Looking for the ideal gift for your friend or loved one who is obsessed with learning languages? Or maybe they just started talking about learning Italian or Japanese and you want to surprise them with a thoughtful gift! If so, then this is the perfect list for you. (Seriously, I speak Spanish and Italian and am currently learning French and this list is basically everything I dream of!) Here’s the list of incredible (and affordable!) gifts for the language learners in your life!
If you’re looking for gift guides specific to a language, you can find them here:
1. Italki Gift Card
This is #1 on the list of language learning gifts because iTalki is for sure the best way to learn a language online on a super low budget (which I’m all about!).
Instead of giving your loved one a generic mug that says “bonjour” on it, you can ACTUALLY give them online language classes that can really teach them a language.
I’ve taken hundreds of classes on iTalki (usually at about $5-$7 per class) and it has taught me Italian, improved my Spanish, and got me to an intermediate level with my French.
Basically, you are paying a native speaker to talk to you WITHOUT using English for a half-hour to an hour. There is absolutely nothing more valuable than that at any level of language learning.
You can find my language study plan here to show exactly how I use these classes with only a few other (free) resources to learn a language quickly!
Worried that they might not have used iTalki before? If they haven’t used it, they’ll definitely be thanking you for introducing them!
It’s the best website out there for one-on-one classes with native speakers (trust me, I’ve tried others and they don’t compare!)
I literally won’t shut up about iTalki, so send them to this blog if they need help or need more convincing!
In order to send a gift card, you will need to create an account with iTalki, then scroll to the bottom of the page where it says “Buy a Gift Card.”
You can choose the amount that you would like to send them. It doesn’t matter if they don’t have an account yet, either!
$20 will get them about 3-4 classes with a native speaker, which is an awesome gift for any language learner!!
2. Fluent Forever: How to Learn Any Language Fast and Never Forget It Book
One thing that language lovers usually love just as much as learning languages is reading about learning languages!
This book is the first book about language learning I ever bought and read and I ate up everything it told me.
You might be thinking, why don’t I just buy them a grammar book for the language they are learning?
You could do that, but most language learners can be picky about the resources they use and you might choose a book that is above or below their current level.
This is the perfect book for any level since it covers some in-depth ways any person can be fluent in a language and NEVER forget what they’ve learned (powerful stuff!)
It’s one of those language gifts that can be given to anyone, no matter what language they’re learning!
3. Harry Potter in the Language They Are Learning
Your language learner may be focused on speaking or learning vocabulary, but a lot of times language learners neglect one of the best ways to learn new words quickly: through reading!
You don’t want to buy them just any book in their target language, though.
The best books to read (even for more advanced speakers) are books or novels that you have already read in your native language!
Even better if they are meant for a younger audience, meaning that the vocabulary will be simpler to understand.
It doesn’t matter if your language learner is 15 or 55, this gift will definitely bring a smile to their face!
It’s not only a thoughtful gift, but also it shows that you understand a bit about how to learn a language through reading.
I’m 27 and I still plan to work my way through the Harry Potter books in French! This is a great gift for language students of any age.
Not only do I get the magic of Harry Potter back by reading it in another language, but I also am learning new vocabulary passively as I remember what I’ve read in the past.
- 1st Harry Potter Book in French
- 1st Harry Potter Book in Spanish
- 1st Harry Potter Book in Italian
- 1st Harry Potter Book in German
I thought this review was super sweet and really shows how cool this gift is (even for an older language learner!)
If they aren’t into the Harry Potter books, here are a few other ideas that might fit their tastes better!
- Twilight in Spanish (I read this in Italian, very intermediate-friendly!)
- The 1st Book in the Series of Unfortunate Events in French
- The 1st Book in the Hunger Games Series in Italian
P.S. If you love this idea but are looking for a different language, you can click through to the book you’re interested in and then type “the book name the language paperback.” If you click through one of my links on this post and then buy a different book, I can still make a small commission off of the book you buy which I appreciate SO much! Thank you!
4. Language Notebook
You can never go wrong with a brand-new notebook meant for journaling in another language or taking notes on grammar.
For some reason, every time I get a new notebook it seems like a world of new possibilities opens up and I’m even more ready to tackle my goals!
However, you have to make sure you get the right kind of notebook for your language learner. Many times I’ve gotten notebooks with no lines (blank pages for sketching) or with really thick spirals that always bend and break in my backpack.
The best language journals are more compact and have lines to organize your thoughts better.
Trust me, your friend or loved one will appreciate the gesture much more if they are able to actually use the gift you gave them!
A few accessories you could get to add to this present are small color-coded sticky notes that can help them split the journal into sections, lots of pens and highlighters, or blank flashcards for practicing vocabulary.
5. Language Planner
If your language learner loves to stay organized, this is the perfect gift for them. I’m seriously OBSESSED with my planner on Amazon.
I use it to schedule out language lessons, plan out which language activities I want to focus on by the day of the week, write out language goals for the week and month, etc.
Unlike other planners, this one is actually big enough to fully implement and plan out a language study plan by day.
It’s about the size of a normal school notebook, and the extra room is perfect for taking notes or setting new goals!
It also comes in pink!
6. Fluent in 3 Months by Benny Lewis
If you’re looking for a super-motivating gift idea for your friend who loves languages, this one is it! Benny Lewis is a famous polyglot (a person who speaks multiple languages) and is known for learning them to fluency in just 3 months.
In this book, he outlines how he did it, even as someone who struggled with languages in high school!
I loved how he simplifies language learning and makes it seem like an attainable goal instead of something that only a few people can do.
This book is perfect for anyone considering learning a language or even those who have learned a few already!
7. Grammar Charts
Although I’ve never had one of these myself, they are something I’ve always thought about getting and am now putting on my Christmas list!
These would be perfect to have next to you during your conversation classes on iTalki or while figuring out what to study next and they’d be a perfect present for a beginner language learner!
8. Through the Language Glass: Why the World Looks Different in Other Languages Book
Like the quote by Federico Fellini states, “A different language is a different vision of life.” Language learners get to glimpse a new life and even a new world through language and this book encapsulates that idea.
Although I haven’t read this book yet myself, it’s just been added to my Christmas list because this is one of the coolest aspects of learning a new language and I can’t wait to learn more about it!
9. The Language Instinct by Stephen Pinker
As a language major in college (I studied Spanish education and teaching English to speakers of other languages) I definitely became familiar with Stephen Pinker and what he’s done for the language community.
If you are looking for a book for a more advanced or older language learner, this may be the choice for you.
In “The Language Instinct” Stephen Pinker discusses the idea that we are all instinctually gifted to learn languages.
It focuses on his study of how children learn and acquire languages and how that can help adults better their study of languages!
More Posts About Learning Languages:
- This Crazy Simple Language Study Plan You NEED to Try
- How to Find a Language Exchange Partner
- How to Understand Language Levels on Duolingo
- Is Duolingo Plus Worth the Cost?
- 10 Things Most Users Don’t Know About Duolingo
- 11 of the Best Audiobooks for Learning Spanish
Dayna Brockbank is a travel and language-learning blogger who has lived around the world but has now settled in Nice, France. She speaks 3 languages at varying levels of fluency: Spanish, Italian, and French, and graduated with a Bachelor’s in Spanish Education. She and her husband focus on making travel part of life by living cheaply and traveling on a budget.