> “[Everybody] wants to do something extremely fast, and this is not a fast process,” says Elizabeth Bernhardt-Kamil I began trying to learn Serbian in earnest

> “[Everybody] wants to do something extremely fast, and this is not a fast process,” says Elizabeth Bernhardt-Kamil I began trying to learn Serbian in earnest roughly a year and a half ago. It's been a rough process. I wanted to start with Duolingo, but they had no such course. There's another app -- Ling -- that has one, but it was paid. So I paid. A few weeks in I realize I'm not _actually learning the language_. Slav grammar is a little weird and can be complex at times, and while the app taught a little bit of basic vocabulary and some token sentences ( much as Duolingo did as my memory serves from using it for Greek, Spanish, ... ) I wasn't really _getting it_. So. What to do? I bought a book -- "Teach Yourself Serbian". Why that one? Because it's one of like, 3. It was as good as any other. I started going through it and the differences were immediate and enormous. There's a pointed focus on grammar, there are full conversations -- both written and recorded -- to translate. There are tests and practices. Now, that book has not earned me fluency, but it has acted as a step toward the next phase -- the ability to read childrens' books. That has been huge. Looking back, I don't think I would have _ever_ gotten to this point using an app alone. I wrote lots of flashcards to help me out and I even created my own little "web app" that has flashcards and quizzes based on the content of the book, but it's mostly been focused study time ( more than the 5-10 minutes per night you'll get from Duolingo or similar ) that has really earned me any semblance of understanding of this language. No, there's no easy way to learn a language, as the expert says. Duolingo, in my opinion, is just another "phone game" that allows you to convince yourself that you're actually doing something worthwhile on your phone, and while you might pick up a couple of words here and there, I think its usefulness dies off after a couple of weeks, at which point you should try dedicating yourself to something a little more in-depth if you have the real desire to. > The awkwardness of screwing up in front of strangers, butchering their language and sweating while you raid the mind’s dusty corners for a verb conjugation, is not to be found here. There's no replacement for embarrassing yourself. There's no replacement for hard work and hours of effort. Languages take time and dedication, and are worthwhile once you get going.