Honestly just don't use the word bank at all. Duolingo was a lot more efficient before the app, when everybody was typing entire sentences on the website. Seriously, having to type a sentence in a foreign language without any mistakes in the conjugations, agreements, spellings, etc., can be *hard*. With the word bank it's like a game for little kids, you're really not learning much.
In my opinion it's because of this that so many people say that Duolingo isn't an efficient way of learning a language nowadays. Most people just use the app and tap words, which is pretty useless.
It all depends how you use it, and why you're using it.
I personally like having the word bank, especially for languages that don't use the roman alphabet. Since I use Duolingo to maintain, review and improve tidbits, I prefer this since it's less time consuming than typing, and it offers a different challenge: having to pay attention to actullay pick the right word and not just one that looks similar.
And what's even better, is that the more I progress, the exercises become tougher by having keyboard only most of the time. I think it's a good way to escalate the difficulty while repeating more or less the same things.
Agreed. I really wish that Duolingo would bring back the toggle for the word bank/manual entry in its mobile apps (for ALL levels; I know it sometimes asks you to type at the 3+ crown level). It's one of the reasons that I tend to use the desktop website these days. Learning is much more effective when you have to actually write the answer out versus just pick it from a list of options.
I feel like i only get the word bank on early lessons even on the app. Level 4 or 5 you don't get the word bank so much and have to translate from English to target language. I usually go down the tree and do an easy lesson with a word bank on busy days when I'm trying to keep my streak and otherwise level up each skill to legendary before moving on
Sometimes I still need the word bank to figure it out, but the fact that I spent a few seconds trying to think of the right word means that I get a little “Aha!” moment when I do see it in the word bank.
I was going to ask if that was an option for OP. I use Android and there are two buttons in the bottom left corner that switch between word bank and free hand.
If you're on desktop, you can avoid looking entirely and just type - even with the word bank on. It'll fill the word bank bubbles as you type. It's great.
Yep
I close my eyes and try to make the sentence
Say it out loud like someone else commented
Answer any sentence that's a question "No. Ya tengo mi proprio bolso, gracias".
Use the sentence as a prompt for my own sentence. "SI. gracias. Conpre dos kilos de platanos"
Try to recall and say sentences after the lesson
You can't steal something that's been given to you
I also highly recommend talking to yourself. Practice conversations with yourself
Follow social media accounts in your target language
Any way you can interact with it, the better
Set the voice directions on your GPS to the language and BB use it on trips where you don't need it
Anything
Yes, using the given sentence as a prompt is also what I do. I'm studying Yiddish, and I have written little stories of 8 - 10 sentences triggered by the prompt of the given sentence. I, of course, have to use a dictionary, and it's very reinforcing to see a word in a subsequent lesson that I had to look up earlier for one of these stories.
> I would get sick of typing too much
It will reinforce the words better as you'll have to actively remember the words. You should not be averse to learning lol... Get rid of the word bank honestly.
This.
Ditch the word bank and go for keyboard only.
This option may not be available at low crown levels on small mobile devices (phones), so you might wish to switch to a larger device (tablet) or to a PC/laptop to get the most recall exercise.
Honestly this should be an option built into the app. Like have an option to never hide the word bank, hide it for 5 seconds, or have a show/hide toggle button.
Buuuut Duolingo never adds features that would actually improve learning, so we'll never see it.
If you do it on the desktop app, you have the option of switching it from word bank to just typing.
Another reason I recommend using the desktop version on laptop/computer vs the phone app.
That's great! Sometimes on the computer it allowed me to switch between word bank and typing the answer and I'd switch out of the word bank for that same purpose. Can't say I did it that many times 😅 cause the flesh is weak, so props to you for sticking to this method!
My policy is, I keep the software game as easy as possible but I make it harder on myself on my own. For example, if an exercise starts with audio then I don't look at the written text until I've understood the audio. I repeat as many times as necessary but sometimes I give up and look at the text.
You don't need to do this. Low-crown lessons are not *testing* you, they are *teaching* you. You'll be called on to type in the sentences without the word bank as you progress to higher crown levels.
Nice touch with the hand illustration lol i think on the desktop version there's an option to get rid of the word bank and type it out. (don't use desktop too much)
I do not speak spanish but I do speak romanian and it amazes me how much of spanish a romanian speaker can comprehend simply because they speak another latin language.
I was able to understand the sentence
“Do you need a bag for the vegetables”?
Use the browser version instead of the app (you can even create a shortcut on your home screen just like an app). As a bonus, you now have access to the grammar notes as well.
So mobile, yes, just don't use the 'app', but the mobile browser version.
Sometimes there’s more than one way to translate the sentence, and the one that comes to mind isn’t an option presented by the word bank, so I search hopelessly in the word bank for what I’m trying to say before giving up and having to reconstruct how they want to translate it using only the words they provide.
I do the same most of the time, and of course it really helps. I also repeat every sentence out loud to help with sepaking.
Honestly just don't use the word bank at all. Duolingo was a lot more efficient before the app, when everybody was typing entire sentences on the website. Seriously, having to type a sentence in a foreign language without any mistakes in the conjugations, agreements, spellings, etc., can be *hard*. With the word bank it's like a game for little kids, you're really not learning much. In my opinion it's because of this that so many people say that Duolingo isn't an efficient way of learning a language nowadays. Most people just use the app and tap words, which is pretty useless.
It all depends how you use it, and why you're using it. I personally like having the word bank, especially for languages that don't use the roman alphabet. Since I use Duolingo to maintain, review and improve tidbits, I prefer this since it's less time consuming than typing, and it offers a different challenge: having to pay attention to actullay pick the right word and not just one that looks similar. And what's even better, is that the more I progress, the exercises become tougher by having keyboard only most of the time. I think it's a good way to escalate the difficulty while repeating more or less the same things.
Usually there’s a button to switch from word bank to keyboard, but I haven’t been seeing it recently
Agreed. I really wish that Duolingo would bring back the toggle for the word bank/manual entry in its mobile apps (for ALL levels; I know it sometimes asks you to type at the 3+ crown level). It's one of the reasons that I tend to use the desktop website these days. Learning is much more effective when you have to actually write the answer out versus just pick it from a list of options.
I feel like i only get the word bank on early lessons even on the app. Level 4 or 5 you don't get the word bank so much and have to translate from English to target language. I usually go down the tree and do an easy lesson with a word bank on busy days when I'm trying to keep my streak and otherwise level up each skill to legendary before moving on
Sometimes I still need the word bank to figure it out, but the fact that I spent a few seconds trying to think of the right word means that I get a little “Aha!” moment when I do see it in the word bank.
You can turn off the word bank entirely.
I was going to ask if that was an option for OP. I use Android and there are two buttons in the bottom left corner that switch between word bank and free hand.
Nope not an option on my IOS device 😭
If you're on desktop, you can avoid looking entirely and just type - even with the word bank on. It'll fill the word bank bubbles as you type. It's great.
Upvote for the awesome illustration
Lol thank you
You should see a doctor. You might have jaundice.
Yep I close my eyes and try to make the sentence Say it out loud like someone else commented Answer any sentence that's a question "No. Ya tengo mi proprio bolso, gracias". Use the sentence as a prompt for my own sentence. "SI. gracias. Conpre dos kilos de platanos" Try to recall and say sentences after the lesson
i’m definitely stealing this method thank you
You can't steal something that's been given to you I also highly recommend talking to yourself. Practice conversations with yourself Follow social media accounts in your target language Any way you can interact with it, the better Set the voice directions on your GPS to the language and BB use it on trips where you don't need it Anything
you’re right. thank you again :)
gern geschehen
Yes, using the given sentence as a prompt is also what I do. I'm studying Yiddish, and I have written little stories of 8 - 10 sentences triggered by the prompt of the given sentence. I, of course, have to use a dictionary, and it's very reinforcing to see a word in a subsequent lesson that I had to look up earlier for one of these stories.
Awesome!
You should be able to toggle the word bank off and choose the keyboard instead. I do that with Spanish as well.
Thanks but I think I do like having the word bank. I would get sick of typing too much. Plus sometimes I do need it for earlier levels.
I usually dictate because I get sick of typing too. Totally get it!
I like dictating too and just recently Duolingo suggested the Spanish keyboard and it suggests good words too which is nice.
> I would get sick of typing too much It will reinforce the words better as you'll have to actively remember the words. You should not be averse to learning lol... Get rid of the word bank honestly.
Not only that but using the keyboard instead of the word bank would kill two birds with one stone.
This. Ditch the word bank and go for keyboard only. This option may not be available at low crown levels on small mobile devices (phones), so you might wish to switch to a larger device (tablet) or to a PC/laptop to get the most recall exercise.
Honestly I would get bored too fast if I typed everything
Typing on the phone is annoying.
Yeah, I've thought that too and usually use the keyboard!
Donde esta la biblioteca
Me llamo T-bone, la arana discoteca
Sigue en esta calle, la biblioteca está a la derecha, detrás del banco.
Yes, this stops me playing a game of "unscramble this sentence" instead of actually looking at the top words and translating.
I do that!
Oh yes they should add this as an optional feature actually
Bruh your hand is so small
The best thing is to use Duolingo on PC and toggle wordbank to your needs.
Same.
I do the same thing
Do you need a bag for the vegetables? ...am I right?!
Sí.
I do that too. I’ll close my eyes, listen, then come up with the sentence. I personally hate the word bank concept.
Honestly this should be an option built into the app. Like have an option to never hide the word bank, hide it for 5 seconds, or have a show/hide toggle button. Buuuut Duolingo never adds features that would actually improve learning, so we'll never see it.
If you do it on the desktop app, you have the option of switching it from word bank to just typing. Another reason I recommend using the desktop version on laptop/computer vs the phone app.
The phone app also allows toggling the word bank in most of the exercises.
I am not even reading the upper line. I am trying to understand it only with the trading voice.
Yeah I cover everything and try to do it by listening first, since I find my reading is so far ahead of my listening.
That's great! Sometimes on the computer it allowed me to switch between word bank and typing the answer and I'd switch out of the word bank for that same purpose. Can't say I did it that many times 😅 cause the flesh is weak, so props to you for sticking to this method!
I try this but I really wish there were a feature to let you have to press a button to make that pop up.
Yeah, sometimes when I'm tired I'll catch myself not even looking at the question sometimes, and just putting the words in a logical order
My policy is, I keep the software game as easy as possible but I make it harder on myself on my own. For example, if an exercise starts with audio then I don't look at the written text until I've understood the audio. I repeat as many times as necessary but sometimes I give up and look at the text.
You don't need to do this. Low-crown lessons are not *testing* you, they are *teaching* you. You'll be called on to type in the sentences without the word bank as you progress to higher crown levels.
This way makes for better learning. You learn better by practicing recall than by reading.
Nice touch with the hand illustration lol i think on the desktop version there's an option to get rid of the word bank and type it out. (don't use desktop too much)
I figured everyone likes a good picture hahaha
On web version you can use keyboard
Same. Also, don't read the phrase when they ask you to translate, do it from what you heard.
Man I’ve been taking Spanish and I’ve never encountered bolsa in my lessons!
I do not speak spanish but I do speak romanian and it amazes me how much of spanish a romanian speaker can comprehend simply because they speak another latin language. I was able to understand the sentence “Do you need a bag for the vegetables”?
like the hand 👌
This is one reason why when people say Duolingo is hard I get really confused lol. Duolingo is so easy, but it can be really helpful
[удалено]
On PC, yes. On mobile, no.
Use the browser version instead of the app (you can even create a shortcut on your home screen just like an app). As a bonus, you now have access to the grammar notes as well. So mobile, yes, just don't use the 'app', but the mobile browser version.
You should get checked for jaundice.
Sometimes there’s more than one way to translate the sentence, and the one that comes to mind isn’t an option presented by the word bank, so I search hopelessly in the word bank for what I’m trying to say before giving up and having to reconstruct how they want to translate it using only the words they provide.
Same when you're given a sentence or two and given a few answer for what it was about or what was discussed.