I originally downloaded Duolingo, the popular language-learning app, about three years ago. I was a senior in high school at the time, and I was “screaming, crying, throwing up” my way through AP Spanish. I downloaded the app as a last-ditch effort to build my confidence in my Spanish speaking and listening before the AP exam. After passing the exam, the app collected dust in the corner of my home screen and eventually offloaded itself. That is, until about a week ago when I yanked Duo out of retirement.
Both my roommate and my partner had recently redownloaded Duolingo, and they convinced me to join them on their journey toward mastering a second language. I was hesitant at first…did I really want all those AP Spanish memories flooding back? I ultimately decided that it could be a fun challenge, and I don’t regret my decision at all.
If you’ve never used Duolingo before, it’s actually extremely user-friendly: you simply download the app, choose a language you want to study, and the app offers a wide range of activities to help you build your writing, listening, and speaking skills. It’s great for people who, like me, studied a language for many years, but have gotten a bit rusty. Or, if you have absolutely no prior experience with a language, it’s great for starting from scratch too!
Using Duolingo this time around (in a recreational rather than an educational context) has been really refreshing. It has reminded me how much I enjoy studying another language and has helped me build my confidence in my basic, conversational Spanish. The app allows you to link with your friends, and that’s made it really fun too…I love that we can all encourage each other to keep up our practice streaks. As someone who’s currently studying to be a teacher, it’s really important to me to learn a second language. In the future, I will definitely use Duolingo to learn any languages (other than English) that my students speak so that I can better connect with them. It’s really the only “gaming” app on my phone that serves such a realistic purpose.
If you’re looking to learn a new language but only have a few minutes to spare during the day, I highly recommend giving Duolingo a try! It’s super fun and engaging and, in my experience, extremely effective for learning or reviewing a new language. ¡Feliz estudiando!
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