Like many embarking on the journey of language acquisition, a few years ago I found myself drawn to the allure of language learning apps. Fresh off some introductory Mandarin classes, I was on the hunt for that magical digital tool that could whisk me away to fluency. Duolingo, with its gamified approach, seemed like the perfect candidate. Perhaps you’ve had a similar experience, maybe even with Spanish? Saying “Im Learning In Spanish” is often the first step, and apps like Duolingo are heavily marketed to beginners.
A friend, whose Chinese skills were notably more advanced than my own, recommended a free app for vocabulary and sentence structure. Around the same time, I was researching online, asking questions like “how long does it take to learn Spanish” (a common query for those just starting), and stumbled upon claims that Duolingo users progressed as rapidly as university students. Intrigued and eager to accelerate my learning, I downloaded Duolingo and was quickly drawn into its engaging format.
For those unfamiliar, Duolingo transforms language learning into an engaging, game-like experience. Courses are structured by topic, starting with basic greetings and advancing to more complex themes such as business and travel. Each lesson introduces new vocabulary and short sentences related to the topic. To progress, you must complete various challenges, such as rearranging words to form sentences and translating sentences into English. The ultimate goal is to complete the entire ‘tree’ of hundreds of lessons.
That summer, I dedicated a significant amount of time to the app, eventually completing the entire Duolingo Chinese tree. The app’s motivational tactics were relentless; daily reminders of my friend’s higher score and the mascot owl’s (DuoLingo’s) disappointed emails on days I missed lessons. This emotional prompting often worked, pushing me to study whenever I had a moment. However, despite my efforts, by summer’s end, fluency remained elusive, and my spoken Chinese was only at a basic elementary level – A1 on the European framework, the very first step.
This experience came back to mind recently when a friend, a Spanish beginner and enthusiastic Duolingo user, shared an article defending the app against criticism. Duolingo has faced mockery in language learning communities, with users often sharing bizarre and impractical sentences encountered on the platform.
The article, titled ‘How silly sentences can help you learn’, posits that the app’s often strange sentences are beneficial, aiding memorization. Sentences like “The Tuesday is similar to the Monday,” while unlikely to be used in real conversation, are presented as ‘grammatical anchors’ that help learners remember grammar rules and communicate effectively. Communication, the authors argue, is about “learning rules and flexibility.”
However, I disagree with the notion that mastering a language, whether it’s Chinese or Spanish, primarily revolves around learning rules. Furthermore, I strongly question the effectiveness of learning grammar through isolated, unnatural sentences that native speakers would never use. For someone “im learning in spanish”, encountering phrases like “La vaca lee el periódico” (The cow reads the newspaper) might be memorable, but is it truly helpful?
The memorability of a sentence seems irrelevant if it’s unnatural or not reflective of authentic language use. Instead, the focus should be on consistently encountering and understanding a vast number of sentences – ideally relevant to personal interests – within natural contexts. This repeated exposure, over time, makes grammatical structures feel less foreign and more intuitive.
Years after my initial Duolingo experiment, and after studying the methods of highly proficient language learners, I realized that the most effective way to internalize grammar is through extensive comprehensible input. Techniques like sentence mining – collecting relevant phrases and structures – and actively using them in real-life situations are far more impactful. For Spanish learners, this could mean focusing on sentences you’d actually use when ordering food in a restaurant or chatting with a Spanish-speaking friend.
Alternative resources, such as graded readers, provide a much more immersive grammar learning experience than Duolingo. Graded readers are specifically designed to enable learners with limited vocabulary to engage with extended text, fostering natural language acquisition, rather than focusing on isolated, often bizarre sentences. No matter how quirky Duolingo’s sentences are, they can’t compete with the engaging nature of compelling stories and articles on topics you genuinely care about, especially when you’re “im learning in spanish” and want to connect with Spanish culture and stories.
Shortly after completing the Duolingo Chinese tree, I discovered Mandarin Companion graded readers designed for beginners with vocabularies as small as 150 words. Similarly, for Spanish, resources like Spanish Uncovered or Olly Richards’ Short Stories in Spanish offer engaging content for beginners. Websites like LingQ also offer mini-stories tailored for language learners. Had I known about these resources sooner, I would have abandoned Duolingo much earlier. Ultimately, it was these tools, combined with actively seeking opportunities to practice speaking the language, not Duolingo, that propelled me towards fluency. For Spanish learners, language exchange partners or online tutors can play a similar crucial role beyond app-based learning.
Duolingo does have a limited role to play, particularly in initial vocabulary building for languages like Spanish. It can be a useful introduction to basic phrases, such as how to say hello in Spanish. Learners with very limited vocabulary might struggle with beginner-level books or articles, and Duolingo can bridge this gap, preparing them for more meaningful content like graded readers and even Spanish novels.
However, even for vocabulary building, Duolingo alone is insufficient. Learning Spanish, or any language effectively, requires active memorization and recall. Spaced Repetition Systems (SRS) flashcards are far superior for vocabulary retention. While Duolingo includes some vocabulary exercises, they are not as effective as dedicated SRS tools like Anki or Memrise, especially when you are serious about “im learning in spanish” and want to build a robust vocabulary.
Furthermore, while Duolingo touches upon pronunciation in many languages, including Spanish, its approach is often superficial. Achieving accurate pronunciation requires dedicated practice and feedback, which apps often lack. Learners often need to supplement app-based learning with resources focused specifically on Spanish pronunciation to develop a solid foundation.
Looking back, I wouldn’t completely dismiss my time with Duolingo. However, I regret becoming so engrossed in it, naively believing it would lead to fluency. If I could revisit my language learning journey, I would use Duolingo more strategically – for a shorter period, alongside flashcards and other vocabulary tools – just long enough to prepare for engaging with authentic, comprehensible Spanish content.
Then, I would move on to more effective methods. For anyone saying “im learning in spanish”, remember that apps are just one tool in a much larger and more exciting language learning toolkit.
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