FluentU: Learn Language Videos Reviews

by Kennykamut

I love FluentU. I would buy it right now. I have a case that makes my iPad look like a laptop. This does not have landscape, I always have to hold my laptop sideways and can not use my keyboard. The onscreen keyboard keeps popping up and i hate not being able to type on my keyboard. The Apple onscreen keyboard is generally not user friendly. That is why I use this thyme of case. It makes the usable space on the screen reduced and not comfortable reaching up every time. Decades of research have gone into the ergonomics of a keyboard. Resting my hands on the keyboard is important. Especially spending hours using FluentU. Unfortunately I would have to not recommend this or purchase it. Please contact me when you offer the landscape feature. It may seem petty, but it will change FluentU from child’s play to the professional realm.

by Alyssa241738

PLEASE HELP. Just received an email about a billing problem of $240 for a subscription that I don’t even remember signing up for. I never subscribe to anything so I don’t know if it was unintentional or just started charging after a trial. I believe I canceled it right now and I also sent an email out, but I need to know how to avoid being charged. It hasn’t charged me yet as there was “a problem with the billing” But I keep reading comments that say if you cancel at least one day before the subscription ends, you won’t be charged. However, I was just less than a week late. The emails that were meant to notify me got lost in my inbox as I am a high school student who already gets hundreds of emails for school and from colleges, especially during this time as school has been transferred online. Also, can’t even afford this because I do not have a job. FluentU has been deleted for so long, I don’t have any memory of even using it. On top of that, it’s not even charging to my card, but to someone else’s. I cannot deal with this right now, someone please help.

by Zach274848000993

Spent several minutes trying to set up an account, got frustrated, and gave up. In today’s day, there is no good reason to not have SSO (single sign-on with Apple/Facebook/Google/etc...). Moreover having rules that a PW should have a number is super outdated and bad security practice. I have a PW manager generate and save passwords for me using several random dictionary words separated by a special character. Not allowing passwords like that introduces a lot of friction into the process.

Perhaps it’s obnoxious to give up so soon and leave a review like this, but recently I’ve been taking login process to be a good indicator of app-quality and overall UX. If y’all don’t put the effort in to do things right and follow modern best practices, I’m not spending my time or money

by Zaharaa

I took a break from FluentU for a while and the words to review piled up. I was slowly working through them on the free version, because it was unrealistic to watch new videos and learn new words while I still had all those words to review. I had planned to get through them all, then start paying again for a full experience so I could move foreword.

I got from about 3000+ to 1700, and it took a WHILE. But I was improving my spoken ability at the same time.

But now I can’t access them because even ONLY using the review section is asking $30/month from me. This is really disappointing. I feel like I want to quit. I could pay for multiple other services with this amount of money.

by Jltessner

I realize all language learning apps/programs have their flaws. My problem with this app is I’m paying $20 to be an app tester. I’ve been using this program for several years, I’ve completed Beginner 1&2, Intermediate 1, and am nearly finished with Intermediate 2. I’m not exaggerating when I say that every time there is an update, there are issues. I’ve emailed customer service so many times, I’m absolutely certain they ignore my complaints at this point. Sometimes the issues are fixed just to return at the next update. For example, the sentence translations will repeat themselves within a lesson. The lessons don’t go to the review or completed queue after you’ve completed them so it’s difficult to tell which lessons you’re done with and which are new. There are also the complaints of other users regarding the portrait mode and interface issues. I live with a native speaker and there are translation issues in a number of lessons. FluentU only runs well on a current Apple device, it’s slow otherwise. Don’t expect any kind of refund when you have issues, they are however, quick to offer an apology and reassurance that “they’ll pass it along to the devs.” I do feel I’ve learned a good amount and appreciate that the videos are mostly current. This year, I had enough and bought a different language learning program and am finally saying au revoir to this app.

by AllTom

Don’t expect any UI polish.

- Images pop in and out as you scroll.
- Audio will only sometimes play while FluentU is in the background.
- Forward/backward controls put the subtitles out of sync with the audio.
- Dragging the week slider has random effects on the player, including jumping you right past the quiz to the next lesson.
- At the end of a video, the final subtitle is replaced with the first subtitle.
- Sometimes videos play twice and I’m not sure it’s on purpose.
- Tapping a word makes the whole screen jump left for no perceivable reason, then it shows the definition after a pause.
- No clear instruction on what to do when a course is up for review… everything just turns orange, but only some orange buttons make it blue again.
- Subtly different interaction than on the web, so switching between the two is confusing. (For example, some videos on the web are audio-only on iOS.)
- Two loading spinners appear on the screen at a time sometimes.
- No loading spinners have cancel buttons.
- Going back one screen often resets your scroll position so you lose your place.
- Etc.

But hey, it hasn’t crashed yet, and it gets the job done.

by Ceebab

It’s better than Duolingo, but barely. And too expensive for what you get. The basic subscription is really limited and to get unlimited is $240/yr which seems like a lot for what it is so far. So far the videos aren’t as immersive as advertised and are the same basic vocabulary presented like any other course.

Also I have the same issue with this as I have with Duolingo, which is when the other language phrases things differently it only gives the familiar version and not the literal translation, which can be confusing when trying to build on what we’ve learned so far.

For example:
Je suis une femme = I am a woman
But I am hungry isn’t je suis faim, it’s j’ai faim. Literally “I have hunger”, but they don’t tell you that. I took French in high school and am refreshing what I already know but I feel like if I hadn’t I’d be really confused by that. Especially since even in the vocabulary list it says “I am hungry”.

So basically so it’s a really expensive Duolingo that’s slightly more accurate in pronunciation. Meh. If it doesn’t improve soon I’m not paying for it once the trial is up.

by Flykitemindfind

This is an awesome way to learn. FluentU interface, however, needs work. The current way is a bit counterintuitive. FluentU would greatly benefit from a categorization system for the videos instead of just a list. For instance, that anime with “Ginta” as the main character: it has four parts but those parts are really hard to find. It would be great if they were grouped together so you could complete them as a set. The same goes for videos of that same genre. You could have categories like news, information, drama, anime, etc.

by Filly245

I began my journey with learning German about 4 years ago, and I have to say from the outset that this program was not there at the beginning. I worked with several different do-it-yourself language tutoring programs; one of them I am still with (Babbel), one I really didn’t care for (Duolingo), and one I found helpful but no longer actively use (Lingvist). This program, I think (and this is just from my own personal experience), is better suited to those who already have a basic, fundamental understanding of their foreign language of choice. It is definitely helpful, before you engage with this app, to know some vocabulary and have some familiarity with how the grammar works. If you are at that stage in your language learning development, then this program can be an excellent tool in helping you further develop your vocabulary and overall comprehension.
Don‘t look for them to coddle you - the words come at you fast, and it is your responsibility to learn them and follow along. I chose the intermediate level here (a little above what I can handle), and it‘s hard but I like being challenged.
So, bottom line: If you are serious about learning a new language, and you already have some prior knowledge of the basics, I highly recommend this app to keep you moving forward!

by Dghill0001

I’ve been trying to learn and speak fluent Spanish for 42 years. My grammar is poor and I can’t apply it . This program is so much better than any of the other Spanish apps I’ve tried. It’s interactive and approaches the subject from a variety of angles. I’ve used most of the others before and they are too basic and don’t give you real life applications. FluentU does. I hope there are higher levels of learning too. I’m learning a lot and finally feel like I know what verbs and object pronouns to use when.

by CarleeW11

There was a glitch in their system and I was mistakenly charged. Anne from customer service looked into it for me and remedied the situation. Great customer service.

Also, I used lots of language learning programs and I would put this one in my top 3 specifically for listening comprehension, this has always been the biggest challenge for me. I like that you can learn the vocab first, then watch the videos and change the speed. It’s also great for reading. There is not way to practice speaking so keep that in mind if that’s your goal.

by Commited Learner

I tried this app several years ago and thought it was interesting but was never really hooked on it and went on to other sites and forms of improving my Spanish. Now with the stay at home situation, I thought I would give it another look. This site has made major improvements in my opinion from its initial start up. I am very excited to make this my go to learning site for improving my Spanish. If this doesn’t improve my language abilities it will be from my lack of effort. It is engaging, fun, addictive,and interactive. Thank you this app , so glad I give you a second look.

by Sage SP

This is one of the best language learning apps, I’ve come across. The videos offer you a great way to develop your listening skills. The quiz sections are nice to develop reading/writing, but the live videos help you work on your comprehension.

That being said, this won’t help you master a language alone. If you have a music streaming service, find music in your target language and work on listening and translating slowly. The music helps sink it into your brain better if you’re actively listening.

So, while it could always be improved, this is an excellent app

by I<3HI

Sometimes, life overtakes our best intentions and that includes our plans to make good use of an App which shows so much promise that we put it on annual Auto-Pay. Circumstances forced me to spend my year’s days in much different ways and I didn’t realize a this app year had gone by until $144 showed up as a credit card charge. I asked customer service if I could pay for just a month and get a refund for the rest of the year. They promptly set my account to the free version and refunded the entire annual fee of $144. Aiza B. from the “this app Customer Happiness TEAM” was gracious in email exchanges and made me feel very confident in recommending this app.

by CFHinLA

I’ve only started with FluentU and have some basic Japanese from other apps and self study as well as a full version of Rosetta Stone. This has been by far the most user friendly. Rosetta Stone is brutal where this app is gentle and fun while still teaching you. The ability to see the kana, kanji and romaji is brilliant. Once you get your kana memorized well, you can turn off the romaji. I have high hopes for the long term of FluentU combined with formal college classes.

I don’t think any single app or class will get you to a competent level. It is the combination of several methods and live practice with a native speaker if possible will get you there. I see this as being a solid foundation to build off of.

by Seven 1

The quizzes really make you prove you understand words and phrases by putting them in other contexts. I studied Spanish academically for 7 years, have visited Spanish-speaking countries, and have studied an additional 1.5 years simply out of desire to truly become fluent. For that you really need to be immersed and speak it every day with those around you. No app can provide that, but this app does a fantastic job exposing you to that language as it is spoken in its normal cadence and rhythm. Learning Spanish this way is something I wish I’d been able to do from the beginning; it wouldn’t have taken me so long to get where I am.

Watch the videos. Don’t worry that it might seem impossibly hard. If you don’t fail sometimes, you won’t improve. Keep it up, and you’ll see incredible progress.

by Sjhunter86

FluentU gives you many advantages that others don’t, but it can feel overwhelming to beginners. A few tips:

1) Study the tones first. Train yourself to hear the tones and see if you can type the pinyin on your keyboard based on what you heard. Mimic the tones you hear. FluentU speaks them very slowly at first so you can hear the tone, then repeats it at a normal pace. DO NOT study with pinyin because you will use it like a crutch and it will really slow down your character recognition pace.

2) Do one playlist per day, don’t go crazy. Language learning isn’t a race, it’s not even a marathon; it’s a lifelong commitment. If you learn even 10 words per day and you learn them very well, then by the end of a year you will at least have basic conversational fluency. Learning 20, 30, 40 words per day will test your memorization ability, but it won’t improve your language skill.

3) Open your mouth! Repeat the words you hear in the exercises. If you’re not doing this, you’re skipping a very important exercise of these lessons. In the “audio” portions of the lessons, let it run and repeat a few times while repeating the words each time. They’re usually less than a minute, so it goes quick. Aim for 7-10 repeats before doing the quiz.

by Altairj

I have been trying to teach myself Chinese for years and FluentU really helped me stick with it consistently. I find it easy to use. What I like most about it is it teaches common ways of saying things, the stuff you hear on the street or on TV shows (which is a big reason I’m learning Chinese).

This is an invaluable adjunct learning tool. It tests you on writing, but I still supplement w Skritter to get the strokes correct, and I still read textbooks to get the reasoning behind grammar clear. But to drill into your mind the common ways people normally speak, this is where to go do you don’t get bogged down academically. Sometimes you just have to practice building sentences without thinking too much about what goes where so that it’s more reflexive and natural rather than intellectual.

The only downside is when I’m not on WiFi, the movie clips take forever to load.

by Rye Ed

Instead of grudgingly doing my Chinese practice daily, I actually enjoy it because FluentU makes it not monotonous because you can switch it up with music videos, lessons, dramas, and stories

Things I like:
1 that you can flip “pages” throughout the video so you can focus on one line at a time instead of being overwhelmed with all the text at once
2 that you can click on a word and have all kinds of info about it and add it to your cards

Things I really wish would change (I’m on the free trial and am deciding wether or not to cancel or continue and subscribe)

Btw I’m doing Chinese

1 during the videos, I really wish there was a slider sort of thing so I could choose to cover the pinyin or the English so I could practice recognizing characters or to cover just the English to focus on Chinese, maybe to test how much I understand. Sometimes it’s hard to even see the Chinese because I see the English and then I’m really just reading the English and not focusing on the Chinese words. A movable slider to cover the English would be very beneficial
2 during the quiz questions I wish I could be tested on characters not just pinyin
3the videos will save to my playlist one day and be gone the next day...?
4 a genre filter would be nice so I could listen/watch depending on what I was in the mood for that day :)

by Sjsid

This is currently the most useful AND interesting Japanese learning app for me right now. If it weren’t for FluentU, I would be reading off song lyrics and short stories and translating them myself so it’s nice to have FluentU make things more convenient for you.

Price is a little steep compared to others. I wish they had a 6 month plan too. Also, would be good to have a way to request translation of certain videos that we like. For example, I really like the learning from the LINE OFFLINE series and would like to request more of it but there’s currently only 5 of them! :(

Anyway thanks for putting this together, team!

by Ya_me_canse

I downloaded FluentU for the free trial. I barely even remember using FluentU I may have used it for a day or two and then deleted it. It continued to charge me 33$ a month! Without my knowledge and without any clear notification. I noticed the charges and was very confused as I had long since deleted FluentU and have no memory of purchasing a subscription for an app I barely used. They would not return my money and on top of that it took me 30 stressful minutes to even cancel my subscription.
Save yourself the stress and DO NOT even download FluentU!!! It requires your card and automatically charges you.

by Jim.!?

Very expensive for what you get. I’m already spending $15/month on this plan, and there are only a small handful of videos available in Japanese and I can’t even access all my flashcards unless I shell out another $5/month. Kind of a ripoff. Also, the UI isn’t great, I often have to start my entire video over from the begin when scrolling back to the videos from the “add to flashcard” deck screen. I wasn’t going to write a review, but since they kept asking me to write one from the main screen every time I logged in, here it is.

by Jan Ellen

I gave this 3 stars because the audio player you have to do before doing the quiz goes wayyyyy too fast. They should put it in FluentU so that you can put the speed at what you learn at. Also it should show the different levels of pronouns with the verb you are trying to learn at the beginning of each lesson. Everyone learns a different way and they should take that into account. And I have bought several different spanish apps and they all have their flaws in one way or another.

by V1112

Careful before you offer your credit card info. Free trial is only with credit card. Once you start you’re told to cancel anytime by downgrading to free in settings. In settings you’re only given the chance to upgrade. Pricey but reasonable content. Can’t forgive the bait and switch though.

Perhaps less shady than absentmindedness in app development. Please post instructions that actually work for unenrolling upon beginning the trial or update your app to align with the instructions you currently provide.

by Myshlist

I love the teaching method in this, it's very engaging and super helpful hearing words and phrases in different contexts to learn them completely. My one complaint is that when you get something right, a big green circle shows up to congratulate you but it covers up the sentences that I'm trying to re-read. Not that big a deal, but just the sentence highlighted in green to say it's correct would be enough for me. Thanks this app for this epic language learning app!!!

by NG In PA

I started with some experience of Japanese-otherwise I’m not sure I could have absorbed the kanji and hiragana script so quickly. The method is good, though. I encourage anyone working in Japanese to get to know the keyboard as well as possible before going too far-it’s tricky especially to access katakana (necessary for imported words) on the iOS Japanese keyboard. (It’s easy and free to access the keyboard, though-just search online for info.)