The Town of Odyssey

Does anyone else here use the Duolingo app? Any thoughts on what you like or don't like and its general effectiveness?

I've been using it for about a year now and I like it pretty well. I really enjoyed my Spanish classes in college and I wanted to keep up with it a little bit, and Duolingo seemed like a fun way to do it. Obviously you're not going to become fluent using Duolingo exclusively, but it's a simple way to learn vocabulary and grammar and it reminds you to practice every day.

(I would say that if you're on Duolingo, you can add me, but I have no idea how to do that. )

I'm doing Spanish! 625 day streak today! Thanks for giving me a thread I could brag in Petrichor. I know that I need to start supplementing it with tv shows or at least talking to my friends who know Spanish. But I prefer the safety of Duolingo.

And I don't know how effective it is compared to other programs. But one thing I do know is that I love the gamification. I love the streaks. I like the leaderboard and that you have a leaderboard for friends. Our family tried to use Rosetta Stone and we all would try it and I think I used it for one semester but it was way less fun than Duolingo. I like the community aspect of it that most programs don't have.

Also, I'll DM you my username. They give you weird usernames.

I used it to brush up on my French before a trip to Paris a couple years ago. Super fun! I should probably get back to it, but I haven't yet.

Danadelfos wrote:I'm doing Spanish! 625 day streak today! Thanks for giving me a thread I could brag in Petrichor. I know that I need to start supplementing it with tv shows or at least talking to my friends who know Spanish. But I prefer the safety of Duolingo.

And I don't know how effective it is compared to other programs. But one thing I do know is that I love the gamification. I love the streaks. I like the leaderboard and that you have a leaderboard for friends. Our family tried to use Rosetta Stone and we all would try it and I think I used it for one semester but it was way less fun than Duolingo. I like the community aspect of it that most programs don't have.

Also, I'll DM you my username. They give you weird usernames.

Wow, that's a great streak! I was going to brag that I'm getting pretty close to a year myself, but now it's not as impressive. Haha. Yeah, I should start trying to incorporate some other ways of learning, but it's a little scary to think of trying to hold a conversation with someone. Last year someone came into work who spoke almost no English and I tried to break out the little bit of Spanish I knew, but it was super intimidating.

I like the game aspect too; I think the biggest thing that's kept me going is the streak system. I was competitive with the leaderboards at first, but now I just try not to fall too far back in the rankings. I would always lose if I tried to compete with my sister.

ByeByeBrownie wrote:I used it to brush up on my French before a trip to Paris a couple years ago. Super fun! I should probably get back to it, but I haven't yet.

That's so cool! Do you consider yourself a more advanced learner? If so, does Duolingo just help you keep vocabulary and grammar in your mind, or do you actually learn new things?

Petrichor wrote:

ByeByeBrownie wrote:I used it to brush up on my French before a trip to Paris a couple years ago. Super fun! I should probably get back to it, but I haven't yet.

That's so cool! Do you consider yourself a more advanced learner? If so, does Duolingo just help you keep vocabulary and grammar in your mind, or do you actually learn new things?

Haha, I was at one point, but I wouldn't necessarily say that now. That is pretty much how I used it then, though--to just refresh the vocab and grammar. If I were to start back up now (which I very well might!), I'd probably still start close to the beginner level. I could probably get through a fair amount of it pretty quickly before slowing down with new material.

ByeByeBrownie wrote:

Petrichor wrote:

ByeByeBrownie wrote:I used it to brush up on my French before a trip to Paris a couple years ago. Super fun! I should probably get back to it, but I haven't yet.

That's so cool! Do you consider yourself a more advanced learner? If so, does Duolingo just help you keep vocabulary and grammar in your mind, or do you actually learn new things?

Haha, I was at one point, but I wouldn't necessarily say that now. That is pretty much how I used it then, though--to just refresh the vocab and grammar. If I were to start back up now (which I very well might!), I'd probably still start close to the beginner level. I could probably get through a fair amount of it pretty quickly before slowing down with new material.

If you have the time, it seems like it might be fun to pick up Duolingo again! I know I regret how long I let my Spanish lapse after my college classes, and Duolingo was the only reason I started learning again. Although I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly it came back, so I'm sure that would probably be the case for you, too!

I was talking about Duolingo with my friend the other day, and she shared this website with me. It shows you a lot of interesting stats about your profile. Just go to http://duome.eu/Rosie471592 and replace my username with your own to see your stats!

That's a cool site Petrichor. Wow, some of these people's points/streaks are quite impressive.

I went on Duolingo a few years ago to pick up some more German after I studied abroad in Austria. While it's SUPER effective at getting you to want to stay working in the app with the gamification of it all, I don't think it's really good at helping you retain much, or, more importantly, at helping with anything other than vocabulary. Grammar rules, in my experience, are still quite opaque even after going through everything Duolingo had to offer for the language.

Monty wrote:I went on Duolingo a few years ago to pick up some more German after I studied abroad in Austria. While it's SUPER effective at getting you to want to stay working in the app with the gamification of it all, I don't think it's really good at helping you retain much, or, more importantly, at helping with anything other than vocabulary. Grammar rules, in my experience, are still quite opaque even after going through everything Duolingo had to offer for the language.

you were in austria and didn't say hello? rude

i dunno, i don't find it super effective. vocabularly, maybe. but i tried it for dutch years ago, i honestly picked up much more going to the cinema with english-language movies and dutch subtitles >.>

Marvin D. wrote:

Monty wrote:I went on Duolingo a few years ago to pick up some more German after I studied abroad in Austria. While it's SUPER effective at getting you to want to stay working in the app with the gamification of it all, I don't think it's really good at helping you retain much, or, more importantly, at helping with anything other than vocabulary. Grammar rules, in my experience, are still quite opaque even after going through everything Duolingo had to offer for the language.

you were in austria and didn't say hello? rude

i dunno, i don't find it super effective. vocabularly, maybe. but i tried it for dutch years ago, i honestly picked up much more going to the cinema with english-language movies and dutch subtitles >.>

Hmm, that's a good idea I should try that for Spanish.

Marvin D. wrote:

Monty wrote:I went on Duolingo a few years ago to pick up some more German after I studied abroad in Austria. While it's SUPER effective at getting you to want to stay working in the app with the gamification of it all, I don't think it's really good at helping you retain much, or, more importantly, at helping with anything other than vocabulary. Grammar rules, in my experience, are still quite opaque even after going through everything Duolingo had to offer for the language.

you were in austria and didn't say hello? rude

i dunno, i don't find it super effective. vocabularly, maybe. but i tried it for dutch years ago, i honestly picked up much more going to the cinema with english-language movies and dutch subtitles >.>

Yeah, I think watching "Wie Is De Mol?" in Dutch has helped me retain me Dutch than Duolingo has helped me retain German haha.

Monty wrote:

Marvin D. wrote:

Monty wrote:I went on Duolingo a few years ago to pick up some more German after I studied abroad in Austria. While it's SUPER effective at getting you to want to stay working in the app with the gamification of it all, I don't think it's really good at helping you retain much, or, more importantly, at helping with anything other than vocabulary. Grammar rules, in my experience, are still quite opaque even after going through everything Duolingo had to offer for the language.

you were in austria and didn't say hello? rude

i dunno, i don't find it super effective. vocabularly, maybe. but i tried it for dutch years ago, i honestly picked up much more going to the cinema with english-language movies and dutch subtitles >.>

Yeah, I think watching "Wie Is De Mol?" in Dutch has helped me retain me Dutch than Duolingo has helped me retain German haha.

dus kan je nu een klein beetje nederlands praten?

Marvin D. wrote:

Monty wrote:

Marvin D. wrote:

Monty wrote:I went on Duolingo a few years ago to pick up some more German after I studied abroad in Austria. While it's SUPER effective at getting you to want to stay working in the app with the gamification of it all, I don't think it's really good at helping you retain much, or, more importantly, at helping with anything other than vocabulary. Grammar rules, in my experience, are still quite opaque even after going through everything Duolingo had to offer for the language.

you were in austria and didn't say hello? rude

i dunno, i don't find it super effective. vocabularly, maybe. but i tried it for dutch years ago, i honestly picked up much more going to the cinema with english-language movies and dutch subtitles >.>

Yeah, I think watching "Wie Is De Mol?" in Dutch has helped me retain me Dutch than Duolingo has helped me retain German haha.

dus kan je nu een klein beetje nederlands praten?

We speak in AMERICAN on the internet mister.

Monty wrote:I went on Duolingo a few years ago to pick up some more German after I studied abroad in Austria. While it's SUPER effective at getting you to want to stay working in the app with the gamification of it all, I don't think it's really good at helping you retain much, or, more importantly, at helping with anything other than vocabulary. Grammar rules, in my experience, are still quite opaque even after going through everything Duolingo had to offer for the language.

This has been why I've been avoiding the app because I need to focus on retention.

However, my Spanish (which was never good) has gotten so bad that my mother didn't scold me for cursing in Spanish lately but that I mutilated the language so badly and lost all my accent that it was more offensive than what I said. I have no chance to practice my Spanish since I've moved. Would Duolingo at least help with my situation?

radgeek wrote:

Monty wrote:I went on Duolingo a few years ago to pick up some more German after I studied abroad in Austria. While it's SUPER effective at getting you to want to stay working in the app with the gamification of it all, I don't think it's really good at helping you retain much, or, more importantly, at helping with anything other than vocabulary. Grammar rules, in my experience, are still quite opaque even after going through everything Duolingo had to offer for the language.

This has been why I've been avoiding the app because I need to focus on retention.

However, my Spanish (which was never good) has gotten so bad that my mother didn't scold me for cursing in Spanish lately but that I mutilated the language so badly and lost all my accent that it was more offensive than what I said. I have no chance to practice my Spanish since I've moved. Would Duolingo at least help with my situation?

I think with the new stories that Spanish has, those may help. They have little conversations that you listen to and respond to.

From my experience with no Spanish experience and only doing Duolingo for the past 1 3/4 years I can pick up what people are saying in the grocery store. My friends who speak Spanish who switch between the languages when they are talking I can pretty much understand everything they are saying. I, however, am too scared to talk in Spanish. I would if someone only spoke Spanish, but that doesn't really happen.

Sparrow wrote:

Marvin D. wrote:

Monty wrote:

Marvin D. wrote:

Monty wrote:I went on Duolingo a few years ago to pick up some more German after I studied abroad in Austria. While it's SUPER effective at getting you to want to stay working in the app with the gamification of it all, I don't think it's really good at helping you retain much, or, more importantly, at helping with anything other than vocabulary. Grammar rules, in my experience, are still quite opaque even after going through everything Duolingo had to offer for the language.

you were in austria and didn't say hello? rude

i dunno, i don't find it super effective. vocabularly, maybe. but i tried it for dutch years ago, i honestly picked up much more going to the cinema with english-language movies and dutch subtitles >.>

Yeah, I think watching "Wie Is De Mol?" in Dutch has helped me retain me Dutch than Duolingo has helped me retain German haha.

dus kan je nu een klein beetje nederlands praten?

We speak in AMERICAN on the internet mister.

GOD BLESS MURICA

Marvin D. wrote:i dunno, i don't find it super effective. vocabularly, maybe. but i tried it for dutch years ago, i honestly picked up much more going to the cinema with english-language movies and dutch subtitles >.>

Yo, did you pick up "vocabularly" at the movies, too? ... But yeah, obviously Duolingo isn't going to get you fluent all on its own, but I think that's true for any language-learning methods you choose to use. If you watch movies, that's great for vocabulary and slang, but you might have a little trouble knowing how to conjugate verbs. If you read books, you're going to have a hard time with spoken language. Duolingo is a helpful tool and a good starting point, but variety is key.

Also, my sister has been watching TV shows in Spanish, and so far all she's picked up is "¡El cartero guapo! Mucho mejor" from The Good Place. Not sure when I will need to use this.

hmm, i wouldn't say that it was totally useful (the cinema), but you definitely get a grasp of how people would speak in real-life situations. plus i would go to the movies at least 2x a week so over a few years i became quite apt at say, B1 Dutch without actively learning it. of course, the grammar part was lacking, so that's where i think duolingo could help in the beginning. but if i had tho choose between just one, i would go with the cinema