Podclub is a practical, user-friendly app for those learning a new language, and is great for improving listening comprehension. Let's take it for a test drive.

The app can be downloaded for free from the Android or iPhone app store, and can also be accessed at www.podclub.ch, which offers exactly the same content as the phone version.

Whilst real-life language courses at the Swiss ‘Migros Club School’ and a paid ‘vocabulary trainer’ are available, Podclub’s real substance comes from the hundreds of foreign-language podcasts that it offers.

Whilst other popular language-learning apps like Duolingo focus on grammar and vocabulary without much context, Podclub is designed to immerse the user in the forms, structures and idioms of their chosen language/s.

The app offers podcasts in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish and Swiss-German.

For each language option, there is a further choice of podcasts – Gerry’s Diary, Gerry’s News Digest and Owen in China, hosted by Gerry’s son, are popular English podcasts.

Mercifully, Gerry’s monopoly doesn’t extend to the other languages. There are two French podcasts and four in German, as well as five podcasts in the Italian section, mostly based in the north. Finally, there is one in Spanish and another three in Swiss-German.

Every one of these podcasts is free, and there’s no need to worry about making a commitment, since every episode is permanently available and can be listened to at any time.

The range, while broad, is still hollow in places; most of the podcasts are at A2/B1 level, save for a smattering of B2 series, meaning more advanced learners might be put off.

It’s also a shame that only languages in central Europe are covered, but there is nothing stopping new podcasters from offering other languages – it just hasn’t happened yet.

The structure of each episode is simple. The host picks a topic (or two), and introduces it, before speaking at length for around ten minutes.

The topics range from the literary, for example, 'Of Spirituality and Serenity' to the political 'Animals in Office and Education', to the trivial 'Gardens and Flowers'.

It is always something the hosts themselves are interested in, so even the driest of topics can come to life; I was surprised how much I enjoyed learning about biodegradable spaghetti for ten minutes.

Podclub also requires each host to provide a transcript alongside the audio, which helps the user recognise and familiarise themselves with key linguistic patterns, making the listening experience somewhat less formidable.

The app automatically highlights which part of the transcript is being spoken, making it impossible to lose track, and also provides useful definitions of the more difficult words that are used, removing the need to switch to Google Translate.

There is no obligation, however, to read the transcript, and the podcasts can be listened to as bare audio. The episodes can also be downloaded to iTunes to bypass the app entirely, but doing so detracts from the experience.

The effectiveness of this transcript function cannot be overstated, and it permits organic learning most foreign language educators can only dream of.

When using the app myself, I picked up many words I would have soon forgotten had I learnt them out of context, isolated from their meanings. Instead, I remember them because I they functioned as part of a distinct narrative.

For instance, I learnt the almost entirely useless word for ‘trough’ just once, and still remember it to this day, alongside other words with an actual day-to-day function.

In short, Podclub offers a winning combination of both highly practical and enjoyable educational content, and I couldn’t recommend it more.

Price: Free | By: Migros | Size: 120 MB | iOS: 9.0 or later

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Author bio: Ben is a writer from London and with a keen passion for languages, technology, comedy and pop-culture. Quite a well-rounded guy, when you think about it.