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Yeah, I really don’t get all the hate towards DuoLingo on this site. Granted, it isn’t going to make you fluent alone but it is very good at keeping you sharp a

Yeah, I really don’t get all the hate towards DuoLingo on this site. Granted, it isn’t going to make you fluent alone but it is very good at keeping you sharp and getting your feet wet. Name one sole app/course which will teach you absolutely everything there is to know about a given subject. There are none. All learning needs multiple avenues in order to be effective. Even if you take part in a course with tutors they will you to practice out of the course and in your own time. Personally I found DuoLingo to be extremely helpful in getting the basics of Hindi down.

myaccountonhn 1y ago
I agree, for me Duolingo was great to learn the basics of Spanish, enough so that I could move on and practice in real life.
apwell23 1y ago
I agree i can speak passable spanish with my wife's family. i learnt exclusively on duolingo. I don't know if its the best way but it kept me motivated to come back and put in some work in a fun environment. which i belive is the biggest problem to solve for any sort of learning.
- degamad 1y ago
  The suggestion is that it's likely that you did much of your learning from speaking to your wife's family, with duolingo giving you a kickstart and the confidence to do so. Having conversation partner(s) to practice with generally trumps any other learning method for languages.
frank20022 1y ago
Because duolingo is designed for addiction (that's how they make money), not actual learning (learning would mean you'd stop using the thing, no good for stakeholders). There is no sole app that makes you go from 0 to C2, but there are infinitely superior tools that actually make you learn, and not the self-complacent pretend-like-learning pastime that duo is. For a start, almost every other app succeeds at not treating you like a toddler and not resorting to emotional manipulation.
- deeThrow94 1y ago
  Looking to apps to learn language outside of spaced repetition and talking to someone over video seems pretty naïve to begin with.
  - bluGill 1y ago
    There are a lot of things an app can do for you. Spaced repetition is the easiest one. However there are a lot of other options if you get creative. Most of them are a lot more work though. (though chatbots should now be easy as well to implement)
    - deeThrow94 1y ago
      I know any of us can demo a feature, but how specifically is an LLM gonna correct your tone when it can't understand tone itself?
- makingstuffs 1y ago
  I have to disagree in that you would stop using the app if you learn a language. Learning is a lifelong task and becoming proficient in a language does not mean you will stay proficient in a language. It takes constant refreshing in order to keep sharp. Is Duo the best thing on the planet? No, does it serve a purpose? Yes. The reality is that, if people see their skills improving as a result of using the app (gamification etc included) then it doing its job. > There is no sole app that makes you go from 0 to C2, but there are infinitely superior tools that actually make you learn, and not the self-complacent pretend-like-learning pastime that duo is. This I strongly disagree with. Nothing can _make_ you learn other than your own willingness to do so. If you have the desire to learn, you will. If you do not, you won't. It is that simple and that is applicable to any subject.
  - frank20022 1y ago
    > Learning is a lifelong task and becoming proficient in a language does not mean you will stay proficient in a language Agreed, but most people see it anyways as a journey from point A to point B, and then it's done. Also, most people just settles for good enough, not continuously improving. > if people see their skills improving as a result of using the app then it doing its job. Problem being that duo tricks you into believing you are learning when you indeed are not. I feel encouraged when I understand something for first time, not when the godam owl gives me a high five because I matched a word with a picture. > Nothing can _make_ you learn other than your own willingness to do so Well, I am really willing to be a world class piano concertist and astronaut. Doesn't mean I'll become one. Motivation + habits set the baseline, the mimimum needed, but they are not remotely enough. Success would be pretty darn easy then.

myaccountonhn 1y ago

I agree, for me Duolingo was great to learn the basics of Spanish, enough so that I could move on and practice in real life.

apwell23 1y ago

I agree i can speak passable spanish with my wife's family. i learnt exclusively on duolingo. I don't know if its the best way but it kept me motivated to come back and put in some work in a fun environment. which i belive is the biggest problem to solve for any sort of learning.

degamad 1y ago
The suggestion is that it's likely that you did much of your learning from speaking to your wife's family, with duolingo giving you a kickstart and the confidence to do so. Having conversation partner(s) to practice with generally trumps any other learning method for languages.

frank20022 1y ago

Because duolingo is designed for addiction (that's how they make money), not actual learning (learning would mean you'd stop using the thing, no good for stakeholders). There is no sole app that makes you go from 0 to C2, but there are infinitely superior tools that actually make you learn, and not the self-complacent pretend-like-learning pastime that duo is. For a start, almost every other app succeeds at not treating you like a toddler and not resorting to emotional manipulation.

deeThrow94 1y ago
Looking to apps to learn language outside of spaced repetition and talking to someone over video seems pretty naïve to begin with.
- bluGill 1y ago
  There are a lot of things an app can do for you. Spaced repetition is the easiest one. However there are a lot of other options if you get creative. Most of them are a lot more work though. (though chatbots should now be easy as well to implement)
  - deeThrow94 1y ago
    I know any of us can demo a feature, but how specifically is an LLM gonna correct your tone when it can't understand tone itself?
makingstuffs 1y ago
I have to disagree in that you would stop using the app if you learn a language. Learning is a lifelong task and becoming proficient in a language does not mean you will stay proficient in a language. It takes constant refreshing in order to keep sharp. Is Duo the best thing on the planet? No, does it serve a purpose? Yes. The reality is that, if people see their skills improving as a result of using the app (gamification etc included) then it doing its job. > There is no sole app that makes you go from 0 to C2, but there are infinitely superior tools that actually make you learn, and not the self-complacent pretend-like-learning pastime that duo is. This I strongly disagree with. Nothing can _make_ you learn other than your own willingness to do so. If you have the desire to learn, you will. If you do not, you won't. It is that simple and that is applicable to any subject.
- frank20022 1y ago
  > Learning is a lifelong task and becoming proficient in a language does not mean you will stay proficient in a language Agreed, but most people see it anyways as a journey from point A to point B, and then it's done. Also, most people just settles for good enough, not continuously improving. > if people see their skills improving as a result of using the app then it doing its job. Problem being that duo tricks you into believing you are learning when you indeed are not. I feel encouraged when I understand something for first time, not when the godam owl gives me a high five because I matched a word with a picture. > Nothing can _make_ you learn other than your own willingness to do so Well, I am really willing to be a world class piano concertist and astronaut. Doesn't mean I'll become one. Motivation + habits set the baseline, the mimimum needed, but they are not remotely enough. Success would be pretty darn easy then.