I grew tired of being one of the few members of my family who did not speak Spanish. Although a few of my family members and I speak Chickasaw it appears as though that doesn't count. There is an unwritten rule that Spanish is the language of the family.
Actually there really isn't a reason as to why I shouldn't be speaking Spanish fluently. My husband is Cuban, the television is always on a Spanish show or movie. I hear Spanish everyday, throughout the day, spoken from my husband and his family and friends. So again, why am I not speaking Spanish fluently? Only the gods can answer that question.
Almost one year ago, I decided to take the course on Duolingo. I found the course to be extremely user friendly and very well organized. There are so many activities on the website that it is almost overwhelming. Each lesson has five levels and at the beginning of each level is an introductory on the lesson which includes instructions and tips on the words or phrases within the lesson. This is a very important step before entering each lesson.
Once you complete a lesson and all the levels within that lesson, it turns gold and you are rewarded a crown for the completion of the lesson. This is the pattern as you move further along within the course.
Wait! Duolingo is not only about lessons and levels. There are currently seventeen sets of mini-stories that will help you boost your reading and listening comprehension. Each story is in dialogue form, and each character has a different voice which really emphasizes the story.
Now, within each story there are questions that you must answer about a particular word or phrase before moving on within the story. You can read through each story in about 10 minutes; however, if you are taking notes it may take you a little longer to finish.
After you have completed the story you have a choice to either exit the story completely or move on to the card deck. The card deck contains a list of words and its meaning in English. In other words, they are flash cards and depending on the length of the story you might have 20 to 60 or more cards (words or phrases) to learn. Remember, part of learning a language comes from memorization.
The course also provides real-life story podcasts. Most of these podcasts will range from 20-30 minutes and this is for your listening comprehension. There is also a read-along transcript of the story. These stories can be read and/or listened to repeatedly. Some have voiced in the discussion sections that they have learned to communicate more effectively entirely from listening to the mini-stories and learning the deck cards.
Speaking of discussions, Duolingo also has a discussion section where you can ask questions, post your learning experience and get answers to many questions. What is fascinating about the discussion section is, there are discussion sections within the lesson you are learning. In these discussions you will find all sorts of tips and other ways to say the sentence within that lesson. For example, if you want to know why the sentence used "estoy" instead of "yo soy", you will more than likely find the answer within the discussion.
Duolingo also has a language dictionary where you can look up the word you are learning and be given sentences for that word as well as all the past, present and future tenses in which the word can be used and more.
The course also has a list of all the words you have learned thus far, as well as what areas you are still strong, pretty good, time to practice or overdue in practicing. As we all know, repetition builds retention. Duolingo is really good at reminding you to practice and what areas you need to focus on.
A Few Extras
There are 25 levels to reach in the language you are taking. You move further along in the course and level up by earning XP's. You earn XP's by completing a level in a course, completing a mini-story, completing the tiny cards from your Duolingo course, and by finishing a timed practice.
Duolingo also has what is called streaks which is how many consecutive days you have been active in the course of your study. Once you have completed 100 consecutive days you can enter https://www.duome.eu/ followed by your user name. This will give you break down of your daily progress, how many words and levels gained and how many yet to earn.
You can also earn lingots (ling-guht) which is Duolingo's virtual currency. You are awarded lingots by leveling up, finishing a skill, and sets of 10 day streaks. You can shop in the store with these lingots and give lingots to others who post a comment that you liked in the discussion section.
Another aspect is the ability to have friends and followers. Your friends and followers can see how often you are practicing based on how many XP's you have for the day or week. They can also view your profile and what level you are on and how many languages you are taking at the present time. Having friends keeps you motivated especially if they are diligent in practicing you want to keep up with them.
Oftentimes, if I pass a friend in XP's, within the hour or two, they will pass me. But as a caution, you don't want to simply do a lesson to pass a friend or follower. Let all your lessons be completed in order to improve your skills and language proficiency not to simply be ahead of a race that only you might be running.
In closing, there are many other features and activities that Duolingo has to offer, but in order to not make this post too long, I only mentioned a handful; yet, with all that you have read or heard from others, you might ask, “Is Duolingo really all what it is cracked up to be?" Short answer - YES but only if you indulge in everything the course has to offer.
Until next time,
Happy Learning
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