Learn a language on your own, for free
Learning a language is hard, but no one said it couldn’t be fun.
Duolingo is a completely free language learning application that makes the monumental challenge of becoming fluent in another language a joy.
Setting up your Duolingo account is easy.
First, it will ask what your primary language is and then presents various language courses to choose from.
If English is your first language, Duolingo can help you learn up to 16 other languages, from German, to Portuguese, to Norwegian.
And you can take as many language courses as you like.
Of course, there’s a social aspect that users can engage in as well by linking their Facebook or Google accounts to follow others and see how their friends are progressing.
After all, nothing lights a fire like friendly competition.
Duolingo’s training starts you off with the very basics, so even if you have never spoken a single word of Spanish, there’s nothing to worry about.
As you reach higher levels, new vocabulary is highlighted in yellow and more advanced users can jump ahead with a placement test.
Courses are divided into modules with lessons within them.
A green progress bar at the top of the screen tracks your progress, but there’s a twist – you can’t finish the lesson until you complete the green bar.
When questions are answered incorrectly, the bar moves backward.
This method ensures that you’ve mastered the skill by the time you complete the lesson, no shortcuts.
Each lesson contains a handful of reading, speaking and listening exercises, and most are paired with cute animations relevant to the topic.
Translating spoken sentences is one of the more useful exercises.
Duolingo uses numerous voice actors who speak the language natively, well at least they sound like they do. Regardless, it’s not some funky robot voice.
This makes it easier to pick up on the proper pronunciation and learn how to understand the language’s speakers.
The minds behind Duolingo seem to understand that mastering a language is a process.
Even after you’ve completed a module, the app will remind you to come back and review after some time because it may have faded from your memory.
Duolingo is available on the web and on iOS, Android and Windows.
As a bonus, the website-version includes an exclusive feature that allows you to practice what you’ve learned by translating entire articles into English.
Adopting a new language takes a lot of effort, especially when you’re doing it by yourself.
Duolingo is a great guide to learn French before your fancy summer vacation or even as a supplement to your foreign language class.
With language-learning this efficient, you’ll wonder why anyone would actually pay for software.
