The purpose of this paper is to analyse the efficiency of teaching and learning methods used by applications for learning foreign languages. Most applications are structured under the form of games, offering points and information on levels reached (e.g. Mondly), or they offer a character such as an owl whose living conditions depend on the way you study (e.g. Duolingo). The gamification methods have, as an advantage, a motivating factor for the learner to continue. They also provide a pleasant side to the process of learning. Since the learner does not have a teacher and classmates, the applications try to compensate for this by introducing funny characters, and also offering information on other users' points and level reached. The characters can compensate for the absence of the teacher, who was not just offering information, but also creating rapport. The applications have the advantage that they engage the learners right away if they prefer the gaming style. The visual methods are also often used: vocabulary is taught by allowing learners to match pictures with words. Learners are participating actively while studying with the help of the applications, since they need to individually do all the tasks. In a real-life classroom, on the other hand, while some learners would be active and solve the exercises, others would just passively write down the answers. Some applications are focused more on the immersion method, taking advantage of the possibility of teaching vocabulary with pictures. Applications can be used by students for individual study, but they can also be incorporated as a practical part to foreign language classes that are taught face-to-face, in order to better engage students.

motivation, visual learning, rapport, active learning