My kids have been having fun with Duolingo for a while. I like that it lets them explore different languages and hear them. I was very disappointed today when my 12 year old was asked to translate “The man has a husband.”
What alternatives have you found that aren’t going to do something like that? Is there a language program that compares but is politically incorrect? 🙂
Curious if you found an alternative that is free? I’m also looking for alternatives to Duolingo. Right now I am looking at using italki, but its a paid tutoring session with a native speaker. I was also looking at Rosetta Stone, but it’s expensive if you have a big family.
We have been using The ULAT for the past year, and I just love it. It is an immersion program, created by a retired missionary – there are a few quirks here and there, it takes a good bit of time to complete a level, and it isn’t as easy or professional as duolingo, but my kids are actually learning. We are doing Spanish, and they also offer French – the teacher only speaks in the language being taught but somehow makes himself understood and makes you laugh too – brilliant. $60 a year, I think, but that gives you access for the whole family (and I think renewal is just $40 a year). Plus the first 15 lessons are free if you want to try before you buy. Highly recommend.
The Spanish/French/Italian/German Experiment websites have free beginner lessons.
Easy Peasy All-in-one Homeschool has free Spanish lessons.
You could check the Mason’s Living Languages site for ideas of what to include and then make your own curriculum using free readers and primers from archive.org or Project Gutenberg, folksongs on YouTube, and check out board books and early readers from the library. No, it’s not like DuoLingo, but it’s free. If you want to hear the language, you could always enter sentences in Google Translate. Or listen to the Bible in your chosen language. 🙂