There’s a particular moment in every language app user’s journey when things go stale. The streak is intact, the cartoons are still chirping and yet you still can’t actually order a coffee abroad without panic-smiling and pointing at a menu.
The problem, it turns out, isn’t discipline. It’s conversation.
Preply, the online language learning platform connecting more than 100,000 tutors across 90-plus languages and 120 subjects, is betting that fluency doesn’t come from tapping screens. It comes from talking to another human being who will absolutely notice if you just conjugated “to go” incorrectly.
According to platform research, 41% of self-study app users never speak with others in their new language because they lack confidence, while 54% say those apps limit their progress due to the absence of real-world interaction.
Preply’s answer is disarmingly simple — bring the humans back.
Lessons take place in a live 50-minute online classroom, where learners connect with expert tutors who match their goals, budget and even time zone, with sessions starting around $10. AI tools layer in support, but the core experience is still unglamorous in the best way: conversation, correction, repeat.
The results are hard to ignore:
- 96% of students say a real conversation with a tutor is essential to progress
- 86% credit a single great teacher with changing their life.
Preply’s thesis is that the fastest way to speak a language isn’t to practice alone — it’s to finally stop practicing alone. So, save the gamification learning apps for the folks who don’t have any travel plans and give Preply a try. You may be shocked at the results if you stick with it.
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