Free or paid sites

[Trellum]

It's a fact, I am going to be taking the Inburgering examen in 2-3 months, so now I am quite serious studying dutch. I am almost done with the book, but I feel I need some extra support.  So I ran across Dutchpod101 the other day while checking some dutch learning videos online.  I thought they were great, so I went on and checked the web site. 

It looks like a great place to learn dutch, but it's a bit expensive, their monthly plans are so expensive and am not even sure I have that much time.  At least not enough time to make the most out of that site in one month.  But then the yearly price is good, but I'm not sure I'll be needing a subscription for a full year!

Plus a lot people tells me there are many good sites where I can learn dutch fro free, but I have told them all those sites have their limits and are not ideal for people who need to seriously improve their dutch in a short amount of time.

So right now I am not sure what to do, but so far I favour the paid sites more over the free ones, specially now I am super serious and am having an exam so soon.

What about you? Do you use free or paid sites for learning languages?

[Kost]

I've used free sites exclusively due to time restraints. I really don't feel I'd get anything better using paid sites. There's so much knowledge and information available for free on the internet (lessons, radio, podcasts, books) that there's almost no reason to use sites you have to pay for. I guess if you need a quick and direct information on a topic, maybe someone to practice conversation than it might be better and easier to consider a paid site.

[jamesbonner]

I would never pay any penny to learn a new language, because the time of learning a new language isn't fixed and we can never know how much it would take, so if you buy monthly subscriptions it will cost you a lot !

[CorieHens]

I actually have no experience in learning a language seriously but I have a close friend whose business is teaching English to Koreans. They are planning to put up a website that would provide tutoring. It would have syllabicated English words for easier reading with a corresponding audio for the pronunciation. But they want it to be a membership site that charges a fee. Their reason is the quality of teaching they will provide. Fair enough.

[missbookworm]

Why would you have to go with paid ones if you can have other alternatives that are totally free? If you are going to ask me, I would definitely choose and utilize free sites that would help me learn a new language. Always make the best out of the internet and take advantage of its perks.

[kurdapia]

I would go for something that offers a well- structured lesson plan. Free sites do not necessarily provide everything we need to learn. Some of them drops the lesson in one chunk and you figure how to go about it on your own. It helps if the lesson is presented to you properly with a timeline and you know what to expect.

[lushlala]

There are probably people out there who believe paid for sites are the best through which to learn, but I personally don't think I'd pay as there are too many free learning resources online. I've made note of quite a few, which have been endorsed by a great many people. I'd certainly not get myself locked into an annual subscription, especially an expensive one.

[Trellum]

I would never pay any penny to learn a new language, because the time of learning a new language isn't fixed and we can never know how much it would take, so if you buy monthly subscriptions it will cost you a lot !

That is why one year and two years long subscriptions are waaaaay cheaper, lol.  That is the idea.  Plus if the person is diligent enough they can make it in one year or less.  This is of course only good for people who seriously want to to learn or improve a language. Like myself, because i ma going to get tested twice  in total.

[Trellum]

I would go for something that offers a well- structured lesson plan. Free sites do not necessarily provide everything we need to learn. Some of them drops the lesson in one chunk and you figure how to go about it on your own. It helps if the lesson is presented to you properly with a timeline and you know what to expect.

In my opinion most free sites don't, but people who are not serious about learning a language think a free site can actually help them achieve their goal.  I know that is not the case with most free sites, because I tried that route myself, and yes, if you really want to learn a language well and in a short period of time you need to pay, sadly. Isn't something I liked to find out to be honest.

[Trellum]

Why would you have to go with paid ones if you can have other alternatives that are totally free? If you are going to ask me, I would definitely choose and utilize free sites that would help me learn a new language. Always make the best out of the internet and take advantage of its perks.

Lol, why?  Because I've tried ALL the free choices and they all fall short, that is why! You are bound to end up frustrated if you are a serious language student who is actually forced to learn a new language well and fast enough if you are only using FREE resources.

I'm sorry to say it, but all those ''FREE'' choices you are talking about... they're practically the same recycled crap. Sites like Dutchpod101, can help someone like me learn quite fast and in a very efficiently manner... because  they put at your reach in a single site really helpful tools... other than just the bunch of re-used phrases and audio you see in the free sites. I have checked them out during my trial week and wow!  I am DEFINITELY going to buy the subscription later, so I can get ready for my final exam (to get dutch citizenship).

[Trellum]

I've used free sites exclusively due to time restraints. I really don't feel I'd get anything better using paid sites. There's so much knowledge and information available for free on the internet (lessons, radio, podcasts, books) that there's almost no reason to use sites you have to pay for. I guess if you need a quick and direct information on a topic, maybe someone to practice conversation than it might be better and easier to consider a paid site.

I agree (but things downloaded via torrents shouldn't be considered as ''free'', since those are paid materials that are being shared without the permission of the authors), for someone who is not very serious about learning a language free sites are great. But if you are serious like me (learning a language against the clock knowing you got to pass an exam on that language in a few months) then paid is the way to go, same for the students looking to master a language. 

Of course you can also aid yourself with some free stuff, but for me it's better to have a guided learning, at least during this stage of my life. I no longer have time to spend it in different sites when I can get all I need in one site.

Free is always a good choice for starters though.

There are probably people out there who believe paid for sites are the best through which to learn, but I personally don't think I'd pay as there are too many free learning resources online. I've made note of quite a few, which have been endorsed by a great many people. I'd certainly not get myself locked into an annual subscription, especially an expensive one.

Most free sites offer the exact same thing the other free sites do, it's the same recycled crap to be honest. I know because I've checked all the free dutch learning resources out there... they are good for starters, some sites are even good for intermediate levels...  it's ok because that kind of sites work for some people.  But if you are serious and need to learn a language fast, then paid is the answer. 

I used to think the same way thinking free was enough, but it wasn't until I took language learning seriously that I found out paid is necessary in order to really get ahead... do it fast and effectively.  Plus it motivates you loads to know you paid for something like this... that make you want to try harder and harder, be more consistent with your studies, etc. So many factors to take into account.