Milingua Full Review

Milingua is a web-based solution for learning Hebrew language. The website was established in 2003 and all of the materials used in the course are available online. There is no specific syllabus or classes that you have to follow. Instead, the lessons and other resources are available for studying at your own pace. You can repeat the lessons as many times as you need and you can restart the lesson at any moment. Milingua is a privately-owned business located in Israel.

Millingua offers one course of Hebrew language which includes:

54 core Hebrew lessons
50 advanced Hebrew lessons
Verb conjugation tables that cover nearly 2,000 words, which is extremely helpful when learning grammar.
A dictionary of Hebrew. The dictionary consists of the words that are covered during the course and includes the links to the relevant lesson pages.
A topic list. You can easily get from one lesson to another, or access any part of the lesson using the topic list in the left part of the screen.
Ask you Hebrew teacher. The course includes help from the Hebrew teacher via email.
Highly-advanced Hebrew lessons for learners who have basic knowledge of Hebrew.

Highly-advanced Hebrew lessons are included in the price of Hebrew course, and it refers to private correspondence with the Hebrew teacher. Using email correspondence, you will be able to improve your writing skill, as well as to enrich your vocabulary. You will be writing to a native speaker, who will correct your errors, provide additional solutions for expressing your thoughts and explain anything you might find difficult while learning Hebrew. The communication is done using sophisticated Hebrew which will enable you to learn the language that is really spoken in modern Israel.

The individual correspondence with the teacher is completely individual process, as you decide what you want to learn and you choose the topic of conversation. During the correspondence you can submit your own writing in Hebrew for the teacher to correct. You can also send a Hebrew text which you have troubles understanding. In addition, you can also ask the teacher to start the communication and propose the topic. Any email is should be answered within 48 hours.

How it works

The course is divided into two parts. Basic or core lessons are suitable for beginners as they cover all of the most important aspects necessary for starting to learn a new language. You start with the alphabet, pronouns, verb to be, and then you start composing short sentences. You will also learn the prepositions, present and past tense, etc.

There are no any requirements when it comes to the order of learning the lessons. You can choose any lesson from the course at any moment and start from there. Simply click on the lesson title and you get access to the lesson.

Each lesson has four essential parts:

1. Overview – The first part helps you learn about grammar rules and general information about Hebrew. For example, lesson number 2, titled “The Alphabet” starts with the information that Hebrew alphabet consists of 22 basic characters and that all of them are consonants. The information you find out in the overview helps you understand the lesson you are about to learn.

2. Lesson Topics – The second part consists of the short lessons you are going to learn. The number of lesson topics within each lesson is different. In this case, lesson number 2 has 9 lesson topics. Since the lesson is about the Hebrew alphabet, the lesson topics are related to this subject.

Lesson topics contain tables, charts, examples and audio recordings which help you understand the rules and learn the pronunciation.

3. Exercises – After you have completed the lessons, you are ready to practice. If you are already familiar with the Hebrew language, you can always skip the lessons and go straight to the exercises. The number of exercises varies, depending on the lesson. There are different types of exercises. For example, in some exercises you should choose the correct answer, in other exercises you should drag and drop the word to complete the sentence, etc.

Writing exercises require you to write the words in Hebrew. Have in mind that you will need to install the Hebrew alphabet in your computer operating system regional settings in order to be able to type the Hebrew words correctly when filling out the exercise. Speaking exercises help with developing speaking. You should pronounce the word you see in the pictures and then you should click on the speaker icon in order to hear the correct pronunciation so that you can compare. There is no software that would be able to evaluate and provide feedback on your pronunciation.

4. Words learned in this lesson – The final part of the lesson sums up vocabulary that you were supposed to acquire during the lesson. The list includes the words in English and Hebrew, as well as Hebrew pronunciation.

The second part of the course contains advanced lessons. It is also called advanced / spoken Hebrew course, which puts emphasis on practicing communication and developing speaking skill. The lessons cover variety of topics, such as customer service, expressing wishes, guessing the future, etc. The lessons structure is similar to the one for basic lesson, except that lessons have less practical exercises.

Milingua offer courses that are aimed at learning the grammar rules and vocabulary, but there is no ability to practice all four skills. While you can practice reading, writing and listening, there is no good way to practice speaking. You have an audio model to compare your pronunciation, but you will have to evaluate the pronunciation on your own.

It is possible to get feedback from the teacher via email, but there is no other way to interact with other learners via social media or on the site itself.

The course is more suitable for older learners, as it does not offer enough interesting and engaging activities that would be interesting for children. Instead of using interactive activities and modern platforms, Milingua course uses somewhat old-fashioned approach in teaching. You learn through lessons and practice using the exercises, but there is no interactive environment with modern design which tends to increase level of motivation and concentration.

Milingua Hebrew for Kids

Milingua Hebrew for Kids is a collection of interactive flashcards that contains 100 Hebrew words. Flashcards are engaging and interesting for children, but they are not related to the Milingua course. They should be used separately, especially if you want your child to develop interest in Hebrew language. The flashcards are in alphabetical order and they contain the words in English and Hebrew, the image and the Hebrew pronunciation. The collection of words and flashcards can be used for free.

How do I know if this service can be helpful for me? How to choose the right plan/level?

When it comes to choosing the right plan, Miligua offers one course that includes both core lessons for beginners, as well as the advanced lessons. In order to get access to the Hebrew course, you have to select one of several payment methods and pay membership fee. One year of access is $59.

If you need more advanced practice, you can schedule the individual practice with the teacher Moshe Sharon, the creator of Milingua. Individual lessons are conducted only via email and they are a good way to develop writing. The price for individual lessons is $49 for a month, which covers two lessons every week.

In order to evaluate whether the course structure is helpful to you, you can try out three lessons from the core lessons in the course. The first lesson from the advanced group is also free so you can learn about the lesson structure and the language it covers. Individual lesson involving private correspondence can also be tested as you get two lessons for free in order to learn about the method used.

Pros

Simply-designed course. It is easy to navigate through the lesson inside the course.
Teacher assistance via email is extremely helpful.
The possibility to learn at your own pace. You can repeat the lessons as many times as you want.
The core lessons are suitable for absolute beginners.
There are plenty of audio materials so you can learn the pronunciation as you learn the words.

Cons

The lessons are presented in a simply-designed format, without interactive games, quizzes or lesson presentations.
There is no possibility to practice speaking by recording your own pronunciation.
You cannot interact with other members and practice the language.
The lesson materials are limited to small photos and tables. There are no videos.
There are no tests or quizzes to evaluate the progress. The only way to get feedback on your work is through the exercises in the each lesson which sometimes are not enough.

FAQs

• Is there an app?

Although the site is completely accessible via mobile devices, and the exercises can be accessed in this way as well, there is no Milingua app.

• Is there a community of Hebrew learners I could join?

Milingua has no community on the site, nor do they have social media accounts that would enable learners of Hebrew language to connect and interact.

Final Say

Milingua provides a great resource of Hebrew language. Even thought the learning method does not employ modern tools and technology, the lessons are still useful for learning Hebrew. While there are plenty of opportunities for learning, there are not enough diverse ways to practice and enhance what you have learned. The method is not focused on developing all four language skills, but instead it explains grammar rules through examples and tables. Milingua for kids offers an interesting solution for learning Hebrew with images and sounds. The assistance from the teachers is something that gives a personal touch to this course, as you are able to communicate to the creator of the course and ask for feedback or help with studying.

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