5 language learning apps to help you take over the world

These apps are specifically designed to help you pick up the language of your choice, the way it suits you

If you are not careful about your pronunciation, it's easy to tell someone in France that you are pregnant instead of saying you are full. In Israel, you might ask someone to buy their daughter instead of buying a slice of bread. Saying you are cold in German? It sounds a lot like saying you are dead.

Living like a local is all the rage for travellers, but speaking the local language is not always so easy. But that's about to change. Thanks to a rise in Rosetta Stone-style mobile apps, it's easier than ever to pick up a new language -or at least get a grasp on the basics before your next trip. Here are the best ones to consider, depending on your personal learning style and ongoing goals.

FOR SHORT ATTENTION SPANS: Drops

No readi ng. No typing.

Just five minutes a day.That's how Drops promises to get you to learn one of 19 languages.Lessons walk you through 120 word one of 19 languages. Lessons walk you t h rou g h 1 2 0 word bucket s covering food, drinks, numbers, and hotel terms. Instead of showi ng you f lash ca rds wit h stock photos, the app focuses on clean illustrations.

The caveat: Drops places a heavy emphasis on building vocabulary through nouns, which means you won't get much in the way of grammar, usage, and conjugations.

FOR A LONG-TERM COMMITMENT: Duolingo

While all of these apps are free to download, Duolingo is the only one without a premium subscrip While all of t hese apps are free to dow n load, Duolingo is the only one wit hout a premium subscription model, which means you are free to learn 23 languages at your own pace.It's also holistic in its teaching style: You learn vocabulary, grammar, and usage simultaneously.

The caveat: If learning to speak is your priority, you will find the spelling exercises tedious.

TO SOUND LIKE A LOCAL: Busuu

Busuu offers the language learning equivalent of pen pals -if you are studying French, you can have your speaking exercises evaluated by Busuu students in France, so long as you return the favour and grade someone else's homework in your native tongue.

The caveat: You have to go for inapp purchases for most of the app's best features, which includes unlimited exchanges with foreign students.

FOR A QUICK FIX: Memrise

Memrise shows a concern for both fun and practical ity in picking up a language. A cus tomisable format lets you decide how many words you can absorb in a lesson. As you progress in your learning, you earn points for correct answers, graduate through a silly rank system, collect badges, and more.

The caveat: The app offers little opportunity to practice your pronunciation, and it constantly nags you to up grade to the paid `pro' ver sion.

THE CLOSEST THING TO A CLASSROOM EDUCATION: Mondly

It's not beautifully designed.

And it's not gamified. But what Mondly lacks in charm, it makes up for in comprehensiveness and rigor. Basic lessons walk you through the nuts and bolts of conversational language; they get progressively difficult and more involved, spending roughly two hours of instruction on each of 20 topics (animals, travel, shopping, for instance).

The caveat: Like some other apps, Mondly keeps the majority of its lessons behind a paywall.