Babbel is a helpful tool for learning a language. The app can help you get to grips with basic conversations and build your vocabulary while also providing insights into a country’s culture.

However, many users fail to get the most out of the platform. And often, their struggles are easy to avoid. Here are some of the biggest mistakes new Babbel users make, plus what you can do instead.

Not Doing Lesson Reviews

When using Babbel, you might at first think it’s a good idea to go through and complete the course as fast as possible. But if you only cover everything once, your brain won’t store as much information.

You can review your progress through the levels with Babbel's handy review function. To access this feature:

  1. Sign in to your Babbel account.
  2. On your level’s interface, select Review Now.

Once you’ve chosen to review what you’ve learned, you can choose from four different categories:

  • Flashcards
  • Listening
  • Speaking
  • Writing

Practice each of these regularly, with a particular focus on your weaker areas. By doing this, you’ll reach your learning goals quicker.

screenshot showing review options on babbel

Turning Off Your Microphone

Intermediate language learners often find it frustrating because they can understand a lot of what they read and hear, but can’t formulate conversations.

Getting started with a foreign language is intimidating, especially in the beginning. But here’s the catch—if you don’t attempt it, you’ll never master it.

You can practice your speaking skills in the Babbel app. During each lesson, you’ll get sections in which you have to practice your pronunciation.

Make sure you can use these parts of your lesson by choosing With speech recognition. The option will appear on the Settings page before you start.

babbel speech page

Relying Only on the Core Babbel Course

Babbel's courses offer incredible resources to help you work through and practice your target language, but relying solely on these will not lead to mastery.

Other than the core course, Babbel has made many other useful resources available for you to use. And even better, these are all free.

Babbel Magazine

On the platform’s blog, you’ll find inspiring stories and general language-learning tips. Beyond that, you’ll also discover numerous articles related to culture.

If you want to have even more fun, you can change the magazine language to the one you're learning. The app includes magazines in Swedish, German, Italian, plus numerous other languages besides English.

To change the magazine language:

  1. Scroll to the bottom of the page on Babbel Magazine.
  2. Click on the dropdown menu next to Babbel Magazine Edition.
  3. Choose the language you want to read the magazine in, and it will load straight after.
dropdown menu for babbel magazine language choices

Social Media

Babbel also has an active presence on social media. On its Instagram and YouTube pages, the company shares a lot of insightful and engaging content. Babbel's Twitter and Facebook pages are also worth checking out.

Related: How Social Media Can Help You Learn a New Language

Similar to its blog, content ranges from language-specific words to articles generalizing culture and language.

On Instagram, Babbel has accounts in various languages. These include German, Spanish and Portuguese. So, if you’re learning any of these, you might want to follow those.

Podcast

Babbel also has a podcast called Speaking of Berlin. The show features native speakers of the city where Babbel is headquartered, speaking in German.

speaking of berlin podast on babbel

The podcast talks at a pace that non-native speakers can understand. If you're learning German, the podcast is a great place to practice your listening skills and get a deeper understanding of the city through the eyes of a local.

Not Using Resources Outside of Babbel

Babbel’s courses, magazines, and social media are great resources to learn more about your own languages and cultures in general. However, you are limiting your learning if you don’t consume other types of content.

To learn a language, immerse yourself as much as possible. And as part of this, it is beneficial to diversify your resources.

You can get creative with this. Look for articles in your target language, as well as YouTube videos and podcasts.

Related: Creative Ways to Learn a New Language for Free

It is crucial to consume the same content in your second language that you enjoy in English. For example, if you are a sports fan learning French, consider reading about the weekend's games in said language.

Not Correcting Your Mistakes

Making mistakes is essential for learning any skill. Unfortunately, many people have been programmed to feel shame when they make a mistake.

When learning a language, making mistakes is the key to improving your proficiency, and Babbel gives you the chance to fix your mistakes at the end of each lesson.

As soon as you finish a lesson, you will have the option to take a look at the questions you got wrong. Click Correct My Mistakes to get started.

Not Practising Consistently

A Babbel subscription is a great first step. So is completing a lesson. But what about the next step? What if you only use the app once every two weeks?

As a result, you will not make any progress. Moreover, language learning requires consistency. That is why it’s a good idea to set reasonable goals and work toward them.

Related: Ways to Learn Cool Skills From Home

When using Babbel, you may find it helpful to start by spending 20 minutes on the app each day. Gradually, you can spend longer.

By practicing consistently, you’ll gain the confidence you need to advance in the real world.

Doing Too Much in One Go

It’s important to train consistently and for your sessions to last a reasonable amount of time. However, you can also stall your progress if you spend too much time learning every day.

At some point, our output ceases to bring benefits. If we continue to work too long, it will cause the opposite effect and negatively affect us.

Babbel sessions should be long enough to improve your language skills, but short enough so that you don't burn yourself out.

Use These Tips to Maximize Your Experience With Babbel

Babbel is an excellent resource to help you learn a foreign language. You can learn a lot about your target language and about those who live in that country.

Many learners struggle to get to grips with Babbel, but there are a number of things they can do to make the most of the platform. Even if you don’t incorporate every tip, concentrating on just a few can be beneficial.