The Best Gifts for Language Learners! [60 Ideas]
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Here are 60 of the best gifts for language learners! From amazing books to fun games to helpful accessories and so much more.
Whether for loved one for a birthday or holiday or even if you want to just treat yourself, there is a gift here for any language lover of any level and language! 🙂
Note:
Before you buy a gift for your language learner, do you know enough about them?
Perhaps the two most important questions to know the answers to are what language(s) the learner is studying and what hobbies the language learner loves and hates the most. You don’t need to know every detail or their likes and dislikes and their studies, but the more information, the better!
The bare minimum answers needed above are to ensure you are getting an item related to the correct language (keep in mind the level, as well, if you are getting something particularly easy or hard) and something they will truly enjoy.
Many people love to read, but many hate it. Getting a book, even if its on a topic that interests the language learner, may not be a good idea if they struggle to read or just hate the activity. Likewise, some people hate board games and some cant get enough.
If you dont already know what they would tend to enjoy most on this list, perhaps ask around or observe to get an idea first! Almost all of these items should be well received by any language learner, but keeping things personal is, of course, always best!
Table of contents:
- Books about language learning and books in foreign languages (1-13)
- Books about linguistics, conlangs (invented languages), and the history of language (14-21)
- Books about productivity and study hacks (22-28)
- Items to be used for studying (29-38)
- Games (39-43)
- Subscriptions and gift cards (44-47)
- Physical items, such as home decor, mugs, bags, etc (48-60)
1.) Fluent Forever
Fluent Forever: How to Learn Any Language Fast and Never Forget It by Gabriel Wyner is a great book for any language learner! Regardless of the language one is learning or the level.
He starts with pronunciation and goes into all pillars of language learning (speaking, reading, writing, and listening), all the while offering tips and methods to rewire one’s ears, tongue, and brain for language learning.
I personally own this book and learned a great deal from it, even though I read it years into my language learning journey. It is simple and yet highly effective and is one of my go-to gifts for language learners!
2.) The Art of Learning a Foreign Language
The Art of Learning a Foreign Language: 25 Things I Wish They Told Me by Benjamin Batarseh is another book that offers language learning tips and methods to it’s readers.
It is not as fleshed out as Fluent Forever (above) is, but it is still a very well written and very helpful guide to learning languages more efficiently!
As with Fluent Forever, this is a great gift for a language learner of any level and of any language.
3.) Away with Words
Away with Words: How You Can Learn Any Language & Cultivate an Idiomatic Mindset by Ryan Doherty is another book with tons of language learning tips and tricks.
It is a shorter and more succinct book of tips, but as with both above, it packs a punch and is a suitable gift for learners of any language and level!
4.) How to Speak Any Language Fluently
How to Speak Any Language Fluently: Fun, Stimulating and Effective Methods to Help Anyone Learn Languages Faster by Alex Rawlings is a fourth great guidebook on language learning.
It is shorter than the others and is also a bit better for beginners. It is still a great gift for any language learner, but the tips offered are a bit more basic than the others. Most language learners who are advanced or have been learning languages for a while will have likely figured these tips out already on their own!
5.) The Secrets of Polyglots
The Secrets of Polyglots by Konrad Jerzak vel Dobosz is another book that aims to offer helpful advice on language learning!
This one goes over 17 different techniques and concepts and aims to learn from the success and tips from other polyglots (people who speak multiple languages).
6.) How to Really Learn a Language
How to Really Learn a Language by Jeff Martin is the last guidebook to language learning on this list.
Martin believes that language learning should be easy and natural, like when we learn our native language, as babies! His methods and tips center all around learning a language in this way, rather than struggling for mastery.
7.) Other-Wordly
Other-Wordly: Words Both Strange & Lovely From Around the World by Yee-Lum Mak is an illustrated book of words from languages and cultures all around the world. Such as terms for sunlight that filters through the leaves of trees or for dancing awkwardly but with joy.
This is a great book for language lovers and linguaphiles (lovers of language/words) and makes for a great coffee table book!
8.) Lost in Translation
Lost in Translation: An Illustrated Compendium of Untranslatable Words from Around the World by Ella Frances Sanders has the same concept as the book above!
It is a great coffee table book of beautiful words from languages and cultures around the world.
9.) The Illustrated Book of Sayings
The Illustrated Book of Sayings: Curious Expressions from Around the World by Ella Frances Sanders is similar to the two books above, but this one focuses on expressions!
Another great coffee table book, this one is particularly funny and interesting as idioms and phrases are so curiously specific to culture and history sometimes!
10.) Lingo Mastery Short Stories
Lingo Mastery Short Stories are short stories made just for language learners!
They are very useful to learn a language with and they come in many different languages! They are mostly for beginners, but there are several for upper levels as well.
If you know the language and general level of your gift receiver, these can be a very great and very helpful gift for language learners!
11.) ‘D!RTY’ Slang Series
The D!RTY series for learning slang and vulgarities is another great gift for a language learner.
This series comes in tons of different languages and is a very fun and interesting read for any language student!
Just make sure to have an idea if your language learner would enjoy a book about slang and vulgarities. It is not everyone’s cup of tea, haha. However, it is an important part of learning a language and this book would be very valuable, if they might be interested!
(Clicking on the link above will take you to the D!RTY Korean book, but if you scroll down a bit, you can find the section that is pictured above, which links to the other books in the series!)
12.) Novels in their target language
YA novels (or any type of novel!) in the language learner’s language(s) are great gifts!
There are several books that have been translated to a massive amount of languages. They include Harry potter, Percy Jackson, and most hit or classes books like the others pictured above.
If you know what your gift receiver’s favorite book/author/series is, getting it in their target language is an amazing gift that is sure to be very well-received!
(If you want specific recommendations for several languages (with links) and multiple locations to find foreign language books, be sure to check out this article here!)
13.) Cookbooks in their target language
If you are looking for a gift for a language learner that is at all interested in cooking (or even just living alone and needing to cook), look no further. Getting a cookbook in the language they are learning is the perfect gift!
You can find tons of different types of cookbooks on a massive variety of food types in foreign languages and this is a gift that is not just helpful and fun for language learning, but very practical and useful!
14.) Lingo
Lingo: Around Europe in Sixty Languages by Gaston Dorren is a funny and interesting book on the linguistics of Europe!
He talks about the various languages (and not just the usual romance languages) and goes over history, misconceptions, funny tidbits, the evolution, and so much more.
This makes this book a great gift for language learners or anyone interested in linguistics! This is more of a science based book, though, so it is best suited for those who have either expressed interest in linguistics before or just those who you know love academia.
15.) The Language Lover’s Puzzle Book
The Language Lover’s Puzzle Book: A World Tour of Languages and Alphabets in 100 Amazing Puzzles by Alex Bellos is a fun book all about language puzzles and brainteasers!
This is a very unique and interesting book sure to make any language lover scratch their heads, make fun connections, and have a good laugh. This is certainly a must-have gift for language learners who also love puzzles!
16.) Through the Language Glass
Through the Language Glass: Why the World Looks Different in Other Languages by Guy Deutscher is a response to the idea that all languages are fundamentally the same and do not affect the way we think in any significant way.
Deutscher claims they are wrong and argues that in this great book, filled with interesting facts, scientific findings and theories, and fun debates.
This is another book geared more towards linguistic lovers!
17.) The Unfolding of Language
The Unfolding of Language: An Evolutionary Tour of Mankind’s Greatest Invention by (again!) Guy Deutscher is a look at the evolution of language.
He talks about groundbreaking discoveries in modern linguistics, human communication in general, and offers fresh views on the history and evolution of language.
Again, this is one geared more towards linguists and history lovers!
18.) Empires of the Word
Empires of the Word: A Language History of the World by Nicholas Ostler is a historical look into language across the world.
Ostler looks at epic language achievements, attempts at a “universal” language, and how the history of language reveals the planet’s diversity.
Another great gift for language lovers who love linguistics and history!
19.) Is That a Fish in Your Ear?
Is That a Fish in Your Ear?: Translation and the Meaning of Everything by David Bellos is a fascinating look into translation.
Bellos looks at how we can ever really know that we are understanding someone in a language (our own or another, via translation) as he explores the entire world of translation!
This is a great gift for a language learner interested in translation work, perhaps as a job or career in the future! Or perhaps for someone working or starting in that field now!
20.) In the Land of Invented Languages
In the Land of Invented Languages: Esperanto Rock Stars, Klingon Poets, Loglan Lovers, and the Mad Dreamers Who Tried to Build A Perfect Language by Arika Okrent is a great look into the history of invented languages all around the world.
There are nearly 900 invented languages we know of and Okrent takes a humorous and interesting look into that world!
Perhaps the language lover you know has created their own conlang (an invented language!) or perhaps they just really like language diversity. No matter what, this is a great book and gift for a language learner!
21.) The Art of Language Invention
The Art of Language Invention: From Horse-Lords to Dark Elves to Sand Worms, the Words Behind World-Building by David J. Peterson is another book that looks at invented languages!
This is the man who created languages like Dothraki for Game of Thrones and Shiväisith for Thor!
He takes a more scientific approach to invented languages, explaining the history and how exactly one builds a conlang. He also included tons of information about the languages he has created (including phrasebooks!) and gives lots of tools to start any conlang enthusiasts to create or further research today!
22.) Atomic Habits
Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear is a life changing book about productivity and life improvement.
While it (and the following few books) are not strictly language related, every language learner needs to manage their time wisely, create good habits (and expell bad ones), and remain on target and productive. This book is a great tool to improve one’s life and studies!
This book offers tips, methods, and strategies to improve day by day in today’s world. It is a highly rated book for a reason and many claim it helped them achieve their goals much more efficiently than before!
23.) Deep Work
Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport is a book about mastering the art of ‘deep work‘. AKA the “super power” of mastering complicated information in less time and leading a fulfilling and focused life.
He presents an explanation of ‘deep work, shows the benefits, and then offers a training regimen to transform your mind and habits!
24.) Learn Like a Pro
Learn Like a Pro: Science-Based Tools to Become Better at Anything by Barbara Oakley and Olav Schewe is a book aimed to help you master any material.
They build a foundation of neuroscience and cognititve psychology and then offer techniques on how to make the most of your brain – regardless of if one is a “natural” learner or not. This is all backed by their experience with and feedback from many students and experts!
25.) Ultralearning
Ultralearning: Master Hard Skills, Outsmart the Competition, and Accelerate Your Career by Scott H. Young offers nine principles to help you master any skill quickly.
Young backs up his claims with research and offers the most effective learning methods from “ultralearners” like Benjamin Franklin, Nigel Richards, and more. His goal is to help you organize and execute a plan to learn a topic deeply and quickly.
26.) ‘Learning how to Learn’ Series
The ‘Learning how to Learn‘ 20 book series by Peter Hollins contains lots of useful books for language learners!
Each book focuses of a different topic or builds on a past book with new research and theories. They all center around learning more effectively and quickly and remembering what you have learned longer and easier!
The ones pictured above are likely the most useful for language learners, as they all center around knowledge acquisition and retention, but any book in this series would be helpful and applicable to many areas of life.
27.) Unlimited Memory
Unlimited Memory: How to Use Advanced Learning Strategies to Learn Faster, Remember More and Be More Productive by Kevin Horsley is a great book about memory retention.
Kevin Horsley broke a world memory record in 2013 and he shares all his memory strategies and tips to help you improve your memory in this book! He claims most people never tap into even 10% of their potential in terms of memory and he offers tools, partially observed from other memory masters, to help you tap into more.
28.) Moonwalking with Einstein
Moonwalking with Einstein: How to Remember Anything by Joshua Foer is another book on memory.
This one is a look into the research, cultural history, and the various tricks and methods of memory masters to remember anything. Similar to the book above, the aim is to help you train your brain and tap into your potential!
29.) Notebooks
Most language learners make good use of notebooks! Most love to take notes, plan out their days/weeks/months, keep a diary in their target langauge, write letters to penpals, etc.
A notebook is one of the most versatile and useful gifts for language learners and getting a language lover a notebook like the ones pictured above, is a great gift idea!
The best and most popular notebooks are generally those that have blank or dotted pages (though this is personal preference and some might prefer lines) and have thicker paper. All those pictured above have 160gsm which means that a language learner can use just about any pens and markers they choose and not worry about it bleeding through the page!
30.) Writing Practice Notebooks
Similar in how versatile and useful it is, writing practice notebooks are also great gifts!
If you know the language the gift receiver is learning, this is best. If they are learning a language with the same script as their own, or similar enough, they may not wish to practice writing at all. However, if they are learning a language with an entirely different script (like an English speaker learning Japanese), then a notebook to help them practice their writing is perfect!
(Type in the language the learner is learning in the search bar, after “notebook” to find results specific to your gift receiver!)
31.) Planners
Again, language learners tend to like to (and often need to) plan their days/weeks/months out. A planner to help them keep everything organized and stay on track is a great gift!
Most everyone could use some help in productivity and staying on top of their studies and language learners can benefit greatly from a nice planner like these ‘deluxe’ planners pictured above!
Some have special themes, like guided journaling sections or ones dedicated to women with ADHD. If you happen to know something special about your language learner, try to incorporate here!
32.) Printables
There are tons of printables online that are meant to help language learners in their studies. Whether helping them in planning their week out, tracking habits, learning new vocab, or anything else. Best of all, they are generally quite cheap and can be reused endlessly!
Pictured above (and linked below) are my own printables sold on Etsy for language learners. Etsy, in general, is a goldmine for helpful printables and you can search and find tons!
It can be fun to find some printables you think the language learner would enjoy (and in some colors they enjoy!) and add these to another gift or just offer them on their own for a small, fun gift.
33.) Stationery Goodies
As mentioned above, many language lovers like to use notebooks and/or planners to take notes, plan their studies, journal, etc. What better gift for a language learner than to gift stationery / bullet journal accessories then!
From washi tape to decorate and organize a page to markers and highlights to funny and/or helpful stickers and so much more. If you know of any topics, themes, and/or colors your gift receiver likes, this is the place to really make it personal!
The options are endless, as bullet journaling has really taken off lately and new items pop up daily. So browse a bit and get a cute accessory to accompany a notebook above, or make a gift basket with many small goodies like some printables, several stationery accessories, etc!
34.) Blue Light Glasses
Blue light glasses are a great gift for anyone who spends a good deal of time of the computer. These glasses filter the light and reduce headaches, eye-aches, insomnia, and more!
Many language learners choose to use their computers/tablets/phones to learn and are therefore staring at screens for long periods of time. Gifting language learners blue light glasses can really improve their quality of life and help them study (and then recover!) more effectively!
35.) Noise Cancelling Headphones
As with the glasses above, noise cancelling headphones can really help a language learner to study more effectively!
It can be tough to find some peace and quiet to study, sometimes, and especially when you are a younger or university aged student. Households, common areas, and libraries can all get quite loud! However, with headphones like these, you can easily focus on your work (well, at least easier than without them! Haha).
This gift is certainly more expensive than most items on this list, but perhaps for that special someone, a close friend, or a family member, they are the perfect gift to instantaneously and drastically improve their productivity and language studies!
36.) Kindle or other reading device
What is one of the best, easiest, and most fun ways to learn a foreign language? By reading! A Kindle or reading device is an amazing gift for language learners.
Reading is one of the best ways to passively learn a language and one of the easiest and most convenient ways to read is to place all of your books on a reading device and just take that with you wherever you go! As a language learner, this is an incredibly helpful and useful gift that certainly leads to quicker fluency.
Again, this gift is certainly one of the most expensive items on this list, but perhaps for that special someone, a close friend, or a family member, they are the perfect gift to instantaneously and drastically improve their productivity and language studies!
37.) Tablet or Note Taking device
A tablet or note taking device is no doubt another one of the most helpful and useful gifts on this entire list!
Not only can one learn via websites and apps, but the note taking capabilities and the portability are highly beneficial. Getting a note taking app that is solely meant for note taking (and cheaper than a full tablet, usually) is also massively beneficial! Language learners have thousands of reasons to take notes and any device that can help with this is amazing.
As with the two above, this gift is certainly the most expensive item on this list, but perhaps for that special someone, a close friend, or a family member, they are the perfect gift to instantaneously and drastically improve their productivity and language studies!
38.) Language Charts
Language Charts (especially those from Inc. Bar Charts, like the one pictured above) are another practical and very useful gift for a language learner!
The best charts are those that pack tons of information on a page or pamphlet (not any that have cute images and only list the days of the week – those are best for toddlers!), those that are easily portable, and those that also contain more advanced information.
The one pictured above (and most all from the company mentioned above) is made of laminated paper that is easily portable and not easily ruined. It also packs a punch, with TONS of information (easy and advanced) in an easy-to-read pamphlet.
39.) Kloo Board Games
Kloo Board Games has an amazing selection of board games made to help you learn a language!
Right now they offer Spanish, French, Italian, and English (though I was not able to find English on the US Amazon).
This is a great and really fun gift for a beginner language learner! It is fun, encourages using and speaking the language (which several language learners need help with! Me included, haha) and does it all in a very interactive and easygoing way.
40.) I Speak 6 Languages
I Speak 6 Languages is another board game! This one is a very cool game that encourages the learning of and speaking of 6 different languages! It is another one of my favorite gifts for language learners, as its so simple and yet so fun.
It is only offered for romance languages (fingers crossed it will expand in the future!!), but for any learners of English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, and Catalan it is certainly an amazing gift idea.
41.) Scrabble / Bananagram
Scrabble and Bananagrams are two very fun games to challenge language learners.
You can find these games in various languages (perhaps checking local toy/game stores is a good idea, as well!) and get a great gift for any language student! This game will really encourage a language learner to focus up and learn some new words in their target language.
Strengthening one’s vocabulary is incredibly important in learning a language and vocab directly strengthens all of the four pillars of language learning (reading, listening, writing, and speaking). So this game is not only fun, but incredibly beneficial, as well!
42.) Card Games
There are tons of card games (many like Cards Against Humanity) out there to learn a language with!
This, as like the games above, is a very fun and easygoing way to learn more and to encourage language learners to use and speak the language they are learning!
The benefit of a funny/sarcastic/naughty card game similar to CAH is also that they usually focus quite a bit on slang and colloquialisms. This is necessary for language learners to study and a game is such a fun way to tackle this big topic!
(It seems that most card games in foreign languages on Amazon US are in Spanish, so for other languages, try checking local game / toy stores and any other international toy stores you can find!)
43.) Word Search Puzzles
As seen in the image above Word Search Puzzles by David Solenky are available in tons of languages!
Even if the language learner you want to gift is learning a very uncommon language, it is almost certain that Solenky offers it. Or, at least, will offer it soon or even perhaps upon request!
Word searches are another easy and fun way to learn a language. Not only this, but they are also easily portable. You can put them in a bag and take them with you wherever you go, so you are always ready to practice your target language when you have a bit of time!
44.) Babel Magazine Subscription
Babel Magazine is a language magazine that presents tons of language and linguistics information quarterly!
They cover a vast array of topics like new research and theories, funny stories, methods and strategies to language learning, history and evolution of languages, knowledge tidbits, new conlangs, and so much more. Most all language lovers would enjoy a peek in this magazine, let alone a subscription to it!
This is a great gift that keeps on giving!
45.) Busuu, LingoDeer, Pimsleur, etc Subscription
This is a great gift idea, if you know that a language lover has mentioned one of these services (or uses them already!) or is looking for a new course and open to suggestions. I would not recommend picking a language course for a language learner without knowing the previous info, as language learners can be quite picky about what they use!
However, as mentioned, if you know they are using one of these services already or if they are open to suggestions, this can be a very special gift that results in a lot of learning and joy!
If they are open to suggestions and you want to pick a good one, you can check out my posts here about the top language learning websites, and the top apps (some are also websites), and why Busuu is my favorite language course online!
46.) italki Gift Card
Another amazing language service is italki. You can get
italki allows language learners to pair up with tutors and have private lessons. The improvement that can be gained by 1-on-1 lessons like this is immense and such a great gift to give a language learner!!
If you want to read more about
47.) App Store Gift Card
Similar to the two gift ideas above, you can also gift a gift card to the app store. Whether this is Apple or Google Play, you must find out beforehand!
This allows the language learner to pick out their own courses and apps.
As mentioned, many (if not most, or all) language learners are picky about what courses/textbooks/classes/tutors we use and so getting a gift that allows us to be specific *ourselves* about what we use to learn is very smart!
48.) Magnetic Poetry Kit
A Magnetic Poetry Kit in the language your gift receiver is learning is such a fun and unique gift idea!
If you dont know these already, these are small magnetic words that you can put on your refrigerator (or any magnetic surface!) and then arragnge into sentences, poems, stories, etc.
This is a very creative gift that allows the language learner to express themselves in their target language differently and in a very fun way!
49.) Multilingual “Hello” Wall Art
This multilingual “hello” wall art is very cute and a great piece to compliment any language lover’s home or bedroom!
It is simple, but colorful and a happy nod to a multilingual home!
50.) Multilingual “I Love You” Mug
This multilingual mug shows 40 different ways to say I love you!
Not only this, but once the mug is empty, one can also see the words “I love you” at the bottom of the mug! This is a very sweet and special gift for a loved one who loves languages.
51.) Language Lovers Tote Bag
This language lover’s tote bag is another cute, but very practical gift for a language learner.
Not only is the quote very funny and accurate, but everyone could use another tote bag! They are useful in a hundred different ways and having one that represents such a big part of life, like the love of languages, is even better!
52.) Scratch off World Map
This scratch off map is the perfect gift for those language lovers that love to travel!
It is so much fun to scratch of the flags and the locations after coming back from a trip! (Even better when you got to practice your target language!!).
This map is colorful and an awesome decoration for any home or room, but there are also lots of different styles available, should you think a white or more neutral option is better.
53.) Word Nerd Mug
This cute ‘word nerd’ mug is the best gift for any language lovers who also love linguistics!
As mentioned way up above, it is probably best to know if the learner you wish to gift also likes linguistics, but if they do, this mug is a winner. It is simple, but an intelligent and quirky little message!
54.) Multilingual Name Poster
For a great, personalized gift, this multilingual name poster does the trick!
You can choose any name and the Etsy ship owner will create this custom poster of the name in several different scripts, including Elvish, IPA, and Runes!
55.) Personalized Necklace
These custom necklaces will require some creative thinking on your part (as for what to write), but these are a very special gift idea.
The Etsy shop owner can write any small message in any language and script!
Picking a short word or phrase in the target language of your gift reciever, something that is meaningful to you both, is perhaps the most special and personal gift on this list!
56.) Multilingual & Melanated Cap
This cap is amazing. For anyone who is proudly black and multilingual (speaking multiple languages), this cap is a great apperal gift.
It comes in several other colors and even has a ‘bilingual’ option if your gift reciever only speaks two languages, instead of 3+!
57.) Linguaphile Print
This linguaphile definition poster is a beautiful, neutral decor items for any language lover’s home or bedroom.
It is a great gift for those to proudly display their love and passion on the wall of their home!
58.) Multilingual Word Mug
This multilingual mug shows the word ‘sing’ in various languages and comes in several colors, making it a sweet and simple gift idea to combine someone’s love of languages with another of their loves – like singing!
This Etsy shop also have tons of other words like sing, hope, love, dance, read, teach, etc. All in several languages and in several colors!
59.) Multilingual ‘I Love You’ Necklace
For another multilingual ‘I love you‘ gift idea, check out this ‘I love you’ language necklace!
When you peep in the necklace, you can see 100 different ways to say ‘I love you’! This is another very sweet gift idea that is more personal than the rest. Great for any loved ones!
60.) ‘Pineapple’ Around the World Poster
There are several memes about how the various languages around the world say “pineapple“. This poster takes that joke and puts a lingustic and factual spin on it!
This makes it a funny and amazing gift for anyone who likes memes, lingustics, and/or pineapples.
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I hope you found some good gifts for language learners here!
Let us know in the comments below if you have another gift idea for language learners. I am always on the hunt for good ideas 🙂
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