Embarking on the journey of Chinese Language Learning can be exciting, and like many others, I was drawn to the gamified approach of language learning apps like Duolingo. A few summers ago, fueled by a fascination with Mandarin and armed with only scattered elementary class experience, I sought that “magic app” to unlock fluency. My quest led me to Duolingo, and while it became a daily habit, my experience revealed some crucial truths about learning Chinese effectively.
Inspired by a friend who’d used a free app to boost his vocabulary and sentence structure in Chinese, and after researching online about how long it really takes to learn Chinese, I stumbled upon claims suggesting Duolingo Mandarin users progressed as quickly as university students. Intrigued, I downloaded the app and quickly found myself immersed in its world.
Duolingo transforms language learning into an engaging game. Courses are structured by themes, starting from basic greetings to more advanced topics like business and travel. Each course introduces you to new words and simple sentences related to the theme. To progress, you must complete various challenges, such as rearranging words to form sentences and translating between Chinese and English. The ultimate goal? To conquer the entire ‘tree’ of hundreds of courses.
That summer, Duolingo became an obsession. I diligently completed the entire Chinese tree, driven by daily reminders from the app that my friend was ahead and the slightly guilt-tripping emails from DuoLingo’s owl mascot when I missed a lesson. This emotional nudge often worked, pushing me to study whenever I had a free moment. Yet, despite my dedication, by summer’s end, fluency remained elusive. My spoken Chinese was still at a basic elementary level, A1 on the European framework – a far cry from conversational proficiency.
Recently, reflecting on this experience, especially after a Spanish-learning friend and fellow Duolingo enthusiast shared an article defending the app, I realized the limitations of relying solely on gamified apps for chinese language learning. Duolingo has faced criticism, with users often sharing bizarre, nonsensical sentences encountered in the app.
The article, ‘How silly sentences can help you learn’, argues that these odd sentences are beneficial, aiding memory retention and serving as “grammatical anchors.” Sentences like “The Tuesday is similar to the Monday,” while unrealistic, are supposed to help remember grammar concepts. Communication, they argue, is about “learning rules and flexibility.”
However, I strongly disagree with the notion that mastering Mandarin, or any language, is primarily about learning isolated rules and encountering unnatural sentences. Memorability is irrelevant if a sentence is not something a native speaker would actually say. Effective chinese language learning hinges on repeated exposure to and comprehension of thousands of sentences in natural contexts, ideally relevant to your own life. This consistent immersion helps grammar patterns become intuitive, not alien.
Years of studying effective language acquisition methods and observing successful Chinese speakers have taught me that internalizing grammar comes from consuming vast amounts of comprehensible input. Techniques like sentence mining allow you to collect relevant phrases and structures, and real-life practice solidifies these patterns.
Tools like graded readers offer a far superior approach to grammar immersion compared to Duolingo. Graded readers are designed to facilitate extensive reading for learners with limited vocabulary, focusing on natural language within engaging stories, rather than isolated, random sentences. No matter how quirky Duolingo sentences are, they can’t compete with the power of compelling narratives and meaningful articles.
Soon after my Duolingo phase, I discovered Mandarin Companion graded readers, starting with as few as 150 unique words. Websites like LingQ also offer beginner-friendly mini-stories. Had I known about these resources earlier, my Duolingo obsession would have been much shorter. Ultimately, it was these tools, combined with consistent speaking practice, not Duolingo, that propelled me towards fluency in Mandarin.
Duolingo does have a limited role to play in chinese language learning: vocabulary building for absolute beginners. It can introduce basic phrases, like how to say hello in Mandarin. Learners with a very limited vocabulary (under 150 words) might find Duolingo helpful as a bridge to more meaningful content like graded readers and Mandarin novels.
However, even for vocabulary acquisition, Duolingo alone is insufficient. Reading Chinese necessitates learning to read Chinese characters. Spaced Repetition Systems (SRS) flashcards are far more effective for character memorization and recall. While Duolingo includes some character exercises, they are inadequate for truly making characters stick. Anyone using Duolingo for vocabulary should supplement it with character flashcards or gamified SRS tools like Ninchanese.
Furthermore, while Duolingo introduces Chinese tones, I found its approach insufficient for developing a solid grasp of them. After completing the entire tree, my tone accuracy remained weak. I later had to dedicate significant effort to improving 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 fluency. If I could redo my chinese language learning journey, I would use Duolingo briefly at the very beginning, alongside flashcards and other vocabulary tools, just long enough to prepare for engaging with meaningful Chinese content. Then, I’d move on to more effective methods and never look back.
Want to Speak Mandarin Clearly? Master the Tones!
My experience taught me that prioritizing tones is crucial from the start. Sign up for The Tones Mechanic, my free newsletter, and learn the exact steps I used to achieve accurate, confident, and natural Mandarin pronunciation, enabling me to deliver speeches and podcasts.
As a bonus, you’ll also get free access to a complete Tones Masterclass video course, packed with step-by-step lessons and native audio examples. Start your journey to tone mastery by filling out the form below!
Mischa Wilmers
Share this:
- Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
- Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
Like this:
Like Loading…
