Lingopie Review: Everything You Need to Know About the Language Learning Platform

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This is my review of Lingopie’s interactive language-learning platform.

I’m a former Spanish Teacher with a Master’s Degree in Foreign Language Education. I’ve tested many online tools over the years. Today, I’m helping you determine if Lingopie is the best tool for your foreign language-learning journey.

Lingopie is a website with a robust catalog of on-demand TV shows and movies. Their content is aimed at helping you acquire new words, phrases, and grammar in natural contexts. What’s more, you can use their interactive subtitles, grammar index, and flashcards for vocabulary practice!

Overall, I find Lingopie to be a useful tool for beginning language learners, albeit with some obvious limitations.

In this Lingopie review, I will walk you through the different features of Lingopie. I will also explain how the site works, its advantages and disadvantages, how much it costs, and suggest Lingopie alternatives. I’ll wrap up my professional opinion on whether Lingopie is worth it.

Continue reading to see if Lingopie is right for you!

What is Lingopie?

Lingopie is a language-learning site that uses real TV shows and movies to help you learn a new language.

You can think of it as a streaming service with an interactive language-learning tool!

Simply browse the catalog, choose a show or movie, and start studying.

How does Lingo Pie work, exactly? ⤵

Each on-demand video comes with 2 sets of interactive subtitles (English and the foreign language you’re studying). You can click on the subtitles to get the meaning, repeat, or add the word to your virtual flashcard deck to review later.

Lastly, there are several learning modes you can toggle on and off to fit your preferred learning style and proficiency level.

You can also review, quiz yourself, and track your progress on the platform.

All in all, Lingopie is the tool I always wanted in my classroom. It allows “students” of any age to improve listening comprehension and increase vocabulary. These are two important building blocks to achieving fluency in a second or additional language.

Beyond its usefulness, what sets Lingopie apart is the ability to personalize learning for any proficiency level.

Advantages of Lingopie

Lingopie has some excellent features that make it well worth grabbing a subscription. See what I like about the tool in this section.

1. Extensive Catalog of Content

Simply stated, Lingopie has a wide selection of content. It offers 1,000s of hours of authentic TV shows and movies as well as an integration with Netflix originals (which we’ll touch on in a later section).

While options vary by language, on the whole, there are many different genres to choose from. For example, in the Spanish-language section, you can find dramas, cartoons, travel shows, romances, and more.

Parents, you will love the huge selection of vetted kids programs. (And, you have the option to hide mature content.)

In addition to TV series and movies, you will also find instructional videos by language experts. These typically go over basic grammar, vocabulary, and phrases.

Podcasts, music videos, and audiobooks round out Lingopie’s offerings. These are a great compliment to a language acquisition routine.

If you’re worried you’ll get bored, note that new content is added every month. So, there’s always something new to watch and new vocabulary to practice.

To sum up, you’re likely to find at least one show or vocabulary topic that you’re interested in to make a subscription worth the money!

2. Interactive Learning Features

Lingopie excels when it comes to all the interactive features it offers. I review the most promising ones below.

Subtitles

While streaming services like Netflix offer subtitles in different languages, you can’t choose to turn on more than one subtitle at a time. Watching shows in a foreign language is still an excellent exercise. But, it can be quite an effort to figure out what the actors are saying and look it up in the dictionary.

That’s where Lingopie comes in. With Lingopie, each video comes with subtitles in the original language and English. You can toggle them on or off. Plus, every word and phrase is clickable to give you an instant translation in real-time. This even includes idioms and slang!

Certainly, watching TV shows with subtitles will accelerate your learning.

Learning Modes

You’ll find an interesting toolset if you hover above the tool icon. This is where you can personalize your viewing experience with different “Learning Modes.”

Highlighting vocab for your level, color-coding parts of speech, auto-pause at the end of each subtitle, and pop quizzes are all different options you can try.

I particularly love the color-coded parts of speech which Lingopie has termed, “Grammar Index.” Understanding parts of speech is an integral part of language learning for beginners. If you’re just starting on your language journey, I do recommend you toggle that ON.

Interactive Features

Let’s get to the interactive features that set Lingopie apart from its competitors.

Once inside the video player, you’ll see a script on the right side, a Vocab list to add to, and your Grammar Coach.

If you click on the Grammar Coach, you’ll get an instant explanation. This is particularly helpful when you see phrases, idioms, or slang you don’t understand.

Your Grammar Coach is an adorable cat by the way! 😻

You also have the option to record yourself, loop a sentence to hear it again, and adjust the playback speed to make it easier to hear the words.

It can be very hard to understand Spanish speakers tend to speak quickly—something you know if you’re learning Spanish. This is especially true in Castillian Spanish. Take advantage of this feature and slow down the speed to beginner (0.65x), intermediate (0.75x), or advanced (0.9x).

3. Learning Tools

Learning a second language takes time, repetition, and practice.

Watching your newly-favorited foreign language shows is certain to be entertaining. But, it’s the work that you put in after hours that will make a difference in your language learning journey.

Fortunately, Lingopie thought of this!

You’ll find a handful of different language tools. These include flashcards, word lists, quizzes, a game, and language learning videos. (Admittedly, there isn’t a ton of variety at this time.)

You can also participate in free beginner language lessons. You’ll see these at the top of your dashboard upon login.

Additional 1:1 lessons are available for a cost. In the private lessons, you’ll meet with an instructor to discuss what you’re watching. I’m a big fan of the concept. Private lessons are an excellent way to put into practice the work you’re doing on your own.

4. Cultural & Historical Shows

Lingopie offers a range of documentaries, food shows, and travel guides.

Since culture and language are intertwined, it’s imperative to watch documentaries, historical fiction, food, and travel guides.

Trust me as a former Spanish Teacher. While you’re learning about culture, you’ll come to understand the target language in a new way.

To expand, I found a show on Lingopie about El Greco, the famous Greek painter. After visiting his former home in Toledo, Spain, I have come to admire his work. Learning more about El Greco gives me insights into the Spanish Renaissance while learning new vocabulary to discuss his work.

4. Lingopie for Netflix

Lingopie partnered with Netflix to bring their technology to some popular Netflix shows.

This is a major win for Lingopie. It puts Lingopie heads above other video-learning platforms.

With Netflix, you can watch newer series that will capture your attention. When you’re interested in something, it will speed up your learning.

While the Lingopie/Netflix partnership is a neat idea, it’s not perfect. Here are some things to know:

• You have to have a Netflix account. You can’t replace your Netflix account with Lingopie to save money (if only temporarily).
• Only the top shows are available to watch.
• You need to use Chrome or Safari to access Lingopie for Netflix. It’s a browser extension, not something you add to Netflix on your television.
• Netflix shows are only available in some languages.
• Users can access this content on Netflix. I want access to original content I haven’t seen before.

Overall, the Lingopie extension for Netflix is a nice feature if you’re already paying for Netflix.

Disadvantages of Lingopie

Although Lingopie has excellent language-learning features, there are some improvements it can make. I’ll go over what I don’t care for in the platform in this part.

1. Clunky User Interface

When I first logged into Lingopie, I was immediately struck by how similar it looks to Netflix. 

Yet, a few scrolls and clicks later, I found myself frustrated.

While the video tools themselves are useful, the platform is clunky. They can do a better job of designing with the user in mind.

Take the filtering options, for instance. They may as well be non-existent. Oddly, they show up (if you’re lucky) when you start typing in the search bar.

Not to mention it’s very easy to click on the wrong thing and find yourself on a random page.

The videos are also very slow to load.

To clarify my expertise on this topic, I have worked full-time in EdTech since 2019. Thus, I’m very aware of UX/UI issues in the education field. I even wrote this article explaining what UX/UI is.

It goes without saying that these issues are annoying. But, don’t let them deter you from enjoying the unique tools in the video player.

2. Quality & Variety Vary

Raise your hand if you’ve been there: 3000 channels and nothing to watch. 🙋‍♀️

Well, the same goes for Lingopie. Although they offer a wide variety of content (with shows from networks like rtve in Spain, newen in France, Raw in Italy, and TZ Azteca from Mexico), not all of it is binge-worthy.

Instead, you’ll find an assortment of independent shows, short films, web series, and old TV shows. Some shows only have a few episodes or seasons. Other shows look promising until you realize they are 13-minute shorts.

Within each language and genre, the quantity of shows also varies. Take food and travel, for instance. I only found four series in the Korean section.

Despite this, there are plenty of good shows on Lingopie. Besides, you’ll find content that you like simply because it’s representative of the language and culture you love!

3. Difficult to Watch on TV

Currently, Lingopie is available on phone, computer, or tablet. You can log in using their mobile app on your phone or a web browser. (Chrome or Safari are required for Netflix connection).

Lingopie states that about ½ of their users log in via their phones.

However, I prefer to watch shows on my television.

Surely, there’s a way to duplicate your computer screen to your television. But, it would be nice if there was an app I could download on my Smart TV.

This said, the platform is intended as an active experience where you tap or click on your screen while you watch. So, I really can’t fault Lingopie.

How Much Does Lingopie Cost?

LingoPie operates on a subscription model.

Currently, they have four offers to access their service:

• Monthly: $12/month, with a 3-month minimum.
• Yearly: $5.99/month paid in full for a total of $71.88/year.
• Lifetime: A one-time payment of $199.

The monthly plan is the most expensive and only includes 1 language. The other two plans include full access to all languages.

Once inside the platform, you can also choose an affordable Family & Friends plan to share with up to four users.

In addition to the subscription plan, Lingopie also offers 1:1 lessons. These lessons are currently priced at $80/month for four lessons.

Which Lingopie plan should you get? ⤵

The good thing is that you don’t have to decide today which plan to get (if any) because Lingopie offers a free 7-day trial. I recommend trying it out to see if you like it before committing.

Get the annual plan or the lifetime plan when the free trial ends if you like the platform. Why? Because becoming proficient in a language takes time and upkeep.

To expand, I’ve been fluent in Spanish for about 15 years. Still, I get rusty when I don’t use it. Watching Spanish media regularly allows me to keep up with my listening skills.

For those with kids, it’s a no-brainer to get the lifetime deal. Kids will love expanding their second language skills for years to come.

There’s no reason to sign up for the monthly plan. The excessive cost isn’t worth it.

Lingopie Alternatives

If you’re not convinced that Lingopie is what you’re looking for, here are some good alternatives.

FluentU

FluentU turns real-world videos—music videos, movie trailers, news, and inspiring talks—into personalized language learning lessons. It’s designed to expose learners to the language as it’s spoken in real life.

Similar to Lingopie, FluentU offers diverse content, interactive captions, personalized quizzes, and tools to help you track your progress.

Yabla

Yabla specializes in helping learners improve their language skills through short video content. This includes TV shows, music videos, interviews, and documentaries. It focuses on providing authentic content in a way that’s engaging and culturally informative.

Like Lingopie, Yabla has a library of video content and interactive subtitles. It also features a tool where you can practice both listening and writing.

Review of Lingopie: FAQs

Is Lingopie Worth It?

As a former Spanish Teacher, I recommend Lingopie for language learners seeking listening comprehension and vocabulary practice at an affordable price.

This Lingopie review shows the unique features of the platform—and how they compensate for any flaws.

Using this innovative language learning application will accelerate your learning by watching authentic TV shows and movies. But, consider supplementing with a structured course to progress even more quickly.

If you’re ready to try Lingopie, sign up now!