Fluent in Spanish Thanks to Duolingo?

Hai friends! Have you ever come across the infamous Duolingo bird with a knife? As someone who has completed the Spanish Duolingo track with a streak of over 400 days, I can tell you that I maybe have seen him with a knife… For those who don't know, Duolingo is a language learning platform accessible on mobile and desktop devices. While I won't delve too much into its features since software changes frequently, I have to say that the Duolingo stories are worth checking out. Somewht recently, there was an update that limited user progression options, which has received mixed reviews, to say the least. Personally, it's caused me some frustration, but I recommend giving it a shot to see if it suits you.

Although I used to be obsessed with ranking, specifically achieving the highest league, Diamond League, I've learned that it doesn't really say that much about your fluency. The game-like nature of Duolingo can be fun, but it can also lead to unnecessary stress. Instead, I've been taking it easy and only completing the bare minimum to maintain my streak. Speaking of streaks, I'm currently on a 400-day streak and have found the ramp-up challenges on the mobile app to be one of my favorite parts of Duolingo (outside of Stories). However, I didn't realize until I switched to the free version that I had to use "gems" to play these challenges, which are obtained through payment on the app, or through completing lessons and using Duolingo even more.

There are also differences between the paid and free versions, such as personalized practice. In the free version, practice questions can come from any point in your Duolingo journey, while the paid version tailors questions based on your previous, most recently made, mistakes. When it comes to communities, I've found Duo Planet and Reddit to be great resources for information and support also, so I would recommend those.

Overall, Duolingo is a fantastic platform for learning a language, especially for listening and reading practice. However, as you progress, the platform can be overly pedantic, which can hinder your learning experience. As someone who struggles with perfectionism, I've had to remind myself that effective communication is key, not perfection.

So, if you're just starting out on your language learning journey, I highly recommend giving Duolingo a try. Who knows, you might end up like me, with a 400-day streak OR MORE! and a love-hate relationship with the Duolingo bird. Happy learning!