Duolingo, the popular language learning app, has become a go-to for many looking to start their journey with a new language. Its gamified approach and bite-sized lessons make it incredibly accessible, and like many, I was drawn to it when I first started learning Chinese. As someone who had dabbled in elementary Mandarin classes and was searching for that ‘magic app’ to fluency, Duolingo seemed like the perfect solution.
Inspired by a friend who had used Duolingo to enhance his already impressive Chinese skills, and after reading online claims suggesting Duolingo Mandarin users progress as quickly as university students, I eagerly downloaded the app. I was quickly captivated by its system.
Duolingo breaks down language learning into themed courses, starting with basic introductions and progressing through topics like business and travel. Each course introduces vocabulary and simple sentences related to the theme. To advance, you must complete various challenges, from sentence ordering to translations between Chinese and English. The ultimate goal is to complete the entire ‘tree’ of courses.
That summer, Duolingo became a daily obsession. The app’s constant reminders about my friend’s progress and the guilt-tripping messages from Duo, the owl mascot, whenever I missed a lesson, kept me hooked. This emotional encouragement, as some might call it, pushed me to study whenever I had a free moment. I diligently worked my way through the entire Duolingo Chinese tree. However, despite my efforts, by the end of that summer, fluency remained a distant dream. My spoken Chinese was still at a very basic, A1 level – the absolute beginner stage on the European framework.
Recently, reflecting on this experience, especially after a Spanish-learning friend and fellow Duolingo enthusiast shared an article defending the app, I began to critically examine Duolingo’s effectiveness, particularly for advanced Chinese. Duolingo has faced criticism, with users often sharing examples of bizarre and nonsensical sentences encountered in the app on language learning forums.
Duolingo’s defense, in an article titled ‘How silly sentences can help you learn’, argues that these strange sentences are intentionally designed to be memorable, acting as ‘grammatical anchors’ to help learners remember key grammar concepts and improve communication skills. The blog post emphasizes that communication is about “learning rules and flexibility.”
However, when it comes to learning advanced Chinese, I disagree with this approach. I question the effectiveness of learning grammar through isolated, unnatural sentences that native speakers would rarely use. Memorability is irrelevant if the sentences are not natural or representative of authentic Chinese communication. Instead, the focus should be on repeated exposure to, and comprehension of, thousands of sentences in natural, relevant contexts. This is the key to internalizing grammar patterns effectively.
Years after my initial Duolingo experience, and after studying the methods of highly proficient Chinese speakers, I discovered more effective strategies for mastering Chinese grammar. These include consuming large amounts of comprehensible content, using sentence mining to collect relevant phrases, and actively practicing speaking in real-life situations.
Alternative resources, such as graded readers, offer a far superior approach to grammar immersion compared to Duolingo. Graded readers are specifically designed to allow learners with limited vocabulary to engage with extensive reading, rather than focusing on isolated, random sentences. No matter how quirky Duolingo’s sentences are, they cannot compete with the engaging narratives and meaningful content found in well-written stories and articles.
Shortly after completing the Duolingo Chinese tree, I discovered Mandarin Companion graded readers designed for beginners with vocabularies as small as 150 words. Websites like LingQ also offer mini-stories tailored for Chinese beginners. Had I known about these resources earlier, I would have abandoned Duolingo much sooner. Ultimately, it was these tools, combined with consistent speaking practice, that propelled me towards fluency – not Duolingo.
In fairness, Duolingo does have a limited value, particularly in the very early stages of learning Chinese. It can be a helpful tool for building basic vocabulary and introducing fundamental phrases, such as how to say hello in Mandarin. Learners with a vocabulary of fewer than 150 words might find it challenging to begin with beginner-level books or articles, and Duolingo can bridge this initial gap to more meaningful content like graded readers and even Mandarin novels later on.
However, even for basic vocabulary acquisition, Duolingo is insufficient on its own. Reading Chinese requires learning to read Chinese characters. Character learning is significantly more effective using Spaced Repetition Systems (SRS) flashcards, which aid memory and recall. While Duolingo includes some character recognition tasks, they are simply not enough to ensure long-term retention. Therefore, anyone using Duolingo for vocabulary building should supplement it with character flashcards or gamified SRS tools like Ninchanese.
Furthermore, while Duolingo does introduce learners to Chinese tones, I found its approach inadequate for developing a solid grasp of tones. Even after completing the entire Duolingo tree, my ability to pronounce tones accurately remained limited. I later had to dedicate significant time and effort to specifically improve my tones.
Looking back, I wouldn’t say I regret using Duolingo entirely. However, I do regret the obsession and the naive belief that it would lead to anything close to fluency. The company’s marketing can be misleading in suggesting it’s a comprehensive path to language mastery. If I could restart my Chinese learning journey, I would use Duolingo more realistically – for a shorter period, alongside flashcards and other vocabulary tools, just until I was ready to engage with more meaningful and authentic Chinese content.
After that point? I’d recommend moving on to more effective and immersive learning methods to truly advance your Chinese skills. While Duolingo can be a fun introduction, it’s not the pathway to advanced Chinese proficiency.
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Mischa Wilmers
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