Note: This HindiPod101 review has been updated on Sept 20, 2024. This review contains affiliate links, however we only recommend products that we actually personally use and love.
A quick google search yields many results for learning Hindi. It can be difficult to know which course to invest in and which resources are the most useful. HindiPod101 is one of the more popular options, for several reasons we’ll explore in this in-depth language review.
Knowing Hindi offers a significant advantage for anyone looking to do business in Southeast Asia, especially for anyone seeking to work in India—one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. Hindi also provides a fascinating gateway into India’s cultural and religious heritage, including all the treasures found in the world-famous Bollywood!
We’ve spent hours thoroughly testing out HindiPod101, and in this article we break down everything you need to know before buying.
HindiPod101 Review: Summary
Overall Score: 4.1
Pros
- New lessons and tools added regularly
- One of the most extensive lesson libraries out there
- Native speakers teach audio and video lessons
- Engaging learning tools and quizzes and the option for one-on-one teaching
Cons
- Advanced learners may need to supplement HindiPod101 with another program to enhance fluency
- Small group of Hindi speaking community online
HindiPod101 Review: Overview
Upon signing up for HindiPod101, you’ll gain lifetime access to your free account as well as a free 7-day trial for the Premium plan. You can immediately start working through the vocabulary and phrase lists as well as audio and video lessons. There are a variety of learning tools available such as flashcards, common Hindi phrases, your own word bank where you can save new words, and a Hindi dictionary.
If you intend to continue using HindiPod101 after your trial period, there are several subscription plans to choose from, each designed to help you dive deeper into the Hindi language and culture with:
- Daily mini-lessons delivered to you
- Interactive quizzes and learning tools
- PDF lesson notes and translations
- An extensive library of audio and video lessons by native speakers
- One-on-one instruction (for PremiumPLUS members only)
HindiPod101 offers five difficulty levels, from absolute beginner to advanced, which roughly correspond to the standard CEFR levels—Level 1 equating to A1 and Level 4 equating to B1-B2. You can edit your level at any point.
With Innovative Language’s 40+ language courses, you learn completely on your own time, at your own pace and with a syllabus that you personally designed based off of your specific needs and interests.
HindiPod101 offers 100s of different lesson pathways and over 1,370 lessons to choose from. You can filter by level and category, choose a lesson pathway that interests you, and save it to your dashboard. Once the pathway is added to your dashboard, you’ll be able to track your progress all in one convenient place.
The Pros: What We Liked About HindiPod101
Pro #1: Ideal for Beginning and Intermediate Hindi Speakers
HindiPod101 offers structured courses that start off slowly and provide a solid foundation for learning Hindi. Getting the opportunity to listen to native speakers helps develop a strong sense for intonation and accent. Even someone with little to no experience in speaking Hindi can very quickly learn basic conversational phrases that are useful for daily life.
Pro #2: Learn at Your Own Pace
HindiPod101 lets you learn in your own time, at your own pace. Not only can you take your learning on the go with mobile applications, you can also go back and review your lessons as often as you please. There’s no set timeframe, so the pace you go is entirely up to you.
Pro #3: Relatable, Interesting Lessons
Instead of outdated, formal scenarios, HindiPod101 teaches you Hindi with relatable real-world conversations. Many other language learning programs use older material that is either irrelevant or nonexistent in today’s society.
Pro #4: Mixing Language and Culture
HindiPod101 combines language lessons with cultural lessons for a more well-rounded learning experience. This type of teaching is especially useful if you’ll be traveling or even relocating to a Hindi-speaking country in the future.
What We Didn't Like About HindiPod101: The Cons
Con #1: No One-On-One Instruction With Lower Packages
In order to benefit from one-on-one instruction, including being able to ask questions, you’ll have to sign up for the Premium PLUS service. Although the monthly fee is still nominal when compared to others, it would be nice to have at least some one-on-one instruction available at lower subscription levels.
Con #2: Small Community of Hindi Speakers
Despite its large number of speakers worldwide, Hindi is still a less popular option amongst those choosing to study a second language. As such, it is hard to find others in the community to practice conversing. This is where it could be beneficial to add another program with more speakers or even take an immersive course in India to further expand your knowledge.
What Are the Lessons Like?
Upon signing up, you’ll choose your desired course level ranging from Absolute Beginner through Advanced. Each level is unique and builds upon the previous. If you have absolutely no knowledge of the Hindi language, the Absolute Beginner course is your best option. Here, you’ll begin by learning how to say basic phrases such as “thank you” and “you’re welcome” before moving on to self-introductions and pleasantries.
As you progress through the Beginner and Intermediate levels, you’ll find a diverse range of lessons on topics such as video games, geographical features, your daily plans, and how to read food labels. When you get to the Advanced Speaker level, idioms and colloquialisms are incorporated so that you can truly start sounding like a local.
How Are the Lessons Structured?
Each lesson is centered around either a video or podcast. Most lessons incorporate authentic dialogue, allowing you to see the vocabulary and grammar in action. The dialogue is broken down into a line-by-line transcript so that you can listen to it again and again, and even record your own voice to compare with that of a native speaker. You also have the option to favorite a lesson, mark it as complete, or share it with a friend.
There is also a vocabulary section which lists all the new words you learned in the lesson along with an example sentence using the word. You can add any of these words/phrases to your Word Bank or vocabulary lists (more on these later). Finally, everything is summarised rather nicely into one succinct document: the lesson notes. You can download this as a pdf along with the transcript and mp3 files to review at any time.
The fact that everything can be easily downloaded is a massive bonus. It allows you to download a lesson in advance for on-the-go learning when you are without wifi. You can even listen to the mp3 files in isolation, since everything is explained in detail with the full dialogue etc. So you can learn whilst at the gym, on a lunch break or on a daily commute—perfect for those who are balancing language learning around a busy lifestyle.
Additional Features and Learning Tools
With over 15 years of experience creating programs like HindiPod101, Innovative Language has really perfected their platform and it shows. The value is not only in the plethora of lessons—the most out of any Hindi language program on the market—but also in the whole suite of extra tools and features that are there to aid you in your language studies. Let’s take a look at a few of them.
Word Bank & Flash Cards
Firstly, they’ve incorporated a fully functional flashcard and word bank feature into HindiPod101. Many students find that flashcards are a great way to learn new vocabulary, especially when you group them together into sets and revise them regularly. HindiPod101 allows you to add a word to your word bank at any time during a lesson, this way you’ll never lose a word again. Within the word bank you can assign labels, listen to the pronunciation from native speakers, see examples, and add it to a flash card deck for you to practice later.
Most Common Words List
A great strategy to use to avoid learning obsolete or outdated language is to focus on only the most frequently used words in a language. The most common words list does just that—it’s a comprehensive list of only the most frequently used words in Hindi. You can filter them all by category, listen to the pronunciation and add any words to your word bank or a flash card deck.
Topical Vocab Lists
In this section you’ll find hundreds of pre-made vocabulary lists on a wide array of topics, ranging from slang phrases to ‘Star Wars day’. These are a great way to break up your learning and deepen your vocabulary in a fun and playful way.
‘Word of the Day’ Emails
This is a complimentary service that you can register for if you wish. They will email you a new word every day, along with background information on its meaning and how it’s used in context. It’s a great way to stay motivated and consistently build your vocabulary.
Hindi Dictionary
Search any word in English or Hindi and you’ll get the translation, a voice clip (at full and half speed), a few grammar notes, and the script in both Devanagari and Roman (latin).
Who Is HindiPod101 Good For?
HindiPod101 is an ideal learning platform for anyone who wants to learn to speak fluent Hindi. It can be exceptionally beneficial for those who:
- are serious about picking up Hindi as a second language
- are planning a business or leisure trip to a mostly Hindi-speaking country
- prefer learning on their own time as independent study
- have family, friends, or partners who are native Hindi-speakers
Who Is HindiPod101 NOT Good For?
Learning a new language is not a one-size-fits-all type of thing and as such, there are some individuals who may not benefit from HindiPod101 including those who:
- require the structure of a classroom setting for optimal learning
- are looking for dedicated one-on-one instruction
- lack self-motivation
- prefer a one-track syllabus that covers everything
HindiPod101 Best Alternatives
You will find quite a few mobile and desktop applications that claim to teach you to speak another language. Many of these applications like Duolingo and Optilingo offer little along the lines of structured courses with appropriate grammar lessons. Instead, you will be left wondering why and how certain words are used when others are not with no clear explanations.
Some programs focus solely on learning the Hindi alphabet, and while this is essential to learning Hindi, it is only a portion of the language. However, there are a few programs that can compare to the in-depth and comprehensive nature of HindiPod101. Read on to see how they measure up.
HindiPod101 vs. Pimsleur Method
The Pimsleur Method boasts hands-free learning as most of its instruction is via audio lessons using their “Graduated Interval Recall” method. It is based upon repetition of words and phrases at specific time intervals so that the brain commits them to long-term memory. This program cost $14.95 per month after a 7-day free trial period.
The concept behind the Pimsleur Method makes sense, and the price is affordable. However, we feel this isn’t helpful if you’re a visual or tactical learner.
HindiPod101 vs. Rosetta Stone
Like HindiPod101, Rosetta Stone offers a more comprehensive learning platform which begins with learning the Hindi alphabet.
Rosetta Stone Hindi currently costs $48 for the first three months, although purchasing multiple months in advance can yield a larger discount.
Some people like the interface and method, but personally I’m not a fan. They have a free trial, so you can see it fits your style or not.
Is HindiPod101 Worth the Money?
For serious learners, we believe investing in HindiPod101 is worth the money. When you compare the cost of taking a semester-long Hindi class—if it’s even available—a one-year PremiumPLUS subscription to HindiPod101 is typically much cheaper.
Sign up using our coupon code to get 30% off HindiPod101
The folks at Innovative Languages were kind enough to offer our readers 30% off. All you have to do is sign up using the link below and the discount will be automatically added to your account:
HindiPod101 Review: Summary
Overall, HindiPod101 offers a superb method of learning another language at your own pace. How far you progress is completely up to you and set to your schedule. With very few legitimate competitors, HindiPod101 is comparable in price to other courses on the market.
You can save quite a bit of money with a one-year Premium subscription when compared to the cost of studying at a university as well as what you’d typically pay for Hindi textbooks. Whether you’re pursuing it for business or personal reasons, investing in HindiPod101 is a sound choice for most serious Hindi students.
Our Editorial Team is a group of language learning enthusiasts who are passionate about testing new apps and finding the best ways to learn a language.
