What apps can I use to improve my English and make good friends?

[MisterMystery]

[_Maya_]

I am a bit confused. You say you are from Canada. I would think your English would be pretty good unless you hail from the Quebec area or that province. Either way, the best way to do it is to take some courses. I don't know what it is like in Canada but in the US there are adult language classes all over the place. Some are even free. If you can afford it there are likely college or university courses that are available. I only mention this versus the online options because you will get some conversational experience if you take a class with a group of people. If you do online programs they can be great but seeing v speaking and understanding is different. It is much easier to learn and be able to read a foreign language because you can take your time reading it and translating. Real life conversation is much different.

[MisterMystery]

My financial situation is not good. Communicating with people whose language I don’t know is both difficult and I’m a bit shy. I want to have real-life conversations, but I don’t have the opportunity. I want to improve my English by talking to people using apps, and I don’t want to have bad experiences. I need two things: first, to learn English, and second, a reliable friend to practice with and talk to. Can you recommend a free or affordable (not too expensive) app for this?

[_Maya_]

The hard part is going to be "a reliable friend to practice with". I don't think any online apps have that sort of feature where users would be willing to communicate in person. Given your grammar and English in the reply, it is quite good already.

[MisterMystery]

Thank you for your answer. I can't always write like this. I also have problems speaking English. I forget the words I know, and sometimes I just go silent while speaking. I was hoping to find online friends I could practice with. I’ve downloaded many apps for learning a language, but they all teach like a book. None of them are focused on speaking.

[_Maya_]

That is the problem with those apps. Great for learning but conversational learning is different as you point out. I would look in your local area to see if there are any classes. I mentioned that in the US there are free ones. I would think Canada would have something similar.

[MisterMystery]

I know there are courses in Canada, but because my speaking skills are insufficient, I don’t know how to register and how to communicate with people after I register. I become shy when I try to speak English. When I start to go silent, the other person gets bored and stops talking to me. That makes it even harder for me. It takes me hours to communicate with someone in English, and because of that, sometimes I’m afraid to talk to people.

[SuckOnThisOpinion]

If you don't care for a bunch of soggy, uncalled for-dicks, I recommend chatroulette. But in general I'd do the former by using Duolingo and watching serious in English with English subtitles, and for the latter I'd go into real life but also maybe there's apps & I'm too lazy to think of them

[MisterMystery]

Thank you for your answer. I don’t want to deal with bad experiences. I want to go out into real life, but I’m a bit shy. I also can’t trust anyone. I found the idea of using apps reasonable.

[strateguy632]

I used app duolingo to learn Spanish so try using it for English.

[MisterMystery]

Thank you for the answer.

[Iron_Man]

Rosetta Stone

[MisterMystery]

I just used the app, but I couldn't find a section where I could practice speaking. Do you know of any app where I can practice speaking, either free or paid (preferably free)?

[Iron_Man]

Not for free, but you can talk to people on here and practice

[MisterMystery]

Thank you for your answer. I want to practice with people from here. Can I practice speaking? Is there an app where I can practice speaking?

[Iron_Man]

Yes, you can talk to people here that’s your best bet

[MisterMystery]

Can we only communicate by writing here, or can we send voice messages? Can we speak voice?

[Iron_Man]

Yes you can do both

[Iron_Man]

Thanks for the award

[In_Trance]

Rosetta Stone

[MisterMystery]

Thank you for the answer. I'll try.