Duolingo

I have a Duolingo streak of 1,036 days (at time of writing) and I am not learning Spanish. This feels like a bit of a personal failure because I have been studying for about 30 years! I am even married to a native Spanish speaker. Perhaps writing about this will give me the resolve to finally become fluent.

There is a lot of criticism online that Duolingo is not actually that great for language learning. This is about over-gamification, limited control over lesson content, and limited speaking practice. Personally I’m really addicted to that gamified experience. My vocabulary and listening skills are better because of the consistent daily practice. I just have a lot of trouble verbalizing the things I want to say in conversation.

In my opinion, becoming fluent (which is my goal) is all about the work you put in and finding a way to be immersed in the language. Really, Duolingo should only supplement a language learning curriculum. To that end I have done a little research for things that I am willing to do to make more progress.

To Do #

1. Force myself to speak only (or mostly) Spanish on the weekends with my spouse.
2. Engage Spanish speaking people on the street or at work in Spanish.
3. Write down and practice common phrases and use them in scenarios like # 1 & 2 from this list.
4. Hope that Duolingo training improves to allow more speaking practice. Note: It has included a feature to reflect on the stories and the premium AI features that I don’t pay for do this.

Anyway, I remain a super-fan. I even bought my daughter this Duolingo plush toy. This is another thing that keeps me coming back. The app design and the character illustrations. Its just a great example of a company that invests in good design. I’ll often look at it for inspiration… even when the designs of the home screen widget can appear a little shocking – shocking enough to keep me learning.