APP STORE AWARDS

Cultural Impact winner: EF Hello

EF Hello: Language Learning

Learn Spanish, French, English

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Drawing on decades of experience teaching languages, EF Hello offers one of the most encouraging and motivating English instructors we’ve seen (who just happens to be a ladybug).

– App Store Editors

Since 1965, EF Education First has taught students around the world with its exchange programmes and language courses. With EF Hello, it might have created its most far-reaching and impactful language instructor yet: a polka-dotted, AI-powered ladybug named Addi.

“Tutoring is expensive,” says EF Hello head of product Cecilia Roos. “There are about 800 million people learning English. Even if every native English speaker became a tutor, we’d still be short by 400 million.”

Addi to the rescue!

EF Hello’s lessons give you a chance to practise your pronunciation – and see how it compares to native speakers.

Addi is more of a friendly tutor than a formal professor, and until we started using the app, we didn’t realise how motivating a personal AI teacher could be. Throughout each lesson, she gently guided us through courses in English grammar (“It’s time to shine!”), encouraged us to practise our pronunciation (“Don’t worry, you’re in good hands!”) and was always ready with a helpful hint when we were stumped.

The EF Hello team also hopes Addi will solve another common issue in language learning. “Talking to a native speaker can be intimidating,” Roos says. “But while talking to an AI, that melts away.”

The app’s AI-powered Roleplay feature is full of relatable scenarios where you put your English speaking skills to the test. “Dinner With the In-Laws” preps you to handle awkward conversations gracefully. “Navigating Office Politics” gives you the vocabulary to build relationships at work.

Roleplay has two modes: the slower-paced Voice Message gives you time to collect your thoughts between each exchange. Voice Call is a faster back-and-forth experience. Not sure what to say? Addi can helpfully suggest a topic, building on what you’ve already shared, to keep the conversation flowing.

If Addi seems tirelessly encouraging no matter how many mistakes you make, it’s because she was trained to be. “Addi attempts to connect emotionally at every opportunity – just like your favourite teacher would,” Roos says.

That’s just one reason why, this year, Addi became ours.

Quick tip

Looking for a little motivation to keep learning? You’ll earn XP with every lesson or activity you complete, so be sure to see where you land on the Activity tab’s leaderboard.

Fun fact

Addi is an acronym for “artificial-intelligence-driven digital instruction”.

Meet the creator

Founded in Sweden, EF Education First offers programmes in more than 100 countries. The 10-person team behind EF Hello includes linguists, teachers, engineers and AI researchers.