Mondly Review: 10 Ways Mondly Drastically Improved My Language Learning

Is Mondly a good app? With so many different language learning apps out there, it’s hard to know which one to use. With fun bite-size lessons, 33+ languages, chat-bot, and flexible pricing. This honest Mondly review has everything you NEED to know!

I adore Mondly. It’s fun, easy to use, effortlessly slips into my daily routine, includes just the right amount of gamification without distracting me from actually learning, and has always been there no matter which language I wanted to learn.

I first came across Mondly when I started learning Afrikaans and was desperately looking for language learning resources. Mondly was and still is, the only language learning app that offers this bespoke language alongside the typical mainstream languages like Italian, French and Spanish.

For the past 5 years, I’ve used Mondly to supplement my language learning. I joined when I started with Afrikaans, then used it to refresh my French and now I’m using it to learn Norwegian. The best part is that with my lifetime membership, I can switch between these languages at any time plus access the rest of the range of languages courses Mondly has available. Want to try Mondly yourself? Click here to get 95% OFF Mondly’s Lifetime subscription using my special reader discount.

Mondly keeps the learning process enjoyable. Having fun is essential to the language learning process and is what helps you to push through when you hit a plateau, lose motivation, or begin to tackle more challenging aspects of the language.

With that said, here is my review of the language learning app and 10 ways Mondly has improved my language learning and how it can do the same for you.

1. Bite-size lessons for a busy lifestyle

Running The Intrepid Guide, is now my full-time job and I easily lose track of time especially when I’m in the zone writing a new language article or editing a new travel. When you have a busy lifestyle, it’s easy to fall off the language learning wagon or stick to a routine. What I love about Mondly is that I can spend as little or as long as I like learning my target language. Each lesson takes no more than 5 minutes to complete which makes it easy to slip into my day. I don’t have to stress about how I’m going to keep on track with my language goals because Mondly keeps each lesson short and sweet.

I like to kick off my day by doing something productive and positive for myself, so I’ll start by completing my daily lesson. Once I start, I don’t want to stop! So, depending on how much I’ve got on for that day, I’ll complete another 1 or 2 lessons.

To help me create and maintain this new morning habit, I use the ‘Learning Reminder’ function to pick a time of day when I want to receive an alert. This gentle reminder pops up on my phone reminding me to complete my daily lesson.

2. A variety of languages for a lifetime of learning

As I mentioned earlier, I first used Mondly when I started learning Afrikaans. Variety really is the spice of life and Mondly definitely helped in keeping me on track with my Afrikaans language goals. Afrikaans grammar books and general learning material was and still is extremely limited. So, not only did I really appreciate the fact that Mondly offers such a bespoke language, Mondly is a unique language learning tool that I feel grows with you as a learner.

As my language goals changed, Mondly has been there to support me and offer a Norwegian course. When I was worried about my French getting rusty, Mondly was there to help me revise it.

When my partner wanted to learn European Portuguese, I immediately suggested he use Mondly because again Mondly was one of the only language learning apps that has courses in both Brazilian Portuguese and European Portuguese. This is an important distinction that’s too often overlooked. You can read all about the differences between Brazilian Portuguese and European Portuguese here.

If you want to learn English, you can choose between American or British English which I think is fantastic.

3. Using the laddering technique to learn multiple languages

Not only does Mondly support 33 languages, it even allows you to choose any of those 33 languages as a basis to learn your target language. For example, to practice my French whilst learning Norwegian, I can set my “native language” to French and set my target language to Norwegian. This is known as laddering – where you use a non-native language to learn another. It’s like killing two birds with one stone. It’s fun and an efficient use of my limited study time.

4. Context-based learning

I mainly use Mondly to improve my vocabulary and expose me to new words. Mondly does an excellent job of this. First, you learn the new word in isolation, then you learn it in context of a sentence. For example, today I learned sommerfugl (Norwegian for ‘butterfly’). After a few exercises, I progressed to phrases that featured this new word such as Sommerfuglen er pen (The butterfly is pretty). This allows me to learn the work in context but also revisit previously learned verbs, practice verb conjugations, and learn new adjectives that help be to remember the new word.

5. Using the chat bot to improve my pronunciation

When you do a lot of self study, speaking practice and improving pronunciation are either forgotten or receive very little attention. To ensure I’m getting a well-rounded learning experience, I use the Mondly chatbot tool where I can simulate an audio-based conversation with a native speaker. I listen to the native speaker, then record my own voice in response. In other language learning apps, one you submit your recording, there is no playback. Meaning, you can’t replay what you’ve said and hear how you sound. With Mondly, I can. So I listen back to what I’ve said and compare it to the native speaker and see where I need to improve. This is such a handy feature which aids an important part of my progress.

To supplement my language learning and I also have italki lessons every week. This is where I get 1-to-1 support and speaking practice with a qualified teacher or community tutor. Read my full italki review here.

6. Gamification that isn’t intrusive

Gamification is huge when it comes to language learning apps but having experimented with a few leading apps , I found that they were too gamified and too competitive. There weren’t just leaderboards, but leaderboards based on how many lessons you completed in a certain period of time. Now, a little friendly competition can be a great motivator, but at some point it can quickly become more about winning and less about learning.

Learning a language isn’t a race, there is no finish line. Language learning is a journey, a journey that should be enjoyed free from stress. As soon as you compare yourself to others and how much or little they are doing or how fast they are progressing, that can be stressful. This is actually one of the biggest takeways I’ve learned from the polyglot community and shared in my guide Language learning tips: 11 Polyglots Reveal The Secrets of Their Success.

Mondly strikes a nice balance between providing entertainment through gamification but also keeping me accountable and on track with just the right amount of exposure to different leaderboards. There is a completely separate tab to access leaderboards so I can ignore it completely if I don’t want to compare myself with anyone else; which can be very tempting but neither healthy nor helpful.

7. Travel-themed and travel-focused

As a traveller who enjoys learning the local language before a trip, I love that Mondly supports both my long-term and short-term language goals. Mondly is currently helping me with my long-term goal of learning Norwegian where I access verb conjugates and grammar explanations, but when I have a trip somewhere like Spain, Vietnam, or the Netherlands, it also supports my short-term language goals. This is where I use Mondly to learn essential travel phrases and vocabulary that I will need for my trip. I can easily do this just by skipping to those modules directly. I don’t need to start from scratch and work my way up.

Mondly has a lovely travel-themed user interface too that highlights famous monuments around the world. This acts as a subtle reminder of how useful and important languages are when it comes to travel. This is something I feel strongly about and talk about a lot here are The Intrepid Guide and being travel fluent.

8. Summary after each lesson

What I find I like most about Mondly is the small touches that all add up and make such a difference. It might sound small, but I find it so helpful that after each lesson it gives you a summary of what was covered. This allows me to easily transfer new words into my Google Doc where I keep all my language notes. By having a lesson summary, it means I don’t have to stop during a lesson to record what I’m learning. I then put these words into a flash card app like Quizlet to revise later.

9. Convenient and flexible

When you start with a new language learning app or tool, usually you have to either pass a test before you can access lessons that are appropriate for your level or in most cases you’re forced to start from scratch. This can be incredibly annoying, not to mention a waste of time. Mondly is great because it allows you to choose from beginner, intermediate and advanced content. So, when I was brushing up on my French, I set it to advanced and for Norwegian set it to intermediate.

Mondly is available across different platforms too, so you can learn on-the-go using your smartphone or tablet with their Android or iOS app or use your desktop or laptop, if you prefer working on a bigger screen.

10. One time payment for a lifetime of learning

As the world moves more and more towards subscription based services, I was grateful that Mondly offers you the flexibility of paying a one-time fee that gives you lifetime access to all languages and updates but also to any new languages they add to the platform. Compared to other language services, this is a huge saving and the most cost-efficient offering I’ve found on the market. If your budget is limited, Mondly’s Lifetime Membership definitely pays dividends on its relatively small initial investment.

Do you want to try Mondly yourself? Click here to get 95% OFF Mondly’s Lifetime subscription using my special reader discount.

Like it? Pin it for later!

Want to know more about learning languages? Start here!

Over to you!

What are your favourite language resources? What tools do you use? Have you used Mondly?
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.

Like what you see? Subscribe using the form below to have all of my posts delivered directly to your email.