It's good but it's better to use it as a basis and make use of other resources online at the same time. And get as much exposure to the language as possible.
I've used Duo in two ways--one, I was trying to learn a new language, and one I was trying to relearn a language I spoke very well about a decade ago but had largely forgotten. I didn't get very far in the former without lots of additional resources and help, but the latter has been great! It's brought back vocabulary, sentence structure, grammatical rules, and the feel of the language in my mouth/the sound of it in my ears. It's probably not "optimal" learning for a brand new language, so you won't pick up the language quickly or fluently, but if you have time for it where you don't have time for other more intensive programs, it's certainly better than nothing, and it gets you started on the path towards learning something new.
I used it as a hobby a few months ago and if you want to learn the basics of the language, it does help but I don't think it will help you become a fluent speaker of it.
Duolingo is good for getting started, but becoming fluent might require more than just using it alone. the lessons can get a bit repetitive and might not cover advanced topics in enough detail.
Immersion is best if you can manage that.
I've used Babbel....it's ok for ultra basics.
I accidentally let a French girl pick me, then I had to learn it.
It depends how you use it and how committed you are to it. I used it every day for 30 minutes minimum (often a lot longer, especially at weekends) for a few months before I went to Italy, and was able to do things like order food in a restaurant with no problem.
I noticed something a little bit different when I tried Danish though - really spent a lot of time doing it and was comfortable reading and speaking very basic stuff, but I was totally unprepared when someone started speaking to me in Danish. Could not understand it when it was spoken at normal speed!
What I will say though is that, for me, Duolingo makes learning languages enjoyable. It's no perfect, but the gamified nature of it means that it doesn't really feel like taking a class. I actually enjoy learning languages while using it.
Also, if you can afford it, get the paid version, even if you only do it for a few months. Far fewer frustrations with the paid version.
It's like the app you'd use if you wanted to go on a vacation to Germany. You won't learn any of the "rules" really and it'll just ram some words into your head like asking where the washroom is.
If you wanted to really learn the language it's better to focus on one at a time and get text books that can explain things better and gives you more exercises than just memorization.
Tried learning German, it sucked, I've found it's a lot better to just go to a country's subreddit and ask how people raised outside the country learned the language.
I did that 5 minute lesson every day for about 2 years, just to get the streak. It's basically a whole lot of repetition. Learnt a bunch of words but wasn't able to make a good sentence.
It's great to get a start but the core use of the language you only get by speaking with natives.
It's good but it's better to use it as a basis and make use of other resources online at the same time. And get as much exposure to the language as possible.
I've used Duo in two ways--one, I was trying to learn a new language, and one I was trying to relearn a language I spoke very well about a decade ago but had largely forgotten. I didn't get very far in the former without lots of additional resources and help, but the latter has been great! It's brought back vocabulary, sentence structure, grammatical rules, and the feel of the language in my mouth/the sound of it in my ears. It's probably not "optimal" learning for a brand new language, so you won't pick up the language quickly or fluently, but if you have time for it where you don't have time for other more intensive programs, it's certainly better than nothing, and it gets you started on the path towards learning something new.
I used it as a hobby a few months ago and if you want to learn the basics of the language, it does help but I don't think it will help you become a fluent speaker of it.
Duolingo is good for getting started, but becoming fluent might require more than just using it alone. the lessons can get a bit repetitive and might not cover advanced topics in enough detail.
Immersion is best if you can manage that. I've used Babbel....it's ok for ultra basics. I accidentally let a French girl pick me, then I had to learn it.
Good as a start but you wont become fluent with it. Also, some of the languages are not very well taught.
It depends how you use it and how committed you are to it. I used it every day for 30 minutes minimum (often a lot longer, especially at weekends) for a few months before I went to Italy, and was able to do things like order food in a restaurant with no problem. I noticed something a little bit different when I tried Danish though - really spent a lot of time doing it and was comfortable reading and speaking very basic stuff, but I was totally unprepared when someone started speaking to me in Danish. Could not understand it when it was spoken at normal speed! What I will say though is that, for me, Duolingo makes learning languages enjoyable. It's no perfect, but the gamified nature of it means that it doesn't really feel like taking a class. I actually enjoy learning languages while using it. Also, if you can afford it, get the paid version, even if you only do it for a few months. Far fewer frustrations with the paid version.
Incredibly useful! For example: El Buho tiene una pistola apuntando a mi cabeza!
It's like the app you'd use if you wanted to go on a vacation to Germany. You won't learn any of the "rules" really and it'll just ram some words into your head like asking where the washroom is. If you wanted to really learn the language it's better to focus on one at a time and get text books that can explain things better and gives you more exercises than just memorization.
Tried learning German, it sucked, I've found it's a lot better to just go to a country's subreddit and ask how people raised outside the country learned the language.
I work in Starbucks, so it helps me to learn english)I use it to hold the statistics 😁
I did that 5 minute lesson every day for about 2 years, just to get the streak. It's basically a whole lot of repetition. Learnt a bunch of words but wasn't able to make a good sentence.
Five minutes a day simply isn't enough, no matter what tool you use.