As I’ve been giving
Speakly a proper test drive this week, I’ve decided to forego the daily updates (which would be a bit too tedious, both to read and to write!).
Here’s a mini review of Speakly, followed by the usual daily breakdowns. Compared to other apps I’ve used over the years, Speakly stands out. There’s a lot less handholding, especially when compared to the most well known alternatives: Duolingo, Rosetta Stone, etc. No, this is not your typical language learning
edutainment app.
Speakly throws you into the deep end of the pool fairly quickly, and expects you to mostly figure things out for yourself. In other words, no high fives and "good jobs" given here every time you match an image of a girl with the word “girl” for what feels like the 75th time (if you ever used other apps, I'm sure you can relate). Instead, you are very quickly entrusted with a solid wall of text to read (and listen to) …and told that it’s okay not to understand. The idea is to keep listening, adding more words, and slowly figuring out how things work.
There’s also a rudimentary grammar section, which goes for a quick overview of the most relevant concepts. Perhaps some LLORG members will find this grammar section lacking, but I personally appreciated the straight to the point, no frills, approach. It's a good starting point.
The app’s main flaw, in my opinion, is that there isn’t enough variety in terms of what's on offer. I’d like to see more midsize listening pieces and conversational exchanges (let's say 8-12 sentences) thrown into the mix. It can get a bit monotonous at times – you’re mostly spending your time learning small word clusters while deciphering the latest “unlocked” wall of text. That being said, it seems that the app’s creators are passionate about the project, and actively improving it. So, I’m expecting it to improve over time.
In general, my recommendation would be to give it a shot, but expect to use it in combination with something else (maybe Assimil and a more serious grammar book?). That’s how I will try to get the most out of it.
In any case, I highly recommend it. It’s really worth taking a look, I got a chance to try it using the 7-day free trial currently available on their website. And now I’m upgrading to a 6-month paid membership.
For those who would like to try it for longer than 7 days,
I can offer anyone my personal invite link for a 30 day free trial. Hope it doesn’t go against LLORG rules to share it (but if it does, mods feel free to remove it).
Please note, I’m not affiliated with Speakly in any way, and do not get paid for promoting them. However, full disclosure, I believe there is currently some small perk (2 extra weeks towards my subscription?) should anyone use my link. If you do not want to use it, the regular 7 day trial is available without any special link directly on their website.And with that out of the way, it’s time for the usual daily roundup (in brief):
TUESDAY, 23 FEBRUARY 2021Speakly (≈33 min)
WEDNESDAY, 24 FEBRUARY 2021Speakly (≈30 min)
THURSDAY, 25 FEBRUARY 2021Speakly (≈32 min)
FRIDAY, 26 FEBRUARY 2021Speakly (≈40 min)
SATURDAY, 27 FEBRUARY 2021Speakly; SRS (≈32 min)
SUNDAY, 28 FEBRUARY 2021Speakly (≈31 min)
Che ne pensi?What do you think?
why is it “ne”??
Queste non sono le mie coseThese are not my things
Questa è una cattiva idea.This is a bad idea.
Ti piace il tuo lavoro?Do you like your job?
Scusa, non ti sento beneSorry, I can’t hear you well
Quando vai a Roma?When are you going to Rome?
Sei stato a Roma?Have you ever been to Rome?
Lui ha troppi libri a casa suaHe has too many books in his house
Come si dice in italiano?How do you say that in Italian?
Questi sono i miei amiciThese are my friends
io sono in un bar in centroI’m at a cafe downtown
io vengo con piacereI’m glad to come
(Lit. I will come with pleasure)
). I don’t know why I haven’t thought of hunting down a copy for Italian earlier. What I really like about Sch is the simplicity of presentation, combined with many, many examples, certainly way more than is necessary! (≈4h)