Is Duolingo just an illusion of learning? 🤔

I have a streak of over 5 years in Duolingo now. I would never use it expecting to reach fluency from it, but I think it helps to keep slightly warm languages you have to put on the backburner. I occasionally learn something new, often forget it, but it's a starting point. I think that much depends also on how close your target language is to languages you already speak. Like, learning Chinese from scratch as someone who speaks only English is one thing, keeping Dutch warm as someone who speaks German is another.

It shouldn't be used as a sole resource, but it has been good enough to get my Spanish to the point I can read the news and watch TV. It also really depends on the course and how much work the individual puts in. One lesson a day and only duo? They probably won't learn much. Duo and external sources like Anki, youtube, reddit and books and effort. Duo should only be a part of the learning team, not the leader.

I spent a couple of years learning German. I still couldn’t do something like order a coffee in a cafe. I learned French at school for an hour a week for three years, much less time that I spent learning German. I can order a coffee, buy a train ticket and introduce myself in French.

It's a game. That's all.

I still use it for learning a new language

Yeah, I find that the app heavily relies on multiple-choice exercises and translation-based learning, which, while reinforcing pattern recognition, do not adequately prepare learners for interactive dialogue.

It's an okay way to dip your toes into learning a new language, or to supplement learning, but anyone who thinks they are truly learning a language by just doing Duolingo is deluding themselves, yes. I have tried it a few times in the past as a way to introduce myself to a language, before actually devoting more time and effort into learning it properly. Personally I find it gets tedious as hell after a week or two and I don't know how anyone finds it engaging enough to actually completely the tree or whatever it's called - I consider that a huge waste of time. (also, I think they are ethically reprehensible as a company and would never support them again, so there's that)

Duolingo is definitely learning. It’s not learning how to actually speak a language, but if you do make the jump to trying to speak, the exposure from duo will help.

Yeah, for sure! I spend 2 years learning Spanish with it. Then went to Spain and someone started talking to me. All I could say was "I don't speak Spanish" in Spanish 😂😂 Now I'm practising Chinese. It's just fun. That's all. And it helps with understanding the structure and a few basic words.

I think it’s not just about completing the daily tasks which will help you improve but more real life conversations.

Its a tool like any other. It works. I use it before I travel and during the trip. My vocabulary and conversations are noticeably better as my trip goes on and keeping the target language in my head works - at least for me. Just practicing on the program in a language vacuum without the extra fluency gained from interacting with people is probably limited in it's usefulness but it depends on your goals. For me the #1 goal is conversational fluency - not written or near correct grammar.

Duolingo, as you point out, IS a game. But it's not just an illusion of learning. It is still a tool for learning, albeit not a very good one. I think the problem comes down to a disconnect in expectations. Duolingo is not going to make anyone fluent in any language, but a lot of people seem to think it is. And don't get me wrong, Duolingo encourages that belief, or at least doesn't do much of anything to discourage it. But I personally will always defend Duolingo, and I firmly believe it is a net-positive. If someone is serious about language learning, they may start with Duolingo but eventually they'll have the same realization that you're having now, and move on to better methods. And if they're not serious about language learning, the alternative is probably some other shovelware game on their phone that doesn't teach them anything. I know from my own experience that my mother-in-law used to spend hours playing Candy Crush, and now she spends that time playing French Duolingo. She still doesn't speak much French, but she definitely wasn't learning anything from Candy Crush. I think what's indisputable is that Duolingo has made a lot more people interested in learning languages who may not have been otherwise, and for that reason I think it's wonderful.

Pretty much. It actively holds you back to keep you engaged in small daily doses.

I think it's good in the beginning and especially when you are unsure about learning the language. Switching to grammar books and actual content helps you reach fluency

You still have to be brave enough to put yourself out there and speak it. I live in Dallas so I'm learning Spanish. I'm able to talk to Spanish-only speakers now, and I understand better what Spanish DJs say on the radio. Duo is a tool but it can't do it all for you. Practice, practice, practice.

Chat anyone reading this an expert like advance standard English speakers could u tell me hw can I improve my English like nw I'm studying in 12th grade and I have joined a quite famous instituiton called nitte and here in my clg the ppl don speak in English like majority, there r some who speak like girls, bt boys mostly the local slang and few stammer... N due to this environment I even forgot to communicate with people and express myself n when I speak i hesitate and when having a long conversation i forget the words n coz of this I cnt even have a short conversation.... and to add on I'm a introvert who finds peace in solitude i don't like to bother someone and gossip abt stuffs it's irrelevant...bt not that i don't speak i always try to speak with new ppl and engage a conversation bt most of the time it doesn't work irl bt while texting I'm very good and fluent , soo chat please help me that's why I joined reddit community, I've done my primary highschool in english medium in INDIA,in my school i used to speak in English and @ that time my english was pretty good and fluent and kinda standard,guyss please help, I am a defence aspirant so y'all know abt SSB (service selection board )so I gotta prepare...... I have still 4 years to improve myself in communication and group influencing ability ( and I have opted for integrated clg fr even JEE n NEET and few competitive exams coz I will do engineering and then after graduation apply for CDS for defence forces so as I have coaching + board classes i don't have much time as I reach home @7 ) guys I have installed Duolingo bt i don't think it's effective fr me I used it for 3 days i felt it was just some bs game yeah I haven't used it fully yet maybe I should give it a chance, nevertheless I gotta cope with it chat tell me solutions and any apps to improve fluency and stuff like improving communication and not to forget word , and nowadays I'm very much stressed and tensed abt my life and career and I'm having hairloss and some other problems too coz of it😭🙃)

If we get past all the personal feeling about their promotion and gamification functionality, Duolingo is a very good product. But it is important to have realistic expectations. There is active and passive learnings. Active learning happens in class, learning rules and making intentional things to get knowledge. It is crucial and important part of learning. And teachers also emphasise that off-class drills and repetition is as important. Because person cannot learn a language taking 2 classes a day. Consistent and repetitive exposure to language is as if not more important. This is where Duolingo steps is. It is a great app for exposure, drills and repetition. Its limitations are that one can develop a language with it up to A2 level and maintain B1-B2 level if needed. If you expect that Duolingo will help support your development to A2 and maintain your B1-B2, it's a great product. One crucial thing about all apps, not only Duolingo is that you learn language to communicate with humans. No app and nothing except communication with humans can help you learn to communicate with humans. It is not reasonable to expect that from an app.

I haven't used DL in years so take this with a grain of salt, it's based on my experience with it when I was early in my Spanish learning journey over a decade ago: DuoLingo is a good learning tool, but NOT on its own. You NEED to supplement it with other things like studying vocab and grammar rules directly, focused media consumption in target language, and conversation practice with real people whenever and wherever you can get it.

Different platform has different target audiences. Duolingo targets beginners. So it works for beginners. If you use Duolingo and expect to reach a high level, then it’s on you that you picked the wrong tool. There are many other platforms targeting intermediate or advanced learners.

It's better to just read a book

If you already know the language you’re trying to learn and have people to practice with, it can be helpful. But if you’re starting from scratch, it probably won’t help you much.

Apps are good for building habits, but are not good for learning language. The only thing that you have to do to learn a language is spaced repetition flash cards and watch shows/read books/play games in the language you want.

Duolingo is fine for learning vocabulary and some structures. It won’t teach you to communicate. FWIW, it wasn’t designed by linguists or language teachers. There are much better apps out there, but the best ones aren’t free.

Learning, yes, but some skills require more action. Think about it, do you really learn to drive just by watching YouTube videos? To learn to drive you need to drive.