Previously, it was difficult to learn other languages, but now it has become easier and can be learned almost anywhere and at any time thanks to mobile applications. If you are looking for a platform to learn languages, you have certainly heard of the Busuu application because it is one of the most famous applications that includes a large number of languages and is used by 120 million users in more than 160 countries. In this blog, we show you this application in detail and clearly, explaining both its advantages and disadvantages.
What is the Busuu application
Busuu is an innovative application that allows users to learn languages at the speed that suits them, and is characterized by its use of games to help them practice the new language. This application helps communicate with thousands of native speakers and conduct individual conversations in many languages. It also provides digital flashcards, which is a convenient tool for developing learners’ vocabulary.
The application provides courses in thirteen languages with the provision of special and diverse content that is constantly evolving.
Download the Busuu application
Languages that can be learned on Busuu
The application offers courses for 13 languages specifically, but it focuses more on the content it provides, and the available languages are “English, Arabic, Chinese, German, Spanish, Italian, French, Dutch, Polish, Russian, Portuguese, Turkish, and Japanese”.
How to use the Busuu application
It is one of the easy-to-use applications and can be used through simple steps, which are as follows:
First, download the application and create a free account, it is available for Android and iOS devices.
Then you will need to answer questions about the language you want to learn and why, your goals, and your pace, as you must specify the time you can allocate and the days you prefer.
Finally, register using your email address, the process will take less than a minute.
Advantages of using the Busuu app
This application for learning different languages provides many features to users, including the following:
A well-customized study plan
Busuu helps users get easily customizable study plans, as it allows creating a study plan that suits each user individually, as it allows you to set a goal and determine the number of times you want to study, then tells you when to achieve your goal.
The application also sends a notification of completing the task on a specific day and time in order to guide users throughout the learning process.
Powerful grammar review based on artificial intelligence
Grammar is one of the most important factors in learning a new language, and without it it becomes difficult to formulate sentences, so the Busuu application launched the world’s first tool for learning grammar supported by artificial intelligence, which is “Grammar Review”.
The team designed a way to facilitate learning grammar in Busuu and they created this method based on intelligent machine learning algorithms.
Social Community
A great feature of this app is that it makes it easy for the user to find native speakers of their target language, and then users post their sentences in written and recorded form on the platform.
Then the native speakers give feedback on the sentences and suggest corrections. This encourages the users and is a great way to develop their writing and listening skills.
Certification
Busuu offers certificates in English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian, in the paid version, which encourages users to study.
McGraw-Hill Education, one of the largest and most famous educational institutions in the world, partnered with Busuu in 2015 and since then, Busuu has been offering certified certificates.
The certificate is obtained after passing a test consisting of comprehension, conversation and productivity skills, in order to measure the ability to understand basic topics at levels A1, A2, B1 or B2, according to the levels of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
Disadvantages of Busuu
As with everything, this app has some disadvantages, including the following:
Limited languages
Courses are offered in only 13 languages, and despite the popularity of these languages, they need to add more languages.
Another disadvantage is that the app only offers one language in the free version, which is an obstacle for those who want to learn other languages.
Not suitable for advanced learners
The course content in Busuu is suitable for beginners, and as their skills develop throughout the learning process, you may find the courses useless later.
Their levels A1, A2, B1, and B2 are not the same as the French DELF level based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, the Spanish DELE level, the Portuguese CAPLE level, the German Zertifikat Deutsch level, or the Italian CILS level based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
Most useful for English speakers
The app is primarily focused on English speakers who want to learn another language, however, speakers of other languages who want to study a language other than English have few or no options.
Is Busuu certified? The Busuu App Certificate is internationally recognized and can be used to support your position when applying for a new job, but please note that these certificates are only available to Premium customers and are available in the following courses:
Chinese: A1 only
Dutch: A1 to B2
Business Dutch: B1
English: A1 to C1
Business English: C1
French: A1 to B2
Business French: B1
German: A1 to B2
Italian: A1 to B2
Japanese: A1 to B1
Korean: A1 to A2
Portuguese: A1 to B2
Russian: A1 only
Spanish: A1 to C1
How much does Busuu cost
Busuu offers both free and paid subscriptions. With the free subscription, you can understand the basic things you hear or use in everyday speech and is therefore suitable for complete beginners. The free version It will give you a basic knowledge of your target language.
Busuu offers paid plans (Premium and Premium Plus) for 3, 12 and 24 months.
The cost is 5.83 euros/month and 6.66 euros/month for the Premium plan, and this fee can be paid when choosing a 12-month plan.
The cost varies slightly depending on the plan and duration you choose, and if you are not satisfied with the service, you can cancel the subscription at any time, as they offer a 14-day money-back guarantee.
In the end, Busuu can be a good option for learners, with its beautiful design and excellent features, it offers useful and interactive content that makes it stand out from others, but to get all these features you need to upgrade to the paid version, but before doing so you should consider the disadvantages of this application.
