4 ms·
It depends on what one wants out of it. Obviously it's not going to be good as a tool for learning to speak, and it's only ever going to at best be so-so for li
by jghn 3y ago
It depends on what one wants out of it. Obviously it's not going to be good as a tool for learning to speak, and it's only ever going to at best be so-so for listening. That said, according to Duolingo I should be right around the cusp of A1 & A2 based on where I am in their program. Based on online reading/writing tests I consistently score right around the cusp of A1 & A2. So it's not total bollocks.
I've been using it less of late though, so progress is slowing. I only use the website and they've consistently been making things worse by mimicking the app. They recently switched to the hearts model that the app has which has had a few effects:
1) I am much more cautious and much more likely to cheat (use the UI to give me a hint). I used to push myself by taking a stab at things I wasn't sure of, and if I failed, so what. Now if I'm not sure I'll get the hint first.
2) I spend less time using it. Between making legit mistakes and stupid errors (tap the wrong key, etc) I burn through my hearts much faster than I'd give up in the earlier setup.
Still, I like it for what it is. It fits more easily into my lifestyle than taking classes or other more active forms of learning. I recognize that this brings limitations. But it is far from useless.
- j4yav 3y agoI fully believe it can get you to A1 reading and writing, but it totally falls down for speaking and listening. Which may very well be ok/useful for certain uses, but it's disappointing for people (like me) who mainly wanted to use it to talk to people. I thought I was making a ton of progress that I just wasn't until I started doing something else.
- jghn 3y ago> I fully believe it can get you to A1 reading and writing For some languages they claim B1 and I believe B2 (Spanish & French?) for reading/writing. I'm only about 1/3 through the spanish course and testing at the A1/A2 range on reading/writing tests, so I'd buy it. But yes, it's almost useless for speaking. When I've been in conversational situations I can sometimes make out what the person is saying, but I can't talk at all. Which also tracks, at no point does it put your brain in a situation where it needs to come up with & speak arbitrary sentences in response to random events. Different neural pathways. That's neither good nor bad, it just requires people to have properly set expectation. There is no way to build up conversational skills without having conversations.
- yurishimo 3y agoThis has been my experience as well A1 means nothing if you cannot understand the average speech of a native. Most natives talk extremely fast when compared to the speed of duolingo. Natives also slur words together in a way that duolingo never does. It’s great that you’ve learned the words to be able to buy groceries or order in a restaurant (basic numbers, yes, no, etc) but if you cannot understand the person asking you questions, then it’s all moot.