I started learning French just a few years ago using a variety of different methods and techniques. Even though I currently live in Paris, I realize it’s simply not enough to expect to absorb the language from daily interactions– and I’m constantly looking for ways to stay motivated and continue progressing.

Carina Otero at the Hotel de la Marine in Paris

When I first heard about Lingoda and the format of their Language Sprints I was immediately intrigued. It seemed to offer an interesting blend of flexibility, rigidity, accountability, and motivation to really make tangible progress while learning a language. The fact that the classes are online was an obvious advantage, and I signed up for their next Sprint without first reading all the fine print. I ended up making it work, enjoyed the experience, successfully completed it, and received my reward.

In this article I’ve detailed all the pros and cons of taking a Lingoda Language Sprint, what I loved most about the platform, and a few tips for making the most of your experience.

Would I recommend Lingoda for learning French?

Yes, 100%. I loved taking Lingoda’s small group, live, online classes. They currently offer courses for French levels A1, A2, B1, and B2, in addition to a few other languages.

Lingoda was actually one of my favorite methods I’ve tried while learning French (and I’ve tried many!). The classes were well-organized, the teachers were professional, and the groups were small so everyone present was able to participate. On a few instances I was the only one in my class so they ended up being private lessons, but otherwise there are up to 5 students in each class. The technology of the online classes was straightforward and easy to navigate, and I found it especially helpful that I was able to review a PDF of the lesson material before each class started so I could be well-prepared. I thought most of the class topics offered within my level of French at the time (B2.3) were interesting, and I was grateful to have been able to choose exactly which classes and topics I preferred to take. At that point in time during my French language journey, I was specifically looking to enrich my vocabulary and practice expressing myself in a wide range of topics, and with Lingoda I was able to do exactly that.

Would I recommend the Lingoda Language Sprint? Yes, if you are up for a challenge– and I’m not talking just the course material, but also the format and all the rules you must follow in order to complete it successfully! Continue reading to learn about the advantages and disadvantages of doing a Lingoda Language Sprint that I discovered during my successful experience.

I successfully completed the Lingoda Language Sprint and had the option to choose my reward: A 50% refund or 100% Worth of class credits.

The advantages of the Lingoda Language Sprint

The reward is a big motivator
If you successfully complete a Lingoda Language Sprint or Super Sprint, you will be issued a refund for 50% of the total amount you paid, or 100% of the class credits you used to complete the challenge to be used in the future as you continue learning on Lingoda. If you love facing new challenges or have a competitive spirit, the goal of succeeding in the Sprint is a fun one to work toward and achieve. If you choose the class credits as your reward, you get to continue learning on the same platform at your own pace, and the fact that you will become a better speaker is a great motivator. If you choose the 50% refund as your reward, the fact that you saved a considerable amount of money on your learning experience, in the form of money posted to your original payment method, is a tangible prize that feels great to win. I personally chose the 50% refund as my prize, and I’ll explain why later in this article when I discuss the disadvantages of the Lingoda Language Sprint.
Regular practice is proven to be one of the most effective techniques to learn a language
The structure of the Sprint forces you to take classes regularly and often, over the course of two months. Doing so helps you retain what you’ve learned and encourages you to continue progressing, and in the process your brain creates positive habits and subconsciously reforms your identity as a speaker of that language. Making language-learning part of your identity is one of the most effective ways to sustain the practice and motivate you to continue doing it.
You can download the annotated lesson material after each session
The structure of Lingoda’s online classes and lesson plans allows and encourages you to review (or download) the course material before each session you attend, or simply to give you the opportunity to decide if it’s a topic you’re interested in attending. Similarly, after you attend a class you can download a PDF of the material with all of the teacher’s notes that were discussed during the lesson. The fact that you can download these notes and save them to a drive on your computer is a nice advantage, which I’ll also discuss a bit more when I detail the disadvantages of the Lingoda Language Sprint later in this article.
If you plan in advance you can take exactly what class you want, at exactly what time works for you
The classes of your choice can be scheduled at any hour of the day or night, as long as it’s at least seven days in advance. Within seven days, you can also join any other session that you see is already on the schedule at various times, as long as there is space available and it’s not a topic that you’ve already taken. However, if you sign up for a session within seven days, the cancellation window is only 30 minutes from the time you signed up, otherwise if you cancel or are not able to attend the session for any reason you will be automatically disqualified from the Sprint. The ability to plan in advance can be seen as an advantage of the program, but it is tricky because it doesn’t allow for any wiggle room if you need to make a last-minute change in your schedule.
I got refunded quickly
I took my last Lingoda class on February 12, the Sprint window of my ‘cohort’ officially closed on February 18, and by February 26 I had received email confirmation that I had successfully completed the Sprint and was entitled to a reward. I was instructed to fill out a form if I wanted to claim 100% worth of class credits to be used in the future, and that taking no action meant that I would automatically receive a refund of 50% of the amount I paid when signing up for the Sprint. I received a few more emails asking if I would like to claim the class credit reward, but continued taking no action. By March 14, the refund was posted to my bank account.

I completed the Lingoda Language Sprint in February 2025 by taking 30 French classes in 60 days, and received a refund of 50% of the course fees. Classes can host up to 5 students, but sometimes I was the only one so I got a private lesson.

The disadvantages of the Lingoda Language Sprint

Referral discounts can’t be applied toward the purchase of a Sprint
I was convinced to sign up for a Lingoda Language Sprint after seeing a friend recommend it online and share her referral link. I was immediately disappointed during the check-out process when I learned I couldn’t apply her 50€ discount code to my purchase. Referral discounts can only be applied to the purchase of class packages, and if you do so, you won’t be eligible to sign up for a Sprint. I signed up for the Sprint anyway, and forfeited her referral discount. If you want 50€ off your purchase of a Lingoda class package (and not a Sprint) then you can use my link here: https://learn.lingoda.com/fr/referral/hfwjen
Only new customers are eligible to participate in a Lingoda Language Sprint
According to Lingoda’s Sprint Rules, you can only sign up for a Sprint if you are a new customer who has never had an active subscription. A free trial doesn’t count as an active subscription, so you can choose to test the platform before committing to signup for a Sprint, however the timing may not always work out ideally if the next available Sprint start date is beginning sooner or later than your free trial would expire.
The rules were more complicated than I imagined
This was honestly an oversight on my part, as I didn’t fully read all the fine print in the Sprint Rules before signing up. I chose the Regular Sprint which is 30 classes in 60 days, and there were many more specific stipulations that I wasn’t aware of. For example:
- You can’t cancel any class within seven days for any reason
- You can’t cancel a class and expect to make it up with buying additional credits
- You can’t buy additional classes during the Sprint window, even if you intend to use them later
- You can only take a maximum of 1 class in a day
- You can only take a maximum of 5 classes in a week
- You can only take a maximum of 15 classes in each month
- You can’t change the time zone in your account settings
By contrast, the Lingoda Super Sprint (which is 60 classes in 60 days) is more straightforward in regard to the amount of rules that need to be followed. The Super Sprint certainly takes a much more considerable commitment of time and effort, but I personally felt that the rules of the Regular Sprint were actually more complicated. To be sure you know exactly what you need to commit to before signing up, I suggest reading through all the details and FAQ’s on Lingoda’s website.
The dates of the Sprint are not flexible
Enrollment is fixed according to their timeline– the start and end dates are decided by them, and Lingoda only offers enrollment for their Sprint and Super Sprint a few times a year. In other words, you don’t have the flexibility to decide when to do it. I thought of the scheduling aspect as more similar to a traditional or physical language school, as opposed to other online language-learning methods that give you all the flexibility to learn at your own pace and on your own time. However, depending on the type of learner you are, the rigidity of the schedule and enrollment can be a motivator like it was for me.
Lingoda currently only offers up to B2.3 for French
This is why I chose the 50% refund as my reward instead of the 100% class credit. I really loved the format of Lingoda and would have loved to continue, but I completed my Sprint by taking 30 classes within their highest level and there wasn’t anywhere for me to progress within the platform. If your level of French is A1, A2, B1, or even B2.1 or B2.2, this particular point wouldn’t necessarily be a disadvantage for you, and I would still wholeheartedly recommend the platform. If Lingoda was to offer higher levels for French in the future, I would love to rejoin.
You can only view detailed class offerings if you have a valid subscription
Once I completed the Sprint and I canceled the auto-enrollment into the platform’s subscription model, I was essentially locked out of my account. Currently if I log-in to the platform, I’m shown the below message and have no options other than to sign up again. This is why I was glad to have downloaded PDFs of all of the annotated lesson material after each class to review personally on my own time, because now I have no way to access the history of the courses I took online, or any information about the topics I learned about. I hope this is something that Lingoda updates on their platform, because as of now I also don’t have a way to see if they have added any course options beyond French B2.3.

After successfully completing the Sprint, I canceled auto-enrollment of a subscription because I had already taken all of the classes at their highest level of French that Lingoda offers.

My recommendations for using Lingoda to learn French

Whether you’re considering between the Sprint, the Super Sprint, or taking Lingoda’s group classes at your own pace, I certainly recommend the platform. If you are interested in doing self-paced Lingoda classes, you can use my referral link for a 50€ discount off your first class package:

https://learn.lingoda.com/fr/referral/hfwjen

My top tips for successfully completing the Lingoda Sprint or Super Sprint is to read all of the details of the challenge rules thoroughly before committing to sign up, and to enjoy the experience! I loved attending Lingoda classes and really appreciated the thoughtful participation of the other students, and the professionalism and preparedness of the teachers.

Since I’ve reached the top level of French that is offered by Lingoda, I’m currently looking into alternatives to continue my language-learning journey. I’ve heard great things about Babbel Live, which offers small, live group classes online up to level C1 for French. I’ll be sure to update this blog with any progress and my in-depth review, so be sure to check back and follow along!

Are you considering using Lingoda to learn or practice a language and have any questions about my experience completing their Sprint? Let me know below in the comments!