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!
Where To Begin?
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!
Where Is Lao Spoken?
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!
- Location: Southeast Asia
- Borders: Myanmar, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand
- Capital: Vientiane
- Population: Approximately 7.4 million
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!
What Is Lao?
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.
What Is The Structure Of Lao?
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.
Examples Of Lao
To understand the structure of Lao more, we’ve included a few basic Lao words and phrases below!
- Hello & Good-bye | sabaidi |ສະບາຍດີ
- Thank you | khob chai | ຂອບໃຈ
- Do you want to be friends? | chao yakpen mu bo |ເຈົ້າຢາກເປັນໝູ່ບໍ່
- I love you | khony hak chao | ຂ້ອຍຮັກເຈົ້າ
If you want to learn more about Lao, you can read additional resources and/or start learning it today!
Why Is There No Lao On Mondly?
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.
Pros Of Mondly
Here are some of the pros of using Mondly:
- For all language learners (beginners – advanced)
- Interactive and fun exercises to be completed at your own pace
- Lessons can be given in your native language
- Covers all five aspects of language learning: speaking, listening, reading, writing, and grammar
- Option for an Augmented Reality (AR), also known as virtual reality, experience
- Excellent audio features
- Available on the App Store and Google Play
Cons Of Mondly
Here are some of the cons of using Mondly:
- Only offers 41 languages
- Lessons are too short for more advanced learners
- Premium plans are expensive
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!
Alternative App #1: The Ling App
The Ling App offers many user-friendly features, including:
- Lessons in 60+ languages
- Voice recordings from native speakers
- Daily, easy-to-navigate lessons
- Mini-games and fun quizzes to test your knowledge
- Helpful grammar tips
- Vocabulary for real-life situations
- Chatbot offers a more interactive lesson experience
- Ability to practice writing in real-time
- For beginners and advanced language learners
- Available in free and premium versions
- Available on both the App Store and Google Play
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!
Alternative App #2: Simply Learn
Simply Learn is another great app alternative. We’ve listed some of its main features below!
- Lessons in 52 languages
- Teaches relevant phrases
- Audio file from native speakers attached to each phrase
- Review vocab with flashcards
- Fun language quizzes
- Good for beginners and advanced learners
- Easy to navigate
- Available in free and premium versions
- Available on the App Store, Google Play, and Amazon Apps
Don’t worry that there’s no Lao on Mondly, Simply Learn Languages can teach you Lao in no time!
Let’s Start Learning!
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!
