You have probably heard of the app Babbel, it is a fairly popular language learning app. I thought I would give it a try today since all the reviews rave about how great the site is and a lot of individuals have found success with it. It allowed me to create an account for free, which I was fairly impressed with. Once logged in, there was a test to "find your learning level" for the language you want to learn. I really liked this feature because it allows individuals with some knowledge to start a little bit ahead of those with no knowledge. The "my activity" feature on the side is a great touch and an awesome way to set goals and keep track of your process throughout the lessons. Since I have some Italian knowledge behind me, they placed me in the beginner section, which is one above those who have no knowledge of Italian. I started with beginner section one - course one. This lesson stated that it would go over drinks that are found in restaurants. The lesson began by introducing the drinks we would be discussing throughout the lesson. To introduce them, the app showed a photo as well as the saying. After the speaker on the app said the word, I would repeat it and the app would listen to what I was saying. If I was unable to repeat the word properly, I wasn't able to move on from the page. I highly enjoyed this feature as it ensured that I was repeating the word properly. After learning to say the words, I was asked to correctly translate them into English. I found this step very helpful because it ensured that I knew what the Italian words meant in English. The next step in the lesson allowed me to make the connection between the photo and the Italian words, while getting me to finish the sentence. This step was helpful in showing me how the words would be used in a sentence. The fourth step in the lesson was my favorite! I had to listen to a conversation in Italian while answering the questions that were prompted below. This was great to build my skills on picking out words within a conversation so I can get the gist of what is being said. This section also made me remember how fast people speak in Italian so it really had me focused and got my brain thinking. Step five went over the masculine and feminine identifications that are used prior to the words. This seems to be a key aspect in Italian and it is an important aspect of the language to understand. I feel as though I still can't fully grasp the concepts, but I know as I continue my education in Italian, I will get the hang of it! Another great exercise with male and female identifiers was the "listen and choose the correct answer". In this step, I listened to a sentence and had to choose which identifier would be applied in the sentence. This allowed me to decipher between the male and female identifiers as well as understand what to look for within a sentence to know which one would be appropriate to use. I completed this lesson with a 33/37. Not 100%, but I am very impressed with my progress thus far! As I went to go start the second lesson, it prompted me to pay for a membership. I was very disappointed that I was only able to finish one lesson before being asked to buy a subscription. I don't think the prices are bad for the subscription, but I cannot justify spending the money when I wasn't able to get a thorough feel for the website. Overall, I believe this was a really great experience as it chose key words to focus on and ensured that the learner understood the words and how they are used in Italian by the end of the lesson. At this point, I don't know if I would pay for a subscription, but it is definitely something I would consider. I created a little video of me going through the words that were important in this lesson. Since the lesson only focused on four key words, there wasn't a whole lot for me to verbally show you guys, but I hope you enjoy!
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