We all know that person who’s been on language apps but never speaks. That is not the way to get fluent.
How to Get Fluent in Any Language
To become fluent, focus on four essential skills: Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking.
For speaking practice, the gold standard is to talk to a human. ⭐️
Real conversations are like rocket fuel for language learning progress.
Where to Find Great Speaking Practice in Any Language
While it’s free to talk to your friend or partner, there’s a better shortcut to learning a language: find a tutor!
Tutors are the best because they listen patiently while you make mistakes, they show up like professionals, and know how to teach the language (unlike your girlfriend’s uncle).
One of the easiest ways to find a great language tutor is to try out a platform like Preply, and that’s what we’re doing today.
What is Preply?
Preply is a leading online language learning platform that connects a global community of over 42,000 expert tutors teaching 50+ languages to hundreds of thousands of learners in 180 countries.
How I Reviewed and Tested Preply as a Student
For this review, I signed up to Preply as a student and looked for classes in French and Welsh.
Each tutor has a welcome video so you can experience their voice and teaching style. You can filter by native language, timezone, and cost per lesson.
There’s a Super Tutor status that highlights tutors who are highly rated and experienced, similar to the Superhost status on Airbnb. I would definitely use this to find a good match for my beginner languages like Mandarin or Russian.
After the trial lesson, Preply asks you to subscribe to the tutor’s lessons, so you’re paying once a month for 1-4 weekly classes.
Is Preply Good? Here are the Pros
Here’s what I liked most while I wrote my Preply review:
Finding Tutors Was Easy
It was not difficult to select a tutor and I enjoyed the video introductions.
All my tutors were friendly, approachable, and a good match from the start. I chose to subscribe for Welsh and paid for 4 weekly classes upfront. It was easy to schedule them.
From the teacher side, I’ve also heard good things. The tutors I talked to have a range of students and showed a lot of enthusiasm for teaching. Preply makes it easy to find students and offers useful training.
No Time Wasted Trying to Find the Perfect Tutor
Once you’re matched, subscribe and commit. If you’re an overthinker who never feels like you have the perfect solution, this is a good thing. It keeps you focused where you need to focus.
Plenty of Lesson Preparation
I liked the preparation screen, where I could give details on my learning and goals. In the bigger languages (French, German, English …but not Welsh) there was also a placement test and I could record a little message to my tutor in my target language. The system classed me as a B2 student, which felt about right overall.
Good Preply Tech and Design
All in all, my experience with Preply was brilliant. A good-looking platform that is easy to use, works well, and got me into speaking practice very quickly.
I liked that there was not a lot of trial and error, and had zero problems with the a video call inside of the Preply platform, so no need to download Zoom or connect on anything else.
There’s also a handy app, which I downloaded, and I connected my Google calendar so I could get lesson reminders.
What are the Downsides of Using Preply to Learn a Language?
The biggest con is not really a con here: A lot of people don’t like the subscription model.
As a learner, it does push you to commit at an earlier stage, but if you take your trial lesson seriously and don’t shop around for a dozen free chats, I think this is actually a good thing.
The only thing I would suggest is allow 25-minute lessons as well as 50-minute lessons, but that’s not a dealbreaker.
Conclusion: Is Preply a Good Platform?
All in all, my experience as a Preply tester was positive.
Easy to Set Up and Use: A good-looking site and app that got to the point fast.
Great Tutor Selection: The tutors I worked with for this review were lovely and professional.
Subscription model: This cements Preply as a platform for learners and weeds out shoppers.
Preply vs Italki
If you want to compare Preply and Italki, the two biggest online marketplaces for language tutors, here’s what you need to know.
Price is not the key point. As a former tutor, I do not agree that you should select your own language tutors based on who’s the cheapest. Here are my tips for finding tutors at the right price.
Both are legit platforms where you’ll find language tutors at a range of prices.
Preply: Structured subscription, easier planning.
italki: Flexible bookings, but with potential for distraction by shopping around.
Choose Preply if you want a reliable language routine. If you want drop-in, on-the-fly lessons, Italki may suit.
Is it Hard to Cancel a Preply Subscription?
Although some users report issues with cancelling subscriptions, my experience was straightforward and problem-free. I paid the expected amount and cancelled after scheduling the lessons I had paid for.
Having been a tutor, I think I’d also like this commitment because it’s one of the most important ways to get a student invested.
Get More Out of Preply For Advanced Language Learners
If you have a high level in your target language, why not take a class in a fun subject like art or music in that language? After a quick search, I found fun options like
Guitar lessons from a Tunisian French speaker
Public Speaking practice with a Spanish speaker
Literature lessons from a Korean native
Is Preply Legit and Trustworthy?
Based on reports from my tutors and my experience as a Preply tester, it’s a yes.
Preply found me reliable tutors for several languages very quickly, and the lesson quality was good. The payment system is different to other platforms, but I felt it was fair and simple.
Is Preply Safe?
With Preply, I had zero problems in terms of safety. If you’re looking for lessons for your child, you’ll be reassured by the video introductions and in-built classroom system.
What if I Miss My Lesson on Preply?
As a student, Preply only allows lesson cancellation up to 12 hours before your scheduled timeslot. If you miss the lesson without telling Preply or the tutor, you still have to pay for it.
Disclaimer: Preply provided me with sign-up credit and compensation for my time writing this review. The links I share are affiliate links. This did not affect the content and my experiences and words are fully independent.