The Top Subreddits for Language Learners
If you’re looking to use Reddit to improve at language learning, of course there’s no better place to stop than r/languagelearning. In addition to all the great posts and advice, it also contains links to every other language subreddit, which are fantastic resources for you to get advice about the language you are learning.
But the best way to use Reddit as a language learner isn’t just to read and post in the learner subreddits, it’s to lurk where natives go.
The level of language means these places tend to be better for more advanced language learners, but lower-intermediates can still use them to find motivating or interesting content that helps them engage with the language.
What’s more, the type of casual, less filtered language is often neglected by learners, but it’s available in buckets in these online communities, giving you a new angle to approach the language with.
I’ve decided to pull together a list of good subreddits to browse in a few of the most popular languages. I’d like to add to it, so if you know of any hidden gems, please let me know!
When it comes to Reddit-like alternatives, there are surprisingly few options on the web. Nothing has quite managed to match the size and features of Reddit itself. Where I can, I’ve added something similar enough that you can use for language learning.
French
Top subreddits:
r/suisjeletroudeballe – Am I The Asshole in French
r/france
r/rance – memes about France, basically r/MURICA for France
Other sites:
jeuxvideo.com Blabla 18-25 – Technically a gaming website, but its off-topic forum is the most popular and active forum on the site
German
Top subreddits:
r/de – News for all German-speaking countries
r/ich_iel – r/me_irl memes in German
r/deutchememes – Memes
r/de_IAmA – I Am A in German, a space for people to post and answer questions
r/Ratschlag – An advice subreddit
r/Filme – A subreddit about film
r/buecher – A subreddit about books
r/DeutcheComics – Comics
r/mediathek – A great place to find documentaries, videos and films from German TV
r/wirklichgutefrage – The best of GuteFrage
Other sites:
GuteFrage – similar to Quora or Yahoo Answers
Spanish
Top subreddits:
r/yo_elvr – me_irl in Spanish
r/LatinoPeopleTwitter – Memes and jokes, not always in Spanish
Other sites:
Meneame – A Spanish Reddit-style social news aggregator
Italian
Top subreddits:
r/memesITA – Italian memes
r/ITAGLIA – A satirical subreddit about Italy
How to use them
Don’t just look at memes and read headlines. Read the comments. The posts are often links or images, but the comments are where the language lives. There you’ll find the idioms, the regional expressions, the cultural references that no textbook will teach you.
One Final thing
Learning a language takes sustained practice over a long period of time. If you’d like a little help staying motivated, consider my newsletter. Every second week I drop a little bit of motivation directly in your inbox through tips, resources, and anything else of interest. Don’t worry, I never spam, never share emails, and there’s an easy unsubscribe button if you decide it’s not for you. It’s completely free; no catch, no premium, just the best of what I can find on the internet. More info here.
