Free Inquiry 3: Memrise

As I continue my exploration of online language-learning resources, I wanted to review the app that I first used to learn Spanish several years ago: Memrise. Memrise is a free app with a premium version that allows you access to more specific chat features and grammar support.

I really like that Memrise teaches you new vocabulary with clips of native speakers using the words or phrases. It shows several different actors using the same words or phrases so that you can adjust to different accents, registers, and ways of speaking. I think this is a fantastic feature because one of the hardest things when learning a language online is to transfer your knowledge to real-world conversation when people do not sound like the AI bots you learned from.

I definitely prefer Memrise over Duolingo because it does not limit how long you can practice at one time and does not require you to redeem points to extend your “life.” Another fantastic feature is that it allows you to go back to the words and phrases you are learning in a vocabulary bank at any time. This gives you more freedom to practice the phrases at your own pace or to practice writing them down or looking up the conjugations of verbs used if you wish. From what I can tell, in Duolingo you have to start a review session to see the words and you cannot choose which words it shows you to review, which means you only see the words briefly and are under a time constraint with the points system on Duolingo, it also means you may practice the same words several times and not be able to review the phrases you are most struggling with. One of the ways I get the most out of this app is taking out the verbs that I find in the vocabulary bank and going online to conjugate them and try to use the same verbs in different phrases. This allows you to learn the word completely and not just in the context of a few memorized phrases.

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Memrise also gives you access to more tools with the free version compared to other apps. The free version includes features such as an AI conversation chatbot to practice the words you are learning and a pronunciation practice where you focus solely on spoken language learning.

Overall, I highly recommend Memrise because it has all of the good parts of Duolingo, such as the various modes of practice, the introduction of basic phrases and a varied vocabulary, and a somewhat game-like feel, without limiting your practice. As mentioned above, it also gives you access to more features with the free version and allows you to review all vocabulary and phrases at your pace.