Big Announcement

Speaking a new language is in fact only around 20% about actual “learning”, and 80% about getting enough of the right kind of practice. Traditionally, language courses in schools and the majority of language apps focus almost entirely on the “learning” part. But by not making time for regular, quality practice, many people reach the end of a course and realize they can’t actually understand or speak the language when it comes down to it.

Until now, Memrise, like many other self-learning apps, has been focused on the “learn” part. But today that has changed. 

We’ve released two *huge* new features: “Immerse” and “Communicate”. These new features live within a totally new Memrise experience, and you’re invited to gain early access! Read all about it below :)

Immerse lets you browse thousands of engaging video lessons on countless topics, all matched to your level based on the words you’ve already learned with us. And if you want to watch a video but you don’t yet know enough words to understand it, you’ll find the wordlist you need to pick up that vocab.

Communicate lets you practice speaking the language you’re learning anytime, anywhere. 

You might have read some of the press coverage surrounding this feature that we also call “MemBot”. Essentially, we built the world’s first “AI language partner” using Open AI’s generative AI. MemBot sets you missions and games that you complete by having spoken and written conversations in the language you’re learning, with different responses every time. It’s infinitely patient and supportive, giving you suggestions and hints when you need them. With MemBot, you can build speaking confidence whenever it suits you, without needing access to a native speaker.

We’re already hearing how these features are transforming people’s language learning journeys. People who’d been learning for years but who found themselves unable to hold basic conversations are now finding themselves confidently chatting away. This is awesome for us to hear!

Why not join them and go from language learner to confident speaker today?

FAQ

As well as these two huge features, the new Memrise experience comes with a few other changes. Here are some answers to the most common questions about the changes:

The course structure has changed. Why? How does it work? 

We believe that people learn and practice best when they are using content that interests them, so we’ve designed this new experience to adapt to each person’s interests and needs.  

In our Legacy product that you know and love, each language has an official set of “courses” numbered from 1 to 7. Each course is a collection of “levels”, each of which comprises a list of words or grammar exercises. You can choose to skip levels if you want, but the order is set and the same for everyone. 

The new experience is designed without linear courses, but with a “recommended path” that can be infinitely personalized and adjusted according to your interests and needs.

Right now, the recommended path roughly matches all of the official courses from 1 to 7 on Legacy Memrise, just without the division between the parts of the course. You can personalize that path by choosing from several thousand more word lists that are outside the recommended path. As more videos are added and more MemBot chats are completed, the bank of word lists to choose from will keep on expanding to cover every topic imaginable. 

Because all scenarios are part of the same central system, when you learn a word in one scenario, that word shows as “learned” in every other scenario that uses the same word. 

This structure allows us to create personalized learning journeys to suit each individual, rather than a one-size-fits-all curriculum. 

What happened to offline mode?

The focus of the product is on practice, and these practice experiences currently rely on cloud-based tools that require an internet connection. As such, there is no offline mode yet. 

What happened to my streak?

What happens to my progress and words learned?

Your “words learned”, “marked as known”, “difficult words”, and “words to review” are all synced to the new experience. Before switching over, you will be asked to sync your progress. This will enroll you in all the languages you were learning in official courses on Memrise, and move scenarios to the right state. Completed scenarios can be found in the “practice” area of the Learn tab on web, or you can scroll up on the Learn tab on mobile to find it. We will pin up to 3 scenarios to the ”‘in progress” section of the Learn tab if you’ve learned some of the words in that scenario already.

Where are the Community Courses?

Absolutely nothing is changing for Community Courses: they will stay in the current experience. Only The official Memrise content will move to the new experience.

Why can’t I see Communicate?

Communicate is currently not available if you are learning Mongolian, Icelandic, Slovenian or Yoruba.

Why can’t I see Immerse?