Guide for developers
Best App to Learn Technical English: A Comparison for Programmers
August 28, 2026
Which is the best app to learn technical English? We compare general and specialized options using criteria that matter to developers.
Why General English Apps Do Not Work for Developers
Apps like Duolingo or Babbel teach you to say "the dog is red" or "where is the library". That is fine for a tourist. It is not fine for a developer who needs to say "the PR needs a rebase" or "we hit a race condition in production".
Developer English is a specific dialect. It lives in standups, code reviews, Jira tickets, Slack threads, and technical interviews. General apps do not teach this because they are not designed for it.
The result: developers who pass B2 exams but freeze when they have to explain a bug to their team in English.
What to Look for in a Technical English App
Not all apps are equal. Here are four criteria that actually matter for developers:
a) Vocabulary from real dev situations
The app should teach words and phrases from standups, code reviews, incidents, and technical interviews. Not colors, animals, or travel phrases.
b) Listening practice with authentic dev phrases
You need to train your ear for the rhythm and speed of real dev conversations. Generic listening exercises with slow, clear narrators do not prepare you for a fast standup.
c) Content organized by topic, not just grammar level
If you have an upcoming technical interview, you should be able to jump to that topic. A rigid linear path forces you to study things you do not need right now.
d) Bilingual support for Spanish speakers
You think in Spanish. A good app for Spanish-speaking developers acknowledges that and gives you explanations and translations in your language.
General Apps: What They Offer and Their Limits
General English apps are genuinely good at some things. They build grammar habits, they improve pronunciation at a basic level, and they keep you consistent with streaks and gamification. If you are at A1 and you have never studied English, they are a valid starting point.
Their limit is context. They were built for the broadest possible audience: tourists, students, people moving to another country. Developers are a small, specific group with specific needs. No general app has a lesson on how to write a code review comment that is clear but not aggressive.
The gap is not vocabulary size. It is situation. A developer needs English for very specific moments at work. General apps do not cover those moments.
How to Practice Technical English with Lingua-e
Lingua-e is built specifically for Spanish-speaking developers. The difference shows up in three ways.
First, the content is organized by workplace topic, not by grammar unit. You can go directly to Scrum, code reviews, standups, or technical interviews depending on what you need this week.
Second, every exercise uses language that appears in real developer conversations. Phrases like "I am blocked on this", "this needs a rebase", or "the build is failing" are the kind of thing you practice. Not "my uncle is tall".
Third, the platform is available from A1 to B1 and uses Spanish explanations throughout. You do not need to figure out a grammar rule in English before you can learn the vocabulary you came for.
The A1 level is completely free. No credit card, no sign-up required to try the first lessons.
Frequently asked questions
¿Cuál es la mejor app para aprender inglés para programadores?
La mejor app depende de tu objetivo: si buscas inglés general, apps como Duolingo funcionan bien; si necesitas inglés para tu trabajo como desarrollador (standups, code reviews, entrevistas técnicas), una plataforma especializada como Lingua-e te da el vocabulario y las situaciones reales que necesitas.
¿Se puede aprender inglés técnico gratis?
Sí, hay recursos gratuitos: podcasts de tech en inglés, documentación de proyectos open source, y plataformas como Lingua-e que ofrecen lecciones gratuitas del nivel A1.
¿Cuánto tiempo se tarda en aprender inglés técnico?
Depende de tu nivel actual. Un desarrollador con inglés básico (A2) puede llegar a comunicarse en reuniones técnicas (B1) en 3-6 meses con práctica diaria de 20-30 minutos.
¿Es mejor aprender inglés técnico o inglés general primero?
Lo ideal es combinar ambos. El inglés general te da la base gramatical; el inglés técnico te da el vocabulario específico del trabajo. Muchos programadores descubren que practicar situaciones reales (como code reviews y standups) acelera más su progreso.
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Written by
Roxana LafuenteLingua-e's founder
Roxana Lafuente is a software engineer with 8+ years of experience. At the beginning of her career, even though she had already passed the First Certificate in English, she still froze every time she had to speak up in the daily standup. That was a gap nobody was fixing. After 2,000+ standups, she figured out what actually builds fluency: practice that looks like your real work. She built Lingua-e so other developers wouldn't have to take the long road to feel confident working in an international development environment.