These days, language-learning apps are a very popular option to learn a new language like Spanish. And there are many apps to choose from like Mondly, Duolingo, Rosetta Stone or Memrise.
Babbel is a popular option for learning Spanish so I had to test it out. I’m a polyglot, and I can speak 8 languages fairly well.
I know the course requirements to get you learning a language, so let’s see how Babbel fared in teaching me Spanish.
This guide will also help you decide whether it’s worthwhile learning Spanish with Babbel.
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The Babbel Registration Process
The Babbel registration process is easy.
On the Babbel homepage, you can click on “Sign up” in the top right corner or click on the language you want to start learning under “Which language do you want to speak?”
I chose the second option, which took me to a page informing me that I need to answer some questions.
Babbel asks a total of 9 questions. You’ll be asked:
1. Why do you want to learn Spanish?
2. Do you know any Spanish?
3. What are you looking to achieve?
4. How much time do you want to commit to learning Spanish?
5. What’s your learning style?
6. How old are you?
7. How did you hear about Babbel?
8. What’s your name?
9. What’s your email?
With the first 6 questions, you get stats about Babbel to convince you about how effective this learning solution is, such as these:
Next, Babbel lets you know that your account has been created.
Choose your subscription option, Babbel Self-Study or Babbel Live, and then you’re sent to the payment page.
I didn’t want to share my payment information with Babbel (just yet), so I typed “babbel.com” in my browser’s search bar and I got to the Spanish learning homepage.
You can take a free trial of all the languages Babbel has on offer.
On the Spanish homepage, I can select whether I want to learn Spanish (Spain) or Spanish (Mexico), check out the first lesson or the learning plan, and more.
If I did pay for a subscription, I had 20 days to ask for a refund. But the subscription gave me access to both Spanish languages, when in fact, one subscription on Babbel = one language that you can learn.
Learning Spanish on Babbel: How Does It Work Exactly?
Spanish is one of the 14 languages you can learn on Babbel.
When you learn Spanish on Babbel, you have to decide whether you want the Self-Study or Live subscription (read also: How Much Does Babbel Cost?). There’s a huge difference in pricing, with Babbel Live costing US$99 per month and Babbel Self-Study costing US$13.95 per month (not discounted).
The Self-Study option gives you access to interactive lessons, games, videos, and a review feature, while the Live subscription gives you all that and unlimited live group lessons.
You can also use Babbel’s Toucan feature, the podcasts, the blog, and Babbel Magazine to help you learn.
When you study a language on Babbel, you learn via memorization, translation, and immersion. Every lesson is centered around real-life conversations to teach you authentically.
Babbel’s Self-Study Lessons
The Spanish lessons on Babbel are interactive, and you can complete them on the Babbel website or via the mobile app (available for Android and iOS devices).
The lessons follow a standard format with a range of exercises you complete. For example, the first Spanish lesson is quite basic and you learn and practice 4 phrases. Most of the exercises are comprehension and listening-based, but there’s some writing too where you have to “sort the items” to put the words or phrases together.
There’s a clear learning plan, and you can see how the lessons progress.
Skip ahead when you choose “courses by level” or focus on something specific by choosing “courses by topic.”
For the first lesson, there are 8 main exercises, but in each, you complete between 2 to 4 sub-exercises for a total of 27 exercises.
The lesson “Greet people and say goodbye” started with some “guess the meaning” exercises.
I also got a language tip for “hola,” which I liked.
I also had to sort the items, so I put words like “hola” or the phrase “bien, gracias” together.
Then it took me back to the payment screen since I was on the free trial (#annoying).
Begin learning a new language with Babbel! 🌟 Unlock up to 55% OFF your Babbel subscription today!
Live Lessons on Babbel
Plus, if you cancel less than 24 hours in advance, you may be charged a fee, and if you are a no-show, you may also pay extra.
How Babbel Motivates You to Learn Spanish?
There are a few ways that Babbel motivates you to learn Spanish:
- There are various supplemental materials, such as the Culture Bits, Grammar Guide, and Games, you can use.
- If you enjoy the live classesand find an instructor or teacher you like, that in itself can be motivating.
- You can earn rewards when you “give your friends the gift of Babbel.”
- You get notifications on your phone to remind you to learn.
- Set goals in the My Activity section to keep you encouraged.
- The Review section is great because you can do a Daily Vocab Workout, review what you’ve learned, and see how frequently you’ve reviewed this.
Advantages of Learning Spanisch With Babbel
- You can choose whether you want to learn Spanish from Latin America or Spain.
- Try Babbel out with the free trial and navigate through the first couple of lessons, 2 live classes, and some supplemental materials.
- Various supplemental materials, such as a grammar guide, audio practice, Babbel Magazine, and a web extension for an immersive internet-search experience are available.
- Great for complete beginners, those who dabble in language-learning, and intermediate learners who are interested in reviewing the basics.
- The subscription options are affordable, especially if you opt for Babbel Self-Study.
- The lessons are interactive with a variety of exercises. This gives you lots of practice, especially with the conversation and comprehension exercises.
- The lessons can be completed in 5 to 10-minutes daily.
- The Review feature helps you review what you’ve learned.
- There are various features to keep you motivated.
You get language tips as you complete the exercises. - The audio is recorded by natives, ensuring you are exposed to natural language usage and pronunciation.
Disadvantages
- Babbel promises that you’ll be conversational in as little as 3 weeks; however, this is highly unlikely. You may be able to introduce yourself and hold other very basic conversations, but that’s it. Of course, being conversational depends on how much time you spend learning and practicing, whether you can practice with real people, how much Spanish you’ve been exposed to, and a few other factors.
- And with that promise, you’d think that Babbel would focus more on including speaking exercises into each lesson. But that’s not the case at all. You can’t hone your speaking skills on Babbel with limited speaking exercises in lessons.
- Babbel doesn’t share that it offers a free trial.
- While you can practice your pronunciation and speaking skills, you don’t get any personalized feedback, making it challenging to know whether you are indeed pronouncing words correctly or how to improve.
- Babbel isn’t suitable for advanced learners since the course material doesn’t extend that far. The material for “Spain” Spanish goes up to a C1 level but there are only 2 courses at that level, and for Latin American Spanish, you can learn up to an A2 (or Beginner) level.
- The Babbel Live subscription is pricey, especially considering you can hire a tutor for less (on a platform like iTalki) and enjoy one-on-one attention. Plus, in a class of 6, it limits how much time you get to practice your Spanish skills.
- The placement test may not be accurate because it asks you to rate how well you think you know XYZ.
- If you aren’t honest and self-aware, you may overvalue how much you really know (and the opposite is true, too, where you undervalue what you know). It would be better to do an actual language test to gauge a learner’s knowledge of a language for accurate placement.
- You can only learn one language with a Babbel subscription. The good news is that you get access to Spain and Latin American Spanish with one Babbel subscription, but if you want to learn Italian and/or French, for example, you’d need 2 to 3 subscriptions, making Babbel a very expensive language-learning platform.
Begin learning a new language with Babbel! 🌟 Unlock up to 55% OFF your Babbel subscription today!
My Verdict: Learning Spanish on Babbel Is Worthwhile
Babbel is a good option if you want to get started with your language studies. You’ll master the basics and get some insights into the culture of the target language.
However, with limited speaking practice and no pronunciation feedback (unless you join the live classes), it’s highly unlikely that you’ll be conversational in as little as 21 days of studying Spanish.
To really learn a language, feel comfortable speaking and writing it, and express your ideas fluently, you must use every tool at your disposal. Use Babbel as a starting point, but also ensure you immerse yourself in all things Spanish-related to learn and improve your Spanish.
If you want to read my other app reviews about learning Spanish, you can find them here: “Spanish with Duolingo: Is it Effective for Spanish Language Learning?” and “Spanish with Mondly: Can I Recommend This App?“.
If you enjoyed my article, please feel free to share it. Have any questions? Don't hesitate to email me!
Disclaimer: I select and review independently. If you buy through affiliate links, I may earn commissions that help support my testing at no extra cost to you. Please read my full disclosure for more information.
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