Babbel Review: The App That Helped Me Learn Spanish

What I Like About Babbel

When I think about why Babbel actually worked for me, it comes down to a handful of things that made my learning feel smoother and more practical. Here’s what I like most about using it.

1. Learning Through Real Conversations
   • One of the first things that clicked for me with Babbel was how much it focuses on real conversations. Instead of endless word lists and artificial phrases, it gives you short dialogues—like describing how I feel to a friend, talking about what gifts I want to buy, or greeting someone at work. For me, that’s important because it’s not just random vocabulary. I’m building a toolbox of phrases I can actually pull out when I’m in a real conversation with a Spanish speaker.
2. Guided Progress from A1 to C1
   • I really like that Babbel follows the CEFR framework (A1 to C1). It makes it clear what I should be learning at each stage. When I was at A2, for example, the lessons focused on daily activities and comparing things—exactly the kind of skills I needed. The difficulty always feels right: not too easy, not overwhelming, just enough to push me forward. On top of that, Babbel has a placement test based on the CEFR, so you can check your level and even retake it later to see how much you’ve improved.
3. Smart Review System
   • This is probably my favorite part. With other apps, once you finish a lesson, that’s it—you move on, and you never really see it again. Babbel is different. It has a built-in review system that actually reminds you to go back and practice your previous lessons. That way, instead of just cramming new words, I get to strengthen what I’ve already learned and store it in long-term memory.
4. Learning by Listening and Speaking
   • What I like is how Babbel balances both listening and speaking in every lesson. I’m not just reading words on a screen—I hear how they actually sound, then I get to say them back using the app’s voice recognition. It’s not the same as chatting with my Spanish coworkers, but it gave me a safe space to practice out loud. And honestly, speaking the words—even to an AI—helped me more than just tapping the screen. It trained me to actually use my voice, which made real conversations feel less intimidating.
5. Designed for Learners, Not Gamers
   • Unlike other apps, Babbel isn’t gamified. Personally, I find all the flashy visuals and sound effects on some apps more distracting than helpful. Babbel’s design is minimalist and clean, which makes it easy to navigate and keeps me focused on actually learning instead of being entertained by the app itself. It feels like Babbel was built for people who take learning seriously—people like me who want progress, not just points or badges.
6. Grammar Without the Overwhelm
   • For me, learning grammar is basically about recognizing language patterns. Once I see the pattern, it becomes easier and faster to understand what I’m reading or hearing—and it also helps me put together my own phrases when I want to express myself. That’s why I appreciate Babbel’s built-in grammar explanations. Every lesson takes a moment to show why a phrase works the way it does, so I don’t have to keep running to Google, forums, or even ChatGPT to figure it out. A lot of other apps skip this part, but Babbel makes sure grammar is explained in a simple way.

What I Don´t Like About Babbel

While Babbel has been the perfect companion app for my Spanish learning, I also want to be transparent about the areas where it could improve.

1. Too Limited Without a Subscription
   • With Babbel’s free version, you only get access to the very first lesson or two in each course. To unlock the full range of lessons, review tools, and extra features, you’ll need to subscribe. For me, it wasn’t a dealbreaker because I was serious about learning, but I can see how some people might find it frustrating if they’re expecting a longer trial.
2. Upfront Payment Feels Pricey
   • I got my Babbel subscription during a sale, which brought it down to about €8.99 per month for six months. Sounds affordable, right? The catch is I had to pay the full six months upfront—so that’s a one-time payment of €53.94. When you think about it monthly, it’s a good deal, but handing over that much at once can feel a bit steep. That’s just my take, though—it’s still a solid investment if you’re serious about learning.
3. Voice Recognition Feels Too Lenient
   • While I like how Babbel does offer speaking practice, the voice recognition isn’t always spot-on. Sometimes it marks things as correct even when I know I didn’t pronounce them that well. I appreciate that it gives me space to practice my speaking skill, but I kinda wish that it pushed me a bit more or gave more honest feedback.

My Personal Experience: Is Babbel Worth It?

Before moving to Madrid, I had never even heard of the CEFR framework. But once I got here, I noticed something important—when I applied for jobs, they often required a B1 level of Spanish. That was the first time I realized language learning wasn’t just about translating or “learning some words.” There’s actually a global standard for measuring progress.

This is where Babbel made a big difference for me. Other apps felt like they were throwing random lessons at me, but Babbel divided everything into clear levels from A1 to C1. Each lesson showed me exactly what topics and grammar points I needed to cover at that stage. It gave me a sense of direction. I wasn’t just studying aimlessly anymore—I could see that I was moving toward a goal, one CEFR level at a time.

The built-in review feature also became a big part of my routine. Instead of leaving finished lessons behind, Babbel brings them back at the right time so I can practice again. That repetition helps transfer what I’ve learned into long-term memory, which makes a huge difference when I’m trying to actually use Spanish in real life. It feels less like an app and more like a learning assistant guiding me along the way.

But what really sets Babbel apart for me is the way it focuses on communication. The lessons aren’t written like storytelling exercises—they’re dialogues between people, the way conversations actually happen in real life. This is very important to me, because I’m not just learning Spanish to memorize words in a book, I’m learning it so I can connect with people.

I remember one lesson about buying gifts. At first, it felt so simple, but then it hit me—these were the exact kinds of phrases I’d need if I walked into a shop here in Madrid. Another lesson was about describing how you feel, and it made me think about how useful it would be when talking to a friend after a long day at work. And it didn’t stop at “practice.” The next time I was at my job, I actually used one of the greetings from a Babbel dialogue with a coworker: “¿Qué tal tu fin de semana?” to me it was a breakthrough—I wasn’t just studying Spanish anymore, I was living it.

That’s the difference for me. Instead of memorizing random sentences like “the apple is red,” I’m practicing the kind of back-and-forth I’ll actually need in real conversations. Each dialogue feels like another tool I can pull out when I’m face-to-face with a Spanish speaker. And that’s exactly why Babbel has become so important in my Spanish journey.

So, yes! It´s totally worth it.

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