch with English subtitles but with the keywords translated into your target language
Quizzes – Take our pop quiz which is automatically created after clicking on 5 words.
Flashcards – Review your flashcards after every show or movie you watch.

One of the main features of LingoPie is its clickable subtitles in your target language. You can click on any word while watching, see its translation into English, and continue watching without any interruption. This way, you don’t have to stop your flow to look up new words in a dictionary. This way you maintain focus and motivation and learn much faster. The words you click on immediately turned into flashcards that you can review right after watching the show – but more on that in the next section.

3. Learn and Review

After you have watched a show and clicked on a few unfamiliar words, you can switch to a different type of language practice and review what you have learned. Just click on ‘Review Flashcards’ on the TV show page or at the top left of any page.

If you are familiar with flashcards, you know how this works. First, look at the word in your target language, then see if you can remember its English equivalent. On LingoPie you can mark the word with three options: «I know», «Not sure», and «No idea». Choosing one of the last two options means that the word will come up for review later at specific intervals again until you remember it better.

Here’s the best bit! What makes LingoPie stand out as a flashcard app is that you can not only read the word in your target language and listen to its pronunciation: but you can see the context it was used in in the show. You can actually play the exact fragment of the video right in the card itself! (This is a game-changer if I’m honest). Learning in context is very powerful and makes all the difference with memory retention and recall.

For now, this is the only type of flashcard review available on LingoPie. However, spelling practice and vocabulary quizzes will be added to the app very soon! So, sit tight!

Top tip: Make sure to review your flashcards regularly – and you will make your learning with LingoPie much more effective.

And that’s it! This is all you really need to know about how to use LingoPie. It’s intentionally simple, intuitive and powerful. Learning your target language becomes almost effortless. But don’t just take my word for it. Start your 7-day free trial and try out LingoPie yourself! **Exclusive reader discount: Click here and get an exclusive 65% OFF their annual subscription. You won’t find this discount anywhere else.

4 Top tips for language learning with LingoPie

Here are some tips to get the most out of LingoPie:

1. Go for the content that matches your interests, language level, time available, etc.

If you are a foodie, for instance, check out some of the shows from the ‘travel and food’ category, and go for the shorter ones if you only have a few minutes available for learning at a time.

Choosing a show matching your level is also important. As an advanced learner, you may be bored by content for beginners, and advanced content may be challenging for those at lower levels – which can both result in loss of motivation and slower progress. Watch shows that challenge you, but not to the point you want to tear your hair out!

2. Try listening to the audio without subtitles first

It may seem a bit challenging at first. However, you may be surprised at how much you can understand without any subtitles! Doing this will help you ‘activate’ the language you already know and help you memorize it even better.

If listening without the subtitles is too challenging in the beginning, try doing it after you have read the subtitles and reviewed the new vocabulary via flashcards. Extra listening practice will be a great way to consolidate what you have learned.

3. Alternate between watching shows and reviewing vocabulary

When you find a great show, it is quite easy to get carried away and just binge-watch it from start to finish with no breaks – and there’s nothing wrong with that. However, it would be much more effective for your overall language learning if you take breaks between episodes to review new vocabulary. This way you’ll better remember what you heard and saw which I’ll be more familiar with when you watch future episodes.

4. Don’t overuse the subtitle translation function

Being able to click on any word in the subtitles to translate it into English is one of the best features of LingoPie. It allows you to look up the meaning of unfamiliar words on the fly without wasting time.

But it can still slow you down if overused. Imagine how much slower watching the show would be if you click on every or even every other word to translate it? Doing this can easily lead to losing the plotline and any sense of momentum. If you’re struggling to understand, firstly, make sure the content is appropriate to your level.

Secondly, if you find yourself stopping and rewinding a lot, try watching in blocks of 5 or 10 minutes before reviewing and looking up words. This way you’ll learn from context first, rather than focusing on individual words.

To try out these tips, sign up for your free LingoPie trial here.
**Exclusive reader discount: Click here and get an exclusive 65% OFF their annual subscription. You won’t find this discount anywhere else.

LingoPie Pros

There are so many great things about LingoPie, and here are some of the main ones:

Fun binge-able content that makes learning more fun and nearly effortless
The ability to look up new vocabulary on the go with flashcards to review it created automatically
Multiple ways to adjust your watching experience to suit your needs
An extensive library of authentic content to suit different levels, interests, and learning needs
Focus on actual usage, not theory or complex grammar rules
The ability to review what you have learned and track your progress
An easy to use, intuitive interface
A growing platform with new languages and features on the way
Affordable pricing

Pros and cons may differ for each user. But with a 4.7 out of 5-star rating on Trustpilot, you can see what other users love about the app.

LingoPie Cons

No app can satisfy every language learner because there are so many different languages, levels, and possible learning needs and learner types. Depending on your learning style and needs, here are some of the cons you may find with LingoPie:

No grammar, writing, or speaking practice
A small (although growing) selection of languages
The free trial is only 7 days
There is no search function: you can’t search for a particular show or genre, but only browse the existing categories
Translations into English are sometimes not detailed enough
There aren’t many options for vocabulary review/practice

And the verdict is….

Definitely give it a go! LingoPie is a great app that allows you to binge-watch shows while learning a language without feeling like it is a chore. It’s affordable, fun, and easy to use.

There is a lot of fun content on the platform to suit different learners’ needs and interests. One of its main functions allows you to click on subtitles to look up unfamiliar words and automatically add them to flashcards for future reviewing.

It’s not without its faults (but what app is?): for instance, it doesn’t have a search function, content for some of the languages is fairly limited, and if you are looking for grammar or speaking practice you might have to look into other apps.

However, LingoPie is constantly developing and adding new features, becoming even better and satisfying even more learners’ needs.

If you are looking for an app that will allow you to learn your target language while watching exciting TV shows, LingoPie is one of the best options for you. Don’t wait – sign up for your free LingoPie trial here. **Exclusive reader discount: Click here and get an exclusive 65% OFF their annual subscription. You won’t find this discount anywhere else.

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Over to you!

Are you going to sign up for LingoPie? Do you have any questions? Have you already tried it?
Let me know using the comments section below or join me on social media to start a conversation.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this post.

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