Free language learning websites: 10 useful places to start
Find a free course, useful listening and focused practice, then turn a small set of resources into a study routine.
By Denis M., British English teacher. Originally published .
There are more free language learning websites than most of us will ever use. The difficult part is choosing something useful, staying with it and actually using the language.
A long list can make you feel productive before you have learnt anything. You open a few tabs, save some links, and then spend tomorrow looking for a better list. I would start with something smaller: one course, one source of listening and one way to practise.
The ten resources below do different jobs. Some give you lessons to follow. Others help with a particular language, vocabulary or the writing system. Choose the job you need done first.
Check the prerequisites and try one available assignment.
Courses and structured study
1. OpenLearn
The Open University’s free language courses are a sensible place to look if you want a defined topic and a route through it. The catalogue includes several languages and lets you filter by level and course length.
Try this: choose a short introductory course whose description matches something you want to do. Complete its first activity before deciding whether to continue.
Keep in mind: an introductory course may cover a particular situation rather than a whole level. Read the learning outcomes instead of assuming that finishing one course makes you fluent.
2. The Live Lingua Project
Live Lingua’s free archive brings together course books and audio from sources including the Foreign Service Institute, Defense Language Institute and Peace Corps. It can be especially useful when you want materials for a language that receives less attention in mainstream apps.
Try this: find a course with both text and recordings. Work with one dialogue, listen, read, then answer a few of the prompts aloud.
Keep in mind: much of this is older material created for particular learners and situations. Some vocabulary and cultural examples may feel dated. Use the archive thoughtfully, and check contemporary usage when something seems unusual. The free archive is separate from Live Lingua’s paid teaching services.
3. Duolingo
Duolingo provides free language courses, with optional paid plans. Its short, game-like activities may suit you if getting started regularly is your main difficulty.
Try this: after an activity, close the app and make three sentences about yourself using something you practised. Can you still produce it without the choices on the screen?
Keep in mind: a streak tells you that you returned. It does not tell you everything about what you can now understand or say. Check the course available from your starting language, since the available routes differ.
4. MIT OpenCourseWare
MIT OpenCourseWare publishes free university course materials. Look in its language and cultural study areas if you want a more demanding reading or study project.
Try this: inspect the syllabus, prerequisites and available materials before choosing a course. Take one manageable reading or assignment, rather than trying to reproduce a university timetable on your first day.
Keep in mind: access to course materials does not mean enrolment at MIT, a qualification or personal feedback from the instructor. Some activities also assume access to books or classroom discussion.
Resources for particular languages
5. Deutsche Welle: German
DW’s Nicos Weg course uses a continuing story to support German study. The linked introduction leads to DW’s learning resources and explains the course’s approach.
Try this: use one short scene. First work out what the people want. Then choose two expressions you could use in a similar situation.
Keep in mind: watching the story and being able to use its language are different tasks. Make time for the exercises and your own spoken answers.
6. The French Experiment: French
The French Experiment offers free introductory lessons and children’s stories with audio. Familiar stories can give you a helpful starting point because you may already know what happens.
Try this: listen to one short passage, read it, then listen again. Retell just that part in simple French. You do not need to reproduce every sentence.
Keep in mind: the site also discusses commercial courses. The free lessons and stories are distinct from the products it recommends.
7. Practice Portuguese: European Portuguese
Practice Portuguese’s Shorties provide short recordings in European Portuguese. The provider’s access guide explains that the audio-only version is free, while membership adds features such as synchronised Portuguese and English transcripts.
Try this: use a short recording to notice the rhythm and catch familiar words. After two listens, say what you think the situation is and which part you still cannot follow.
Keep in mind: if you need a transcript to understand the recording, check whether that support is included before building your study plan around it. This resource focuses on Portuguese as spoken in Portugal.
8. BBC Learning English: English
BBC Learning English offers material for English learners, including programmes on language and everyday topics. Choose something short enough to revisit, rather than leaving a long recording running in the background.
Try this: listen for the main idea, check the available text or explanation, then give your own 30-second response to the topic.
Keep in mind: understanding the programme is one useful outcome. Being able to use an expression from it in a new situation is another. Give yourself a chance to do both.
Vocabulary and reference
9. Digital Dialects
Digital Dialects offers free games, flashcards and audio activities across many languages. It is a straightforward option when you want focused practice with a small vocabulary topic.
Try this: choose one topic, complete an activity and write five words from memory. Then use those you need in short phrases or sentences.
Keep in mind: recognising a word in a game does not guarantee you will retrieve it in conversation. Add a small task without prompts.
10. Omniglot
Omniglot is a reference for writing systems, languages and useful phrases. It is particularly handy when you want to understand how an unfamiliar script is organised.
Try this: look up the writing system of your chosen language. Start with a small group of symbols and use a suitable beginner lesson to see how they work in words.
Keep in mind: a reference page answers a question. It does not choose your next lesson or respond to your pronunciation. Pair it with a course or listening resource.
What does “free” actually include?
Before registering, check whether you are opening a public lesson, joining an ongoing free plan or starting a trial. They are not the same thing.
Public material: you can use the named resource, but other parts of the site may be paid.
A limited free plan: some activities remain available, while extra features or access require payment.
A trial: access lasts for a set period. Check whether payment details are required and whether billing starts automatically.
You do not need to buy something just because you have reached the end of its sample. Decide whether the extra feature solves a problem you actually have.
Turn your choice into a small study plan
Try this for one week. Choose a main resource and use it for four short sessions. Keep a note of three useful expressions. After each session, say or write something of your own with one of them.
For example, a French beginner could use one introductory lesson from The French Experiment, then return to a short story passage for listening. Someone studying German could stay with one Nicos Weg section long enough to understand the scene and answer its questions.
At the end of the week, ask yourself: “What can I understand or say now that I could not do before?” If you cannot answer, change the task before adding five more websites.
Make your choice
Finish these sentences aloud or in writing:
The language I want to work on is…
The situation I want to handle better is…
I will use… to practise…
By the end of the week, I want to be able to…
Example: “I want to work on French. I want to introduce myself more easily. I will use an introductory lesson to prepare a short introduction, then practise saying it without reading.”
About this guide: the access notes were checked against the providers’ public information on 16 September 2026. Each provider link identifies the source for its description. The suggested tasks are original study ideas for this article; this is not a ranking based on completing every course. Access and paid features can change.
Which do you think is more hard-wearing from the choice of these two?
By Denis M., British English teacher. Originally published .
A great compound adjective
hard-wearing
Hard-wearing means strong, durable, resilient.
Which kind of material do you think is more hard-wearing?
Which do you think is more hard-wearing from the choice of these two?
A solid wooden cup.
A porcelain or ceramic cup.
It can be tricky. Of course, wood is subject to decay, however if you drop a wooden cup, it is hardly going to break, whereas the ceramic cup will smash in an instant. Wood, it’s natural, it’s hard-wearing. Actually, it’s a good choice.
But, hard-wearing in what way?
That is the question that makes the comparison more interesting. I was thinking about dropping the cup. But dropping something is only one kind of damage. What about washing it every day, scratching the surface, or using it for years?
My original example makes the choice sound more definite than it really is. A ceramic cup will not necessarily break every time it falls. A wooden cup is not automatically the better choice either. The particular cup, its finish and the way you use it all matter.
So, when we call something hard-wearing, we usually mean that it stands up well to repeated use. We are not saying that nothing can damage it. Natural, hard, and hard-wearing are different ideas.
Put it into a sentence
“I need some hard-wearing shoes. I walk a lot, and I don’t want to replace them every few months.”
“We chose a hard-wearing carpet for the stairs because everyone walks up and down them all day.”
Notice the pattern: a hard-wearing material, or this material is hard-wearing. If you compare two things, say more hard-wearing. The hyphen helps the two words work together as one adjective.
What would you choose?
Go back to the two cups. Give your choice, but this time explain what you want the cup to cope with.
“I would choose the wooden cup for ___ because ___. But I would choose the ceramic cup for ___ because ___.”
You can say your answer aloud on your own, or discuss it with someone. If you are not sure which material would last longer, that is fine. Explain what you would need to find out. That makes a more useful answer than simply saying that one is better.
