Free programs for learning languages

To begin with, I want to warn those who consider programs for learning languages ​​a kind of panacea that will help you master the language in perfection, as if by magic. Learning a foreign language is work, programs can ease it, but without practice you will not learn the language.

Different programs for learning languages ​​are used in different aspects of learning. Some help to learn new words ormaster the rules of grammar, some serve to form the correct pronunciation, some help to improve the skills of reading and listening. Finally, there are test programs that allow you to check already acquired knowledge. Since there are a lot of training programs, we will only talk about some of them.

One of the most famous programs that help in learning a foreign language is Anki. This cross-platform application allows create flash cards for learning foreign words. Cards can be combined into decks by themes andcustomize the properties of the deck and card templates. You can download ready-made decks from the Internet. There are decks for different languages ​​created by users of the program. Decks can be placed on the server in order to synchronize them with several computers on which the program is installed. In addition to versions for a regular computer, there are versions of Anki for mobile devices running Android OS, Windows Mobile / Windows CE, iOS or supporting j2me.

Of course, you can not do without studying dictionaries. A free alternative to a really good, but not cheap ABBYY Lingvo can become StarDict. This dictionary supports word search bytemplate, fuzzy query function and full-text search. With this program you can search in online dictionaries, as well as full-text translation (thanks to integration with Internet services, such as Google translator, Yahoo interpreter, Excite Japan translator for Eastern languages). It is possible to scan selected and manage dictionaries, as well as to listen to the pronunciation of words. On the Internet you can download more than 500 dictionaries of various subjects for more than 40 languages; For the application, dictionaries from other free programs were also ported, as well as free dictionaries created by users of ABBYY Lingvo. An online version of the StarDict dictionary is also available.

Of course, very many programs for learning languages ​​are designed mainly in English. So, English Trainer is designed to help you understand English. There are two versions of this free program forlearning English: complete (with sound comments) and ultra-small (only tasks, without sound). To work with this program is simple: you are offered an English phrase and options for translating into Russian (or vice versa). Your task is to choose the right option. If you answered incorrectly, you can immediately read the correct answer. You can adjust the direction of translation, the number of tasks in one exam, the time devoted to finding the right answer. A list of all jobs (about 6000 of them) and statistics is available. There is also a mode for repeating the passed.

And the application FVords is intended for those who study English and German. There are several modes of learning the language. The usual regime is in the usualchoice of options, but this takes into account the psychology of memorization. The tasks of the "Course" should be performed strictly sequentially, and the tasks of the "Tournament" with examples and advice are given in scatter. Both modes include tips and tasks from Longman. The "Book" mode is a parallel reading of books in the original and translations, accompanied by commentaries and a subscript dictionary. And in the mode "Prompter" you can listen to English words and phrases. Also available modes are "Folding", "Control", "Frequency", "Word order", "Spelling" and "Extreme translation".

There are also specific free programs for learning languages, "sharpened" for rarer foreign languages. Among them you can call, for example, eVortraro - Free Esperanto-Russian-Esperant dictionary - and Japanese Trainer - a program-simulator designed for memorizing Japanese syllabic alphabet (katakana and hiragana).

Of course, there are other programs for learning languages, including online translators. It is best to use several programs in the complex, so that they "hedge" each other. But one of the most important aspects of language learning - live communication - will not be replaced by any program.