The best apps for practising Chinese online

We live in the age of technology, mobile apps and social media. We tend to spend hours with our smartphones and tablets, we use them for entertainment, on the way to work or in our free time, so why not use them for educational purposes as well?

When it comes to language learning, mobile applications are the ideal complement to help you boost and consolidate your knowledge. Chinese is no less and, thanks to its popularity, it has hundreds of applications that will help you to be prepared for your online Chinese classes. If you still don't know how you can learn Chinese with online classes, don't miss this article in which we give you the keys.

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We are going to compile our favourite apps for learning Chinese online, read on if you want to find the fun part of learning this ancient language.

How to choose an app to learn Chinese

As we have said, there is so much variety and so many options that it is normal to have doubts. It is important that you choose a reliable online Chinese language learning app because your learning will depend on it. If you don't know where to start, we advise you to look at the following points before downloading an app.

Connection: the good thing about Chinese learning apps is that you can use them whenever and wherever you want. They are very useful for spending downtime on the way to work, when you are in a queue waiting or while travelling. Therefore, it is important that the app allows you to use the main actions without being connected to the internet, so you don't waste internet and you can learn Chinese wherever you go.
Active learning: choose an app that allows you to learn, don't choose a translator because you will be bored. The app should encourage you to think, propose exercises that challenge your knowledge of Chinese and even provide you with some notes or theoretical tips so that you can better understand why things happen. We recommend that you look for an app that allows you to play games and take advantage of the fun part of learning Chinese online.
Levels: it is just as important that you choose an application that offers you activities according to your level of Chinese as it is that it has a structure with which you can progress and see how you are gradually moving up in level. This will help you to stay motivated with your online Chinese classes.

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The 5 best apps for your online Chinese classes

1. FluentU: This is one of the most popular language learning apps. Its structure is very well designed and it offers you language learning through audiovisual content from current Chinese news, such as music videos, current news, etc. It offers a large amount of content in Chinese, there is enough content for all levels, and it can be classified according to your personal interests. It is an application with which you will learn culture and Chinese without even realising it.

2. Pleco: This is the most complete Chinese-English dictionary there is. But it is not only a dictionary, you will find many more possibilities in this application, you will have the option to practice your writing level thanks to the live handwriting recognition, you will enjoy flashcard games, as well as the possibility of listening to the pronunciation of the words in the most correct Chinese.

Start today your online chinese lessons

3. ChineseSkill: one of our favourite apps, it allows you to learn Chinese online from scratch. You can choose between different study topics, memorise these words related to the topic you have chosen and, once you recognise them, you can start doing practical exercises with them. Moreover, it has one of the most important points we have mentioned: a playful part that allows you to take your online Chinese lessons as a game. It is a reliable application as it follows the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

4. Hello chinese: it is a perfect application to practice pronunciation thanks to its voice recognition system, highly recommended for people who want to learn Chinese from scratch. It has a fundamental aspect and it allows you to visualise your level of Chinese as it is divided into different levels, this will allow you to keep your motivation high as you will see how you move on to the next stages of the application as you progress in your online Chinese classes. In addition, this application goes one step further and deals with aspects related to the culture behind the Chinese language.

5. Classgap: although it has an app, its strong point is the website where you will find hundreds of teachers who will make you enjoy your journey learning Chinese online. Thanks to the advantages of online education you can choose whether you want to learn Chinese with a native teacher who teaches you from their own home in China or, on the contrary, if you want to take classes with someone who understands your language. The best part is undoubtedly the virtual classroom, an online platform fully equipped with everything you need to make your online Chinese classes a complete experience.

Do you want to know how it works? It's very simple, just follow the steps below:

Search and choose the teacher that best suits you.
Book a class through the calendar in their profile.
Some of them have a free trial option, use it to get to know each other and present your goals.
Once the class starts you will be able to access the virtual classroom to enjoy all its tools.
When the class is over, don't forget to rate the teacher.

What is the Classgap virtual classroom? It is an online environment that is equipped with all the tools you need to have a great experience. You will find the following features to make your online Chinese class complete:

Screen sharing option during the video call.
The virtual whiteboard to make the class more visual
Option to share and edit documents at the same time
The tool to share links to files or Youtube links