7 Essential Tools

TO LEARN A LANGUAGE
2ND EDITION

How to boost your level

with resources used by polyglots

Samuel Michelot, Luca Sadurny

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2015, Samuel Michelot, Luca Sadurny - MosaLingua

This book has been produced under the Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND license.

You are free to share this by citing the names of the authors or the company MosaLingua.

Modification and use for commercial purposes is prohibited.

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 Man is a tool-using animal.
Without tools he is nothing, with tools he is all.
(Thomas Carlyle)

One language sets you in a corridor for life.

Two languages open every door along the way

INTRODUCTION
(Frank Smith)

WERE A SMALL INTERNATIONAL TEAM (PICTURED IN THE PHOTO IS SAM AND LUCA),
LANGUAGE ENTHUSIASTS, TRAVEL ENTHUSIASTS AND LOVERS OF NEW TECHNOLOGY
AND EDUCATION.

In our team, weve learned three to seven languages each and are constantly on the hunt
for new languages to learn or to improve the ones we already know.

In order to do this we are regularly testing new tools and resources to learn languages.

Todays new technologies, the Internet in particular, oer tons of opportunities and
avenues to learn another language. But with all the tools you have at your disposal, its
easy to get lost with the mass of information and tools online. Furthermore, its dicult to
know exactly what resources are hardly useful (full of errors, old methods, bad
technologies) and those that are truly useful.

So together weve created a selection of the best tools, which the members of our
polyglottal team regularly use to learn new languages and improve their skills. Most of
these tools are easy to use: For each one, weve indicated their advantages and how to
profit the most from them.

To contact our team and receive more suggestions, we suggest you follow us on:

our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MosaLingua

our Twitter account: https://twitter.com/mosalingua

our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/mosaLingua

We hope you enjoy your time discovering and wish you happy learning!

Samuel Michelot, Luca Sadurny

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The tool for immersing
yourself in the language
and culture of a dierent
country all from home

Tune In

Tool 1
Intro
Tune In is both a website and a mobile application for iPhone and Android.
Pick your country of choice and listen to foreign radio stations from your computer
or smartphone.

URL: http://tunein.com
PRICE: Free
TYPE: Website and iOS and Android application
MAIN ADVANTAGE: Improves your oral comprehension

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Why and How to Use It
With this resource, theres no need to head abroad to improve your level of understanding
in the language youre learning. For us, Tune In is the best service for immersing yourself in
the language you want to learn and for improving your level of oral comprehension in the
process.

The website and application oer you a large choice of radio stations sorted by country,
language and theme. All you need to do is open the app or log into the website and
choose the language or country youre interested in to begin listening to their numerous ra-
dio stations. In the beginning, you should try a couple in order to find out which ones are
best suited to your interests.

Tune In is a great choice for taking in another language while you're in the middle of doing
other things, like jogging, shopping, waiting in line, commuting or cleaning. Our suggestion
is to fit this app into your daily schedule. In a matter of no time, youll have the feeling of
traveling abroad for a little bit each day.

It works best with both beginners and people with a slightly higher level who are making
their first real-life strides into their language of choice. Only understanding a small percent-
age of what youre hearing at first is normal -- and encouraged. So dont get dismayed
and tune out. By being periodically exposed to the language, you eventually get used to its
sounds and rhythm. For us, resources like these at an early level are key to improving your
level of understanding at a reasonable pace.

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The tool for memorizing
new words with music

Lyrics
Training

Tool 2
Intro
Lyrics Training is a website for improving your language skills through music. Each
song comes with a video clip and lyrics in its original language. This site has a clear
entertainment factor and oers noticeable benefits to its visitors vocabularies.

URL: http://lyricstraining.com/
PRICE: Free
TYPE: Website
MAIN ADVANTAGE: Improves your oral comprehension

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Why and How to Use It
In our opinion, this is simply the best site for learning languages with song lyrics. After
choosing one of the numerous clips available, you just need to guess the missing words
while listening to the song in order to progress.

If you can cant finish in time, the music stops. In the end, this proves to be an eective
means of having fun and ample encouragement for putting eort into your language learn-
ing to continue listening and singing along to the song.

LyricsTraining contains numerous videos in French, Spanish, English, German, Portuguese

and Dutch that are sorted by three diculty levels (easy, average and dicult).

By signing up for this free site, you can earn points by accomplishing exercises and enter-
ing the leaderboards. Healthy competition can always be helpful for keeping motivated.

This tool can be a welcomed break to start a fun activity, and its useful at the same time.
The music is not only a source for interesting words and expressions, but it can also help
improve your pronunciation and accent.

If you like learning with music, we suggest you check out our article on learning a lan-
guage with music in 5 steps.

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The tool for listening
to podcasts to learn
languages

Podcast
Players

Tool 3
Intro
Podcast readers allow us to listen to our favorite podcasts directly from our smartphone.

PRICE: Free
TYPE: Mobile application (iOS and Android)
MAIN ADVANTAGE: Improves your oral comprehension

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Why and How to Use It
Podcasts are recordings (audio or video) that you can easily listen to on your cellphone or
mp3 player. Listening to podcasts in their original language is a very good method to im-
prove your oral comprehension, and you can listen to them in the car, while playing sports
or during any other activity.

If youre on iOS, the Apple reader is invaluable. It allows you to subscribe to podcasts via
iTunes (iTunes Store Menu > Podcast), and iTunes will automatically download your se-
lected podcasts onto your iPod or iPhone.

If you use an Android device, there are several free applications such as AtennaPod or
Sticher that allow you to manage and listen to your podcasts.

There are thousands of podcasts out there, and sometimes it can be hard to choose be-
tween them. So weve created a whole series of articles on finding the best ones in the lan-
guage youre learning.

The Best Podcasts for Learning French

The Best Podcasts for Learning Spanish

The Best Podcasts for Learning Italian

The Best Podcasts for Learning German

The Best Podcasts for Learning Portuguese

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The tool for practicing
with native speakers
for free or next to
nothing

iTalki

Tool 4
Introduction
iTalki lets you exchange with foreign correspondents and tutors from all over the world
for practicing speaking over Skype.

URL: www.mosalingua.com/itk
PRICE: Signup and language exchanges are free; courses with a teacher vary
TYPE: Website
MAIN ADVANTAGE: Practicing the spoken language

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Why and How to Use It
To learn a foreign language, its no secret: You have to practice. A lot of people wait to
start speaking until the very last minute, since its true that speaking a foreign language
can be a little frightening. This can be due to a feeling of not being ready or being afraid of
making mistakes.

However, you wont learn like this for the same reason you wont learn how to swim by
reading books on the theory of swimming and the history of the dierent strokes. No, to
learn, you have to get in the water. It may not be graceful swimming in the beginning, but it
will get better as you practice more. Youll get it eventually.

So here you have the ultimate tool for jumping in and speaking with people from all over
the world for free, since they are in the same situation as you: iTalki.

Once youre on the site, you need to click on Community and then on Language Partners.
The menu will then suggest partners for you. The members list is filtered based on the
language/s youre learning and what your future partners speak, their age and their place
of origin.

Each user needs to clearly specify their level of knowledge, allowing you to choose people
who are around the same level as you. If you have a more advanced level, youre better o
choosing partners with an equivalent level of English in order to make the conversation
flow more easily.

Take the chance. Its pretty simple and rewarding, and it isnt a big deal if you have a low
level. Youll see that you arent the only one.

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The tool for chatting
and communicating
with natives

Hello
Talk

Tool 5
Introduction
Hello Talk lets you exchange text or voice messages with language partners.

URL: http://www.mosalingua.com/hellotalk
PRICE: Free
TYPE: iOS (iPhone and iPad) and Android mobile application
MAIN ADVANTAGE: Practicing written and spoken language

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Why and How to Use It
HelloTalk is a great application that allows you to find language partners for direct practice
on your smartphone or tablet. You can converse in writing using the native chat or by send-
ing small audio messages (similar to WhatsApp).

This can be the very first step to getting yourself started and loosening yourself up (before
a Skype conversation on iTalki), because even with a very low level and a limited vocabu-
lary, you can still send your first text message in a foreign language. Your correspondents
can also correct your writing (there is a very well-done feature that tells you precisely
where you erred in your sentence). By doing the same thing for your audience when they
write in your language, you encourage them to correct you and continue to help you im-
prove. Next you can try voice messages (limited to one minute each) to start practicing
your verbal communication.

The ability to practice the spoken and written form at the same time is one of the best ad-
vantages of the application. We also like the fact that you can communicate asynchro-
nously, so only when you have time (this is particularly useful when you and your partner
arent in the same time zone or when you two have dierent time schedules).

To begin, quickly fill out your profile and find partners using the Search menu. You can only
see people who are online, giving you an opportunity to begin even more quickly. The infor-
mation on the partner section will help you make your choice. Click on the person, then
Message, and start with a greeting and a little information about yourself. Since there are
inactive users, it doesnt matter if you do not receive a reply: Move on to the next person,
and youll quickly meet friendly people who may even become your friends.

If the ice breaks smoothly between you two, and you want to talk longer, you can ex-
change your Skype IDs.

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The online community for
having texts corrected
for free

Lang-8

Tool 6
Introduction
Lang-8 is a website where you can submit your writing and obtain free edits from
native speakers who signed up for the same reason as you.

URL: http://lang-8.com/
PRICE: Free
TYPE: Website
MAIN ADVANTAGE: Improving your written expression

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Why and How to Use It
Even if some people arent too interested in the written form, it is always helpful being able
to write a simple message or an email in your target language. Also, writing down words
and phrases you learn helps you memorize them, as it allows you to exploit your kines-
thetic memory (read this article on the memory hacks for more details).

To improve your writing, of course, you need to practice and exercise as much as possi-
ble. But without somebody else, how could you realize the mistakes you made and how to
correct them? Fortunately, we can count on the help of Lang-8 and its native community
that will correct your writing for free!

Simply sign up for the site by creating a profile and submit one of your texts to ask for the
help of other members. Youll then get a revision sent back and corrected by a native, and
all for free.

Naturally, the site is based on exchange, so be sure to earn your karma points by supply-
ing the same service to other site members in correcting texts they wrote in your first lan-
guage.

To get into the habit of writing regularly, you may want to keep a journal or blog. Another
good idea is trying to write about what youre learning. In the beginning, you can write a
simple bio about yourself (your name, nationality, age), which makes you practice some of
the first phrases you come across in a new language.

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The tool for downloading
subtitles to foreign
language movies

SubDownloader/Subtitles App
Tool 7
Introduction
A program for quickly downloading subtitles to your foreign language films.

PRICE: Free
TYPE: Computer software
URL: http://subdownloader.net/ (PC) http://subtitlesapp.com/ (MAC)
MAIN ADVANTAGE: Improves your oral comprehension and enriches your vocabulary

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Why and How to Use it
On our blog, we recommend regularly watching foreign movies or series in their original
version, an excellent way to improve your skills while having fun at the same time.

If you dont have the option of buying foreign DVDs in their original version with subtitles,
and you dont have a near fluent grasp over the language, you have to find the movie with
subtitles. This can often be a complicated and tiring process. Luckily, you can find tools to
automatically download subtitles of a movie you have on your phone or tablets hard drive.
It truly is magical!

If youre on PC, you can download subdownloader.net, which is a great little program that
scans your hard drive and downloads all the subtitles for the movies you have on your
computer.

On Mac, you can use the number one free software subtitlesapp.com.

Here is our selection of movies and series that are great for learning a language:

The Best TV shows to Learn French

The Best Movies to Learn Spanish

The Best Movies to Learn Italian

The Best Movies to Learn German

The Best Movies to Learn Portuguese

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The tool for learning
vocabulary and not
forgetting it

The
MosaLingua
Applications

Bonus
Introduction
An application that enables you to permanently learn the most useful words and
phrases for speaking a language without spending hours on end.

PRICE: Free (LITE version with limited content), $4.99 (PREMIUM version)
TYPE: Mobile application for iOS (iPhone, iPad) and Android
URL: www.mosalingua.com
MAIN ADVANTAGE: Enriching your vocabulary in order to quickly understand and
express yourself

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Why and How To Use It
Of course, as you can well imagine, the tool we use the most is the MosaLingua application
(smartphones and tablets) and its MOSA Learning method which relies upon several cogni-
tive and psychological theories. (the SRS system of spaced repetition being one).
This system is without a doubt the most effective way to memorize vocabulary. The SRS sys-
tem is used by most polyglots, for example Benny Lewis (who can speak more than 12 lan-
guages) and Olly Richards (with 8 languages under his belt).

More than a million people have already used MosaLingua and have achieved astonishing
results (read our testimonies page). With only 5 minutes per day, you can learn 900 words
in 3 months -- more than enough to get by while traveling and during day-to-day situa-
tions. Furthermore, MosaLingua contains over 3,000 useful words and phrases, as well as
numerous learning tips, bonuses that you unlock as you progress, and a measurement to
your learning along with other surprises.

Thanks to its research-proven method, this application constantly adapts to your level and
time schedule. In addition, contrary to other methods, you will always remain in control
of your learning because you can choose and focus on the content and activities that you
find the most helpful. By doing this, you avoid wasting time and get faster results by stay-
ing motivated over the long term. The application is premium, but with its price of less
than $5 for lifetime use (no subscription), it remains one of the most accessible methods
on the market. We want language learning to remain accessible to the greatest number of
people possible. MosaLingua is available in the following versions: French, Italian, Span-
ish, Business Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, English, Business English, English for the
TOEFL and TOEIC exams, English for healthcare professionals and more languages are on
the way!

Download the MosaLingua applications now

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CONCLUSION
AND HERE WE ARE, THE END OF THIS SMALL GUIDE. CONGRATULATIONS ON FINISHING IT!

We really hope you enjoyed reading our guide and that these 8 tools help you as much as
they have helped us. Our goal was to help you save time and discover the tools we believe
are essential to practicing the dierent skills necessary for learning and improving your
target language. Now you dont need to spend days combing the web for resources, and
now you have suggestions to immediately put into practice and improve on the areas
where you think you need the most help.

However, just reading this guide isnt enough, we urge you to take action and to discover
and try out the dierent tools we listed. We assure you that its worth it.

To conclude, remember that these tools can not do everything for you. Nobody can learn
on your behalf, and it will always be up to you to put in the eort. But with the right tools,
your task will be much easier!

Dont hesitate to show your support by following us on:

our blog: www.mosalingua.com

our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MosaLingua

our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/mosaLingua

our Twitter account: https://twitter.com/mosalingua

our Google+ page: https://plus.google.com/+mosalingua

This will allow you to keep in touch with us and receive more tips and tricks.

With all the encouragement in the world, we wish you success!

Samuel Michelot, Luca Sadurny

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