#25 Learn a Language in 5-Minute Bursts with Drops

#25 Learn a Language in 5-Minute Bursts with Drops

Author: Fluent in 3 Months November 23, 2020 Duration: 47:48

Benny Lewis chats with Shannon Kennedy and Caitlin Sacasas about how they use the language app Drops. Drops is a visual, vocabulary language learning game that helps you build your foundation in a new language in 5-minute sessions.

Shannon and Caitlin share why they love Drops, how they use the app, and how Drops teaches vocab without translation.

Featured Links

Mentioned in this Episode

Episode Overview

Some of the topics brought up during the interview are:

  • The history of Drops and its multinational background
  • Why Drops focuses on helping learners with just one thing
  • How Drops pays special attention to teaching a language through games
  • Learning a language without translation
  • Keeping up your language learning motivation and how Drops’ 2-Day Rule
  • How 5 minutes a day adds up to a language learning habit and lots of learned words
  • Why learning vocabulary is so important
  • The difference between the free version of Drops and Drops Premium
  • How Drops decides on what new content gets added
  • Learning travel essentials with Drops’ “Travel Talk” feature
  • Drops partnership with K-pop star and artist Amber Liu
  • Language laddering with Drops

Podcast theme: “A New Beginning” by Shannon Kennedy

Join Our Patreon

Enjoy the podcast? Subscribe to our Patreon to get access to bonus content and monthly exclusives.


There’s a certain magic that happens when you step off a plane and try to order a meal in a language you’re still fumbling through, or when a simple conversation with a stranger on a train opens up an entirely new perspective. Language & Travel Hacking, from the team behind Fluent in 3 Months, lives in those messy, authentic, and profoundly rewarding moments. Host Benny Lewis, a nomadic polyglot and best-selling author, doesn’t just theorize from a studio; he records from the road, sharing raw, real-time experiences and the practical strategies that actually work when you’re navigating a foreign market or building confidence in a new tongue. Each episode feels like a candid chat with a well-traveled friend who’s made all the mistakes so you don’t have to. You’ll hear the sounds of street markets and train stations in the background as Benny breaks down the psychology of language learning, offers actionable tips for picking up phrases quickly, and discusses how travel itself can be the ultimate classroom. This podcast is built on the idea that fluency and cultural connection aren’t distant goals reserved for the gifted, but accessible skills you can hack through smart, intentional practice. It’s for anyone who believes that the deepest way to explore a place is through its language, and that every journey is an opportunity to reshape how you see the world-and yourself. Tune in for honest stories and tangible advice that will change how you approach your next adventure, whether it’s across the globe or right in your own neighborhood.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 271

Language & Travel Hacking
Podcast Episodes
Ask Benny: How to Learn a Different Writing System [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 5:20
Benny discusses languages with different writing systems, and when he starts learning to read and write. Depending on the language and writing system, it can be a few weeks or sometimes several months into the process be…
#60 Katie Pascoe on Virtual Reality Language Learning [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:08
This episode features Katie Pascoe, editor of the Language Hacking podcast. Katie also co-founded VR Languages and helped create Dynamic Spanish.Dynamic Spanish gets you speaking Spanish confidently in VR with the Starte…
#59 Maria Ortega on the Poetry of Learning Languages [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:39
Poet, artist and polyglot Maria Ortega Garcia talks to Benny Lewis and Shannon Kennedy about mindfulness, language learning as an introvert, and the power of using art and poetry as language learning tools.Mentioned in t…
#57 Géraldine Lepère on Cultural Clues to Sound More French [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:38
Benny and Elizabeth speak with French YouTube superstar Géraldine Lepère about the importance of understanding culture when learning a language.Featured ResourcesComme une FrançaiseMY STORY: How Culture Shock Inspired Me…
#56 Jo Franco on Being a Netflix Travel Chick [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:19
Benny and Shannon dive deep with Netflix star, YouTube influencer and polyglot Jo Franco about growing up bilingual, developing a love of travel and language learning, and building connection through language.Featured Re…
#55 Elfin Waters on Falling in Lust with Languages [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:56
Native Italian speaker and teacher Elfin Waters shares with Benny and Shannon about falling in love with languages as an escape, using Instagram as a language learning resource, and building Italian language content for…
#54 Jim and May on Spanish and Go [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:28
Benny and Elizabeth chat with Jim and May of Spanish and Go about meeting to exchange Spanish and English, falling in love, and creating a language business together. Jim and May are the founders of Spanish and Go, langu…