Therein lies the rub: uTalk doesn’t actually teach you a language, not in the traditional sense. This is almost unheard of by any other language education platform on the market. They boast lessons for native speakers for over 100 languages, making for over 20,000 possible language combinations. Spanish (Spain, Argentinian, and Latin American)Īnother feature they offer is that these languages are not exclusively taught in English.Punjabi (Indian and Pakistani) Romanian.If anything, the desktop version is modelled to act very similarly to a mobile app. There is no discernable difference between the desktop and mobile versions. It’s actually a desktop app you download, which means that you don’t have to be connected to the internet in order to proceed with your lessons.Īs with most programmes these days, the app also offers a mobile version for learning on the go. Unlike other language programmes, uTalk is not accessed via your web browser from your desktop. You can then use these uCoins to unlock further topics. To sweeten the deal, some of these achievements come with the added reward of uCoins. Playing for a certain amount of time, not playing for a certain amount of time. There are achievements for just about anything you can think of. When you hit certain milestones, you’ll earn an achievement. Those points accumulate towards your mastery of a certain topic. You can earn anywhere from 15 points to 100 points. The harder the exercise, the more points you’re eligible to earn. It’s a great way to hold yourself accountable for your own progress! uTalk's AchievementsĪny time you complete an exercise, you’ll earn points. You’ll have to mark for yourself whether you got it right or not. Once you finish recording, you’ll hear the narrator repeat the correct answer back to you. The recall game gives you the English phrase, and you have to record the appropriate translation without any further guidance. The second is a timed section where you’ll have to answer as many words correctly within a short period. Just like you’d use physical flashcards, speaking the phrases aloud in the visible stage helps identify words when they’re hidden. The first is your standard exercise of memorizing where pictures are and correctly matching them to the given word. The memory game is broken down into two phases. It challenges not only your ability to recall them but also to pronounce them. If you don’t pronounce the words correctly, you’ll have no hope of picking the correct answer. You repeat the words, and then your recordings are then used in the next game. The speaking game is unique in that it doesn’t just have you repeat the words. The hard game is the same exercise, just without the extra crutch of the words provided in written form. The easy game is so named because it provides you with the written words as they’re spoken. The easy game is your standard “listen to the word and select the correct picture” exercise. No computerised renditions in sight! You’re provided with all the words you’ll learn in that topic and given the chance to record yourself. In the phrase practice, you’ll hear both a male and female native speaker narrate the words for you. You’re given a word and a picture to associate it with. uTalk's ExercisesĪll six of the exercises share the same basic principle. But until such time as we can confirm that, it’s best just to see the feature for yourself. Presumably, the feature allows you to go back and review all words from all unlocked topics in your chosen language. This feature is limited to subscribed users only-you can’t purchase access with uCoins. Something to note: we weren’t able to test out the My Phrasebook option. Just a handful of topics that uTalk offers. But so long as you have access to other topics, you can practice as little or as much as you want. Each topic should take you about two to three hours to complete with a handful of repetitions. Speaking of topics, uTalk offers dozens upon dozens of different topics to focus on. As you play each game, you’ll earn points, otherwise known as uCoins (the app’s in-game currency, so to speak), and achievements, all of which serve to mark your progress and stimulate that feel-good dopamine. These games are the same regardless of which language or topic you’re studying. While carrying our research for this uTalk review, we discovered that the platform has six basic exercises: phrase practice, the easy game, the speaking game, the hard game, the memory game, and the recall game. Check out what uTalk has to offer What Can You Do On uTalk?

Utalk language examples