Drops Review

In order to do this, I needed an app that met specific requirements, and after much research (and a free trial period), I chose Drops.

Here is why you DEFINITELY need to download drops if you are trying to learn any of the languages they offer.

1 - No Translations

There are lots of studies that show that using translations slows down language acquisition. With Drops, there aren’t any translations unless you tap an image for it. I like that it’s hidden away, but there if I need to make sure that the image I click on is the one I want. (There are some images that are quite close together). I also like that there is a way to turn off Latinisation with languages that use another script, much like using translations, which is something that is shown to slow language acquisition.

2 - Native Speakers

All of the words have a matching sound bite read by native speakers. Sometimes you need to match the sound to the images. But each time a word is chosen correctly, it is read allowed. This means that your ears are being trained as you’re learning the words and phrases. It also means that you learn how the word is pronounced regardless of how it is spelt. It’s also a great shortcut to your brain seeing the word as a symbol rather than individual letters. This is the key to reading quickly, being able to read allowed, and knowing how words are sounded regardless of how they are spelt.

3 - Images of Concepts

The images they use to represent words are graphics rather than pictures. This is great because it helps to relate to concepts more easily. Pomme is the word for an apple, not a specific type of apple. Some of the graphics are even animated when they are demonstrating more complex ideas. Either way, I have found that I spend far less time trying to guess what the picture is trying to represent.

4 - Short Sessions

The free version of Drops limits the sessions to five minutes each. With the paid version, you can make them a little longer, but I don’t recommend it. The five minutes is the perfect length for you to get into a grove without losing focus. If you want more, you can recommit and do another session. Language learning can be tedious, so it can be so boring and repetitive if you do it too long. Sometimes five minutes is all you can stand. Some days those five-minute sessions have added up to over two hours by the end of the day.

5 - Teaches Basic Spelling

Sometimes this can be a downside. When I’ve first learned a word or phrase, I sometimes don’t know where to even start. However, I do appreciate that I am made to spell things out sometimes. It helps me learn the words the way I will (hopefully) be using them. If I want to really be comfortable in a language, then being able to type up an email or write a text would be a huge boon. This also makes it easier to find a language partner in your target language. Many of the free exchanges start with you and a language partner shooting a few messages to see if you would be a good fit. Typing when you’re constantly worried about spelling is stressful. Because the spelling is only occasional, it helps practice without it being something I’m stressing over or trying to force myself to memorise.

6 - Grammer Patterns

Constantly seeing phrases that you might need will also teach you the order words go in subconsciously. This will help you assimilate grammar rules much like you did in your mother tongue. This will take several phrases repeated over time to kick it, but it does mean that eventually, you will put words in order because that’s the order they go in rather than thinking it out. Spaced repetition can take over a year for it to fully work, but I found that I started to get the grammar benefits after a month or two.

7 - Sorted by topic

This is something that is great if you’re learning a language for a particular purpose, but it’s also great at jump-starting learning through immersion. If you’re learning a language because you’re moving for work or school or even if you’re just going on vacation, then you can learn the words and phrases that would be most useful to you. If not, then you can learn the words that are going to be used in a video or book that you want to consume. I like to watch an episode of a show or a YouTube video, then do a session or two on a relevant topic to learn the vocab from the video. Then I rewatch the video to see if I can hear the words in context. Sometimes I will go back and learn another topic that was also covered and then watch the video a third time. Rewatching videos can help your brain comprehend more of the content. Reviewing by topic jump starts this. It also gives your brain a foothold of understanding and helps remind your brain to understand that it’s important to try to understand.