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85/100

Memrise

Memrise Italian Review

Aug 20, 2024 · 18 features · 26 languages · Web, iOS, Android

  • Memrise scores 8.5/10; strongest area: Course quality, weakest area: Pricing.
  • Best suited for: Beginners and intermediate learners looking for structured vocabulary practice and interactive content.
  • Main upside: Effective spaced repetition system; main tradeoff: Conversations are too short.
memrise review italian homepage

Score

85/100

  1. Course quality

    80/100

  2. User experience

    80/100

  3. Pricing

    80/100
  • Decreased feature quality: Users express dissatisfaction with the removal of community courses and the overall decline in app functionality and features over time.
  • Effective vocabulary learning: Users appreciate the app\'s focus on vocabulary, finding it highly effective for learning and reviewing new words.
  • AI-driven content complaints: The AI chatbot and conversation exercises are often cited as repetitive, poorly integrated, and mismatched with the users\' learning levels.
  • Subscription and cost issues: Several reviews mention the high cost of the premium version and the frustration with content being locked behind paywalls.
  • Learning pace and progression: Users find the app\'s pacing too slow, lack options to skip ahead, and face difficulties maintaining streaks due to inconsistent lesson lengths and interruptions.

Pros

  • Effective spaced repetition system
  • Interactive video content
  • Practical missions for real-life scenarios
  • User-friendly interface

Cons

  • Conversations are too short
  • Limited advanced content
  • Removed community-based lessons

At a glance

Made by
Memrise
Concept
Memrise aims to teach conversational language suited for learners of all levels, providing a supplement to their language studies.
Platforms
Web, iOS, Android
Levels
(A0) Total beginner, (A1) Beginner, (A2) Elementary, (B1) Intermediate, (B2) Upper-intermediate
Languages taught
Arabic, Chinese, Danish, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mongolian, Norwegian, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swahili, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Yoruba
Best suited for
Beginners and intermediate learners looking for structured vocabulary practice and interactive content.

Pricing

Monthly
17.99US$
Yearly
86.30$
Lifetime
228.08$

Free trial: Available; Credit card needed; 7 days

Refunds: Available; 30 days

Feature checks

  • Spaced repetition

    100/100

  • Customization

    60/100

  • Focus on learning

    80/100

  • Personalization

    80/100

  • Sentence accuracy

    100/100

  • Sentence relevance

    80/100

  • Variety and depth

    80/100

  • Audio quality

    80/100

  • Speaker's quality

    80/100

  • Speaking practice

    80/100

  • Ease of use

    100/100

  • Interface and design

    100/100

  • Performance

    80/100

  • Learning path

  • Speech recognition

  • Grammar notes

  • User-generated courses

  • Offline access

Conclusion

I would use Memrise for its effective vocabulary learning and interactive features but seek additional resources for advanced conversation practice.

Engage with all interactive features, and complement with other resources for advanced learning.

Alternatives

SpeakTwice

SpeakTwice is the only app that gets your to speak Italian all the time. It comes with hundreds of grammar lessons and readings to listen and repeat, plus an AI tutor to review the courses and practice conversation. See the full review.

FAQ

Does Memrise offer practice speaking?
AI chatbots are available, but conversation length is limited
Does Memrise use spaced repetition?
Yes, extensively for vocabulary learning.
Does Memrise have advanced level content?
It does but the avanced can feel too simple and mainly vocabulary-focused.

Compare Memrise with other Italian learning apps

See the published side-by-side comparisons that include Memrise for Italian learners, or browse the full comparison hub.

All comparisons

Walkthrough

Initial Impressions

When you first open Memrise, you're greeted with a dashboard displaying your language of choice, accumulated points, and practice options. The home screen is straightforward, showcasing different sections:

Exploring the Dashboard

Home: Contains the essential metrics like points accumulated and current language learning path.

memrise review italian home

Scenarios: This section caught my attention as it seems to offer situation-based learning modules.

memrise review italian scenarios

Videos: Memrise provides video content designed to help with listening and comprehension. They include short clips with transcripts and follow-up activities to reinforce learning.

memrise review italian videos

Vocabulary and Space Repetition

Memrise emphasizes vocabulary through spaced repetition, ensuring you revisit and practice new words until you're comfortable with them. I consider this approach to be fundamental but very effective.

memrise review italian lesson

For instance, I noticed that after introducing a new word, Memrise integrates it into various exercises to reinforce learning. These include multiple-choice questions and typing tasks aimed at enhancing recall and application.

memrise review italian lesson one

The Chatbot Experience

One feature that I found intriguing is the chatbot, which allows for simulated conversations. When I initially tried the free version of Memrise, I found myself limited to one conversation per day. However, once I upgraded to the Pro version I was able to access all the content in the chatbot section.

memrise review italian converstion

Mission: Order Coffee

I tested a mission where the task was to order coffee. The chatbot initiated the conversation, and I was able to respond either by typing or speaking. While I appreciated the interactive element, I was slightly disappointed that the conversation length was still short, even in the Pro version. This could detract from the overall immersion and practice opportunities.

memrise review italian conversation mission two

Content Complexity

While exploring different content, I noticed that while the vocabulary and sentence structures became slightly more complex, the app still felt heavily focused on vocabulary drills. The conversations, although engaging, could benefit from longer and more varied dialogues, especially for advanced learners.

memrise review italian conversation mission

User-Generated Content

Memrise used to allow users to create and share their own lessons. However, this feature is no longer part of the main platform, which could limit the diversity of available content. While this ensures content quality, it also reduces the variety that user-generated materials could provide.

Final Thoughts

Memrise is a solid app for those starting their language learning journey or aiming to reinforce their intermediate skills, particularly with its focus on vocabulary and interactive learning modules. However, for those seeking to achieve high fluency, the app might fall short due to its heavy emphasis on vocabulary drills and shorter conversation practices.

Happy learning, and Ciao!