Coming to iOS and Android
lingi is a Spanish app built for Polish speakers, with explanations in Polish or English. You learn words inside sentences, hear them in Castilian Spanish, and review each one just before it slips.
Method over points
The core of lingi comes from research on memory and vocabulary. We go through the studies on the blog. What follows is the test build we're working on now. Why we're building lingi
Flashcards with spaced repetition
The FSRS algorithm estimates how long you'll remember each word from your own ratings, then schedules the review for just before it would fade. Every rating button shows when the card will return.
Useful words first
95 lessons take you from A1 to C1, about 7,900 words and phrases in all. Inside each lesson the most used words come first, and we check topics and levels against the Instituto Cervantes curriculum. The frequency order is our estimate, since we have no corpus of our own.
Placement test
Already know some Spanish? A short test of at most 30 words checks in about 2 minutes. A few of them are made up, which keeps the score honest. Lessons you know stay in Decks without being added to your reviews.
Words in sentences
Every word comes with an example sentence voiced in Castilian Spanish by a synthetic voice, with a slower version too. Gaps show the base form as a hint, and the line under the sentence explains which form it is.
Speak and type
On Say cards you answer out loud before you reveal the answer, so every card is a little speaking practice. Rather type? Turn on typed answers and lingi tells you when an accent or an article is missing.
Short and daily
Pick a daily goal of 5, 10, 15 or 20 minutes. Your streak counts study days, and you get one freeze a week for the day that goes sideways. Progress is numbers you can check: words known, minutes and retention.
Your language
Translations, hints and grammar notes come in Polish, or in English if you prefer. Switch whenever you like and keep your progress.
Offline
Lessons download ahead of time. Reviews done on the metro or a plane sync when you're back online. You don't need an account to start. An account (you sign in with email) adds backup and sync.
In the works
These already run in our test builds. We'll ship them when they're ready.
lingi hasn't launched yet. We're finishing the first version for iPhone and Android phones, and we're not giving a date yet. Join the waitlist and we'll send you one email when it opens.
There's no pricing yet. We'll announce it before launch, before anyone has to pay for anything. Joining the waitlist is free and commits you to nothing.
lingi is a ready-made Spanish course from A1 to C1 with explanations in Polish or English. Duolingo teaches through short lessons with a lot of gamification, and lingi has no points or leaderboards. Anki is a flashcard program where you make your own decks or download other people's. lingi gives you finished cards with sentences and audio, and schedules reviews with the FSRS algorithm.
lingi teaches Spanish from Spain (es-ES). Vocabulary, example sentences and pronunciation all follow that variety. Latin American Spanish isn't in the course for now.
lingi uses synthetic voices in Castilian Spanish, not recorded voice actors. Every recording also has a slower version.
No. You can start learning in lingi straight away on your phone, without an account and offline. An account (you sign in with email) adds a backup of your progress and lets you study on more than one device.
One email when lingi launches. That's it.