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Saturday, October 15, 2011

iPad apps to get you started in Spanish

Novice Spanish learners are at the "word" level, and these apps will help you build your vocabulary.

ABC MÁGICO Abecedario gives the letter sounds and a word for each letter. Strangely, it doesn't give the names of the letters, only the sounds they make.

Busuu Spanish is a well-designed app which complements their website, but you don't have to use one to appreciate the other. After an in-app purchase of $3.99 to get the right level for you (according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages), you'll find a series of listening and matching exercises on a variety of topics. I recommend you also go to their website to try writing and communication (with live native speakers) exercises too.

Fetch It Spanish has a neat premise of a dog running around a yard trying to gather the objects named. You move the iPad to direct where the dog runs, and click on the object when you find it to "collect" it.

Flash Cards Spanish Free is exactly what the name suggests, with quite a few flashcards for basic categories like food and animals.

Kidpedia Interactive Shapes has options for English, Spanish, and French. It is specific to shape vocabulary but if that's what you want to learn or teach, this is a great app.

Lectura Mágica suffers from too many options on the home screen (and too many instructions to read considering the target audience), but once you're in you find a great program for learning words and for breaking the words into sounds.

Image courtesy of liewcf via flickr.

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