Leave a Review Babbel
Too complicated
I don’t even know many of the grammar rules with my native language, so being taught a foreign language by learning the rules of grammar and no immersion is both difficult and boring. I want very badly to learn French, but this teaching method is horrible. I’ve been using Babbel for two months now and I can’t reteach what I have “learned”, which is all the proof I need that this app has taught me nothing. I find myself frustrated more often than not because Babbel, so far at least, has not done a very good job teaching much in regards to which words, if not all, are masculine and which once are feminine, or how to spot the difference in text. I had to refer to google to understand and learn that it is only nouns that have a gender. I don’t know why Babbel wasn’t straight forward with that since they’re teaching method is all about grammar. This app also misses the mark on explaining formal and informal words. Instead, in the same exercise, you’ll find mixed in it both formal and informal words, both of which have the same meaning (although that’s not explained well) being used, with no explanation regarding the formality of each. I want to like this app, but I do not. If grammar is your thing, then you may enjoy this app, but otherwise you’ll find yourself bored and confused.Show lessMrlndC
Developer Response
Hi there! Thank you for your message. We are sorry to read that your experience with Babbel was not as expected. We have noted your comments and will take this feedback into account to be a better app in the future. Kind regards.Room for Improvement
I’m editing my review since I felt I was a bit too harsh the first time. I purchased a lifetime subscription and I’m a little let down that more effort hasn’t been put into the Babbel app. Their UI is a little clunky making it confusing to navigate. Your progress and the next lesson is presented in a way that’s kind of confusing and doesn’t make me feel accomplished. I moved to Babble from Duolingo and I really like that it has toned down gamification- especially that guilt tripping green owl. But I want some of that polish and well thought out UX back. Babble’s widget is boring on my Home Screen. The lessons could use more engaging mechanics and I feel the bland stock photography inserted to “help you remember” plays heavily into my aversion; stock photos aren’t effective and actually comes off as low effort and frustrating as it never relates well in the lesson. Overall, I think the groundwork is solid, it’s no frills which may be effective for some people, and you will learn a language doing the lessons while using other learning sources. I have ADHD and want to be engaged a bit more to keep me coming back. I think adding more/ better learning mechanisms would help the repetitiveness. Video, animations, back and forth conversation talking rather than just writing in answers. I’m glad I have babble to use as an extra tool for learning.Show lessBenDiAnna
Developer Response
Hi Ben! As stated before, we are sorry that your experience was not as you expected. We appreciate your review and every single detail you added. We will forward this to the different teams involved. We are truly grateful for your feedback, and we wish we could have a second chance to show you that we are indeed an app that cares about your learning progress. Thank you for reaching out to us 😌Actually, don’t like it, but maybe it’s just me.
This app uses a very traditional teaching model. Grammatical rules followed by exercises. It is more or less like a digital text book. I much prefer and believe that intuitive learning through immersion is much better. Here there is far too much explanation and technical grammar. If that is your thing, great, you will love this. But, if you are like me and find this far too boring and confusing because you don’t even know the nomenclature for grammatical concepts in your native language - and most people who have learned just by speaking don’t know the nomenclature - you will not like doing these exercises. Do you know what the subjunctive is? I don’t and I have a law degree and a masters in education. Consequently, I think a more intuitive, immersive, non-explanatory, game like system will do a better job of teaching you a language. If you are a grammar nerd, go for it. On the good side, I do like the Babbel podcast and stories. They are great for listening and assimilating the language. The speaking and listening practice are decent but too limited in that they do not involve dialogue. All in all, for what you get, this app is way too expensive. I unless there are major improvement to make it engaging and fun, I will be dropping it when my subscription expires. Instead, I will be talking to my Chat GPT friend and using the competing D app. Sorry, I really wanted to like it.Show lesstom de ariege
Developer Response
Hi there! Thank you for your message. We have noted your remarks and will definitely have a closer look to improve your general experience. Remember we are here to help you, keep up the good work and have a Happy Learning!