Are you looking to learn Lao but don't know where to start? Unfortunately, we know that there's no Lao on Mondly, so your options might seem limited. But, we have the perfect alternative language learning app for you, no matter your native language.
The Ling App and Simply Learn are just what you need if you're interested in learning Lao or are planning to travel to Laos and need reliable language learning help!
To start off, let's get familiar with Lao. After all, if you're going to learn and use the language, you need to know a bit of background about the country it's used in. It's also important that you know the structure of Lao, especially if you're a beginner. Knowing the structure will make it easier to pick up the language and follow lesson plans on language learning apps.
Now, if you're a frequent Mondly user, we'll briefly talk about Mondly, its pros, cons, and why Lao isn't featured on their app. If you're still interested in learning Lao, or another language that's also not featured on Mondly, we'll share 2 alternative language learning apps for you to try!
So, let's get started!
Lao is the official language of Laos. However, it's also used in parts of Northeastern Thailand. Here's some more basic information to know about Laos!
Of course, there's so much more to learn about Laos, but these are just some quick highlights. For instance, while Lao is the official language of Laos, it's actually only a native language to a little over half the country's population. In fact, there are many minority languages spoken in Laos, along with people of diverse ethnic backgrounds.
Now, let's move on and talk about Lao as a language!
Although Lao, also referred to as Laotian, is the official language of only 7 million people, it has interesting roots and connections. As we mentioned before, Lao, with the exception of some word differences, is also used in parts of Northeastern Thailand. That area is actually home to 23 million Lao-speaking people.
This helps explain why Lao is considered a kra-dai language. This is an umbrella term for the tonal languages used in Mainland Southeast Asia, Southern China, and Northeast India. Altogether, 93 million people speak the kra-dai language.
As you now know, Lao is a tonal language with a total of 6 tones. It is also written in Lao script and consists of 27 consonants, 7 consonantal ligatures, 33 vowels, and 4 tone marks. Lao was also originally adapted from the Khmer script.
To understand the structure of Lao more, we've included a few basic Lao words and phrases below!
If you want to learn more about Lao, you can read additional resources and/or start learning it today!
Since Lao is such a diverse language, it's a shame that it's not on Mondly. Learning a new language is hard enough, so not knowing where to learn can make the process even harder.
While Mondly's language learning platform and language courses are fun, we found that the languages offered on the app are quite limited.
Mondly offers lessons in 41 languages, most of which are well-known. If you want to learn an Asian language, you have to choose an East Asian language, unless you want to learn Tagalog, Indonesian, Vietnamese, or Thai. So, as you can see, Lao was left off the list!
To give you a better picture of Mondly, we've laid out some pros and cons of using the platform.
Here are some of the pros of using Mondly:
Here are some of the cons of using Mondly:
Now that we've briefly reviewed Mondly, we can go on to talk about two alternative language learning apps that might just be perfect for you!
The Ling App offers many user-friendly features, including:
Along with these great features offered on the Ling app, you can access the Ling blog, which covers a wide variety of language and cultural topics!
If you want to learn a new language, specifically Lao, and are looking into which language app to use, you should try Ling!
Simply Learn is another great app alternative. We've listed some of its main features below!
Don't worry that there's no Lao on Mondly, Simply Learn Languages can teach you Lao in no time!
We know that there are so many language apps out there! Trying to find an app with the right learning methods, interactive exercises, and useful phrases can be challenging. Not to mention, it becomes discouraging when the language you want to learn is not offered on most apps.
Just because there's no Lao on Mondly doesn't mean that you can't find it somewhere else! If you want to learn the Lao language quickly, along with other languages, we recommend using the Ling App or Simply Learn! Both of these apps come in a free version or, if you're interested, lifetime access.
Let's start learning today!