Is Duolingo a Waste of Time?

Examining the World of Online Language Learning

You’ve probably landed here because you’re wondering the same thing.

Duolingo, a gamified language learning app, purports to teach you a new language by only using 5 minutes of your time for each day. With over 300 million registered users across 38 languages, it almost sounds too good to be true.

The Ultimate Covid-19 Coping Mechanism?

Personally, I have a 260-day streak on Duolingo. This means I’ve had at least done a minimum of 1 lesson per day, and sometimes more, since the end of December 2019.

After the Covid-19 pandemic slammed everyone in March, I may have done a lot more lessons than usual, spending at least 1 hour per day learning French. It’s turned into a surprisingly adaptive coping mechanism.

My logic is that:

• I’ve mastered a new skill
• It has utility in the workplace, where bilingualism is sought after
• It makes me look smarter

I’ve mastered most of the Duolingo modules in French, with some working knowledge of Italian, Dutch, and some Latin.

I think the app has greatly improved my reading comprehension. As for speaking comprehension, I still need to work physically with native speakers, but opportunities are scarce, especially as I live in an area where most people are Canadian English speakers.

Pros of Duolingo

1) Motivation and Gamification

There is motivation to learn new languages, especially if you love learning. Duolingo sports a gamification module, so you might get addicted after a while, especially with the competitive scoreboards, numbers, and noises.

However, you can also turn off these features, if they are too anxiety-inducing. I also wrote a bit more in the past about Duolingo’s gamification aspect, if you’re interested.

There are various modules that allow you to type or enter responses. The modules gently ease you with a word box, to using none at all. After a while, I can surprisingly remember most of the words across a long period of time. Plus, I can revisit old modules as needed.

2) Individual Voice Practice and Multiple Choice

There is an opportunity to record your voice and get immediate feedback. I like recording exercises. I’ve been told my French accent is quite good (in real life) and I mostly get positive feedback in the app.

Multiple-choice questions also allow you to appreciate nuances in grammar. Who knew a random letter could change the meaning of an entire sentence?

3) Work-Life Balance and Productivity

You can also squeeze a lesson in between ongoing life commitments, including work, school, and/or family. Across the 260-day streak, my commitments varied, ranging from full-time work to full-time study. I went from having to commute a lot to rarely travelling much, especially with world events affecting the work-life balance.

Finally, Duolingo gave me a surprising sense of productivity. As mentioned earlier, Duolingo may have turned into a bit of a coping mechanism. I can walk out this experience with additional knowledge, which is not too shabby for someone juggling full-time graduate school while searching for practicum opportunities.

Cons of Duolingo

1) Module Limitations and Regional Specificity

I find that Duolingo is not a full replacement for an actual course, as the lessons are not unlimited. After a while, the modules might get redundant, which was why I sort of wandered into other language modules and apps, like Busuu and Mango. I actually wrote more about Busuu, if you’re interested.

As well, there are usually a dozen ways to say a specific phrase, but not all variations are provided in the app. Some variations of language may be too informal or regionally specific. For example, French that is spoken in a rural part of France is different from the French spoken in a metropolitan part of Canada.

That being said, I think learning the professional renditions of sentences are ideal for corporate contexts. That way, we run the risk of sounding too formal, instead of informal. Thus, it’s better to know the more formal versions of a language, than the informal ones.

2) Limited Conversational Speaking and Cultural Limits

You still need to talk to native speakers of the language, so virtual meetings are really important. For example, while perusing through the French Duolingo support groups online, members can meet each other on Zoom or text each other in WhatsApp support chats.

I still think you need to pick up a book, a movie and/or video to supplement Duolingo’s language learning. For example, I can understand French news, especially since the reporter is speaking clearly and concisely. However, I suspect that novel conversations will be harder to navigate, as the pacing might be faster and harder to follow.

Final Thoughts

While Duolingo is a great resource, it’s definitely not a full replacement for a language course. I have personally done the following:

• I have supplemented learning with occasional books, shows, and movies.
• I have occasionally watched YouTube videos in French, including songs.
• I have used comparable apps every now and then, like Busuu and Mango.

Overall, I do feel that Duolingo is worth your time.

It’s not perfect, but it definitely has improved personal reading and speaking comprehension of another language.

For more recent articles from the author, please visit: