Mango Languages covers a broad range of dialects from across the globe, from French and Italian to Igbo and Malayalam. But how far can you go in your language learning journey using just this software?
In this Mango Languages review, we delve into the range and depth of learning materials that the platform offers its users. We’ve included what to expect from the course, how to get your head around its pricing, and included a few alternative platforms if Mango Languages isn't the one for you.
Our Verdict
Mango Languages has the potential and technology behind it to become a top pick for learners of more than 70 languages. Its huge selection of regional languages makes this a good choice for those hoping to learn a language that is a little out of the ordinary.
However, with limited depth on some courses, it's not always the all-encompassing course you might be looking for.
TL;DR Mango Languages Review
In case you want the quick pros and cons of Mango Languages, here's a list.
PROS
- Covers more than 70 languages including Koine Greek and Biblical Hebrew.
- Advanced algorithms remember and adapt to your learning habits.
- High audio quality for crisp lessons.
- Pattern highlighting encourages organic learning rather than learning rules.
CONS
- Limited course depth in some language courses.
- Style of learning can get very repetitive.
- Very few courses go beyond beginner level.
- Only surface level grammar explanations
- Google Translate plugin isn't always accurate.
What is Mango Languages?
Mango Languages is an online platform that uses advanced technology to adapt to your studying habits. Through quality audio lessons, Mango gives you the chance to enhance your listening, reading and speaking skills in over 70 languages. Discover the ins and outs of the platform in this Mango Languages review.
What Can You Do On Mango Languages?
Mango Languages divides its language courses into units. Each unit contains a number of different topic-based chapters, and within those chapters, bite-sized lessons.
Interactive Audio Lessons
Interactive, conversational audio lessons form the core of Mango Languages’ learning platform. All of the lessons follow a similar format.
Firstly, you’ll be given a list of conversational topics along with a grammatical subject for the lesson. Afterwards, you’ll be prompted to listen to a conversation in your target language.
Then, the learning begins! The platform will guide you through a script of the conversation, breaking the dialogue down sentance by sentance and translating it into English.
On the same screen, you’ll find coloured buttons that control the audio. The blue button will repeat a section of the conversation for you, while the green will repeat the audio in your target language.
A newly added orange button will allow you to practice saying set phrases outline and compare them with the pre-recorded audio.
Personalised Review System
By tracking learner’s own learning behaviours, Mango Languages offers users a personalised review system. This system encourages learners to complete lessons at their own pace through daily learning sessions.
Enrichment and Reinforcement
As you make your way through the lessons, you’ll come across a number of different reinforcement activities. These are designed to help you retain the information you’ve learnt in previous lessons.
Listen, Say It, and Compare!
Mango Languages' voice recognition is a great feature that allows you to repeat content out loud within the main lesson. The orange button with the microphone icon allows you to compare accuracy against the narrator(s) of the lesson.
Tick, Tick, Tick.
After you’re introduced to a number of words, a timed prompt – ‘How do you say X?’ will appear. Your goal here is to guess the answer before the time elapses. The answer is displayed and pronounced at the end of the interval. If you’re certain of your answer, there’s no need to wait. Click the orange ‘Show answer’ button. This game is designed to get you thinking on your feet – just like you would in a real-life conversation!
Cultural and Grammar Notes
These notes are short, relevant, and don’t overwhelm you with information or point to obscure details that you will never use. However, these snippets aren't substantial enough to teach you thorough grammar rules in your chosen language.
Flashcards
Spaced repetition algorithm-based flashcards are available to help you reinforce the material that you've learnt in previous lessons.
Recap It!
The last lesson at the end of each chapter is an opportunity to revisit the chapter’s theme before moving on. This gives you another opportunity to reinforce everything you've just been taught.
Video and Chill
French, Spanish, and a few other popular languages contain an ‘Explore’ menu. Here you'll find a selection of videos in your chosen language, complete with English subtitles. So far, the selection of audio-visuals is quite limited, and there's definitely room for improvement for this feature.
What Does Mango Languages Look Like?
Mango Languages is available on a desktop computer or as an app on a tablet or phone. The interface is clean, simple, and relatively easy to navigate across different devices. Upon logging in, the dashboard will show your current progress and allow you to resume practice where you left off.
Who is Mango Languages Best For?
Mango Languages is well suited for absolute beginners looking for well-organised, interactive lessons. However, Intermediate or experienced language learners may not find the content challenging enough.
Part of the effectiveness of this resource lies in repetition. Words and short phrases become easy to recall during the course of a fairly short lesson. Unlike some platforms, it does not simply ask you to repeat an individual word in a predictable manner. Instead, it links words in increasingly complex but manageable sentences. Perfect for any one new to a language.
What Languages Can You Learn On Mango Languages?
One reason why Mango Languages stands heads and shoulders above the rest is for the huge variety of languages it offers.
As well as popular language choices such as French, Spanish and German, Mango Languages also offers some unusual option including Serbian, Korean, Thai and Vietnamese. In fact, they take it one step further by including an impressive choice of dialectical languages too including Yiddish, Igbo, Cherokee and even Shakespearean English.
Here’s a full list of the languages on offer:
- Egyptian Arabic
- Iraqi Arabic
- Levantine Arabic
- Modern Arabic
- Armenian
- Azerbaijani
- Bengali
- Chaldean Aramaic
- Cherokee
- Cantonese chinese
- Mandarin Chinese
- Croatian
- Czech
- Danish
- Dari
- Dutch
- Dzongkha
- English
- Shakespearean English
- Japanese
- Javanese
- Kazakh
- Korean
- Latin
- Malay
- Malayalam
- Norweigan
- Pashto
- Pirate
- Polish
- Brazilian Portuguese
- Potawatomi
- Punjabi
- Romanian
- Russian
- Farsi
- Finnish
- French
- French Candian
- German
- Greek
- Ancient Greek
- Koine Greek
- Haitian Creole
- Hawaiian
- Hebrew
- Biblical Hebrew
- Hindi
- Hungarian
- Icelandic
- Igbo
- Indonesian
- Irish
- Italian
- Scottish Gaelic
- Serbian
- Shanghainese
- Slovak
- Castilian Spanish
- Latin American Spanish
- Swahili
- Swedish
- Tagalog
- Tamil
- Telugu
- Thai
- Turkish
- Tuvan
- Ukrainian
- Urdu
- Uzbek
- Vietnamese
- Yiddish
How Much Does Mango Languages Cost?
Mango Languages offers two subscription options; $7.99/month for single language access, or $17.99/month for all 70+ languages. These options are available on a monthly or annual basis.
For popular languages, Mango is certainly worth the cost. Since the scope of the courses varies considerably, it is worth using the two-week trial offer to get the full experience and decide whether it will work for you.
Don’t forget! Free access is available via a local library, school, or local organisation. You'll find a search bar on the website that you can use to figure out whether you’re eligible!
What Are The Pros and Cons of Mango Languages?
Pros
- Easy to navigate, fairly intuitive, simple interface
- Wide range of languages including rare and indigenous ones
- Uncomplicated, fair payment structure, with plenty of opportunities to reduce the cost
- Includes formal and informal speech especially for high demand languages
- Grammar and cultural notes are not overwhelming and are well integrated into lessons
- Real-life approach to it's lessons.
Cons
- Grammar help can be limited for some languages
- Google Translate plugin is not a reliable source of translation and seems like a pointless inclusion.
- Writing practice is completely absent from the course
- Most lessons follow the same format, which can get boring
Are There Any Mango Languages Alternatives?
Mango Languages vs. Babbel
Both Mango Languages and Babbel offer very similar languages learning platforms. They aim to equip users with practical conversational skills using real-life examples through short, useful lessons. While Babbel outshines Mango Languages with its grammar explanations and focused content, Mango Languages offers a wider selection of languages for a slightly cheaper price.
For more information check out our Babble review.
Mango Languages vs. Fluent U
Like Mango Languages, FluentU concentrates on conversational language and topics that you’ll come across in everyday life. It’s slightly different to Mango Languages in that it uses real-world videos in its lessons, such as news clips, film trailers and documentaries. It’s far more interactive than Mango Languages, and while it may not have the same language choices, it may just hold your attention for a little longer.
A Round-Up of Our Mango Languages Review
There’s no denying that Mango Languages could be an invaluable resource for beginners hoping to focus on conversational language and realistic examples. It could also prove useful as a supplementary tool for advanced beginners hoping to reinforce common phrases and vocabulary. However, where it really shines is in it’s extensive selection of regional languages. Unfortunately, where it lacks is in its offerings for more advanced learners, seeking something a little more in-depth and involved.
If you enjoy a conversational yet structured path but don’t fancy a more game-like, badge, or streak collecting approach Mango Languages may just be what you’re looking for!