You can also use the “Practice Weak Skills” button at the bottom of the game for it to draw from a few random lessons. The next row in the tree will also open up for you to do further lessons.Įvery node that you have learned will decay at a certain rate and will turn to a normal color again, meaning that the game is urging you to review that lesson. When you complete a node, it will turn golden and you will receive some number of the game’s currency- “lingots”, which can be used to purchase various bonuses such as costumes for Duo the owl (the game’s mascot), bonus lessons (like Flirting and Idioms), and other fun things. The types of questions include free translation, putting together a translation with a set of given words, speaking exercises, listening transcription, and picture matching. Each lesson is a level that you must beat by answering questions until the bar fills up, with correct answers bringing the bar up and incorrect ones bringing it down (~17 questions if you don’t get any wrong).

When you get to the end, you’ll get a cute little trophy wearing a flag that represents the language you’re learning.Įach node in the tree consists of several lessons. The game is set up as a tree that you must slowly work through.

How Duolingo Worksĭuolingo is laid out like a game and has a visually appealing interface.

While Duolingo isn’t a perfect app, it is one of the best ones out there for learning a language because it's flexible for both the casual, and the intensive, language learner. Interested in learning a foreign language in a fun, low-pressure way? Addicted to your smartphone? Duolingo might be the app for you! As an avid language learner (avid to the point where I’m now pursuing a Linguistics PhD), I was thrilled to discover an app that allowed me to learn languages passively without feeling like I was devoting all my time to it.

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