redbird: closeup of me drinking tea, in a friend's kitchen (Default)
Redbird ([personal profile] redbird) wrote2020-01-15 06:31 pm

Duolingo

I am studying French using Duolingo, as of yesterday. I'm starting at the very beginning, because part of what I need is to listen to them pronouncing the language.

Right now, the gamification feels a bit silly. But I started last night with the smallest possible daily goal, and did a lot more than that today (for values of "a lot" that took maybe 20 minutes), and the software is designed to congratulate the user for things like having a one-day streak of doing something every day.

I decided I wanted to do this at the end of last year, but deliberately waited until after I finished the freelance indexing project.
otter: (Default)

[personal profile] otter 2020-01-16 02:59 am (UTC)(link)
I've gone back and forth between German and Spanish on duolingo. It's kind of silly/corny in places, but there is also a bit of clever snark snuck in here and there. One thing that frustrates me is that the German I learned 30-40 years ago isn't the same as the usage is now. But, that's what's happened with English, I've just had the exposure to adjust as it happened.
carbonel: Beth wearing hat (Default)

[personal profile] carbonel 2020-01-16 04:50 am (UTC)(link)
I've been doing Duolingo Hebrew for about three years; I have a 1,010-day streak. I have no talent for languages, but I persist.
otter: (Default)

[personal profile] otter 2020-01-16 07:36 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm impressed by your persistence!
st_aurafina: Rainbow DNA (Default)

[personal profile] st_aurafina 2020-01-16 05:23 am (UTC)(link)
I am doing quite well with the Italian version - the reminder email is very helpful to me. I only do two units a night, which suits me fine because it's every night.
rafiwinters: (Default)

[personal profile] rafiwinters 2020-01-16 12:07 pm (UTC)(link)
Yay for French (says the French major)! What's the motivation for studying it?
rafiwinters: (Default)

[personal profile] rafiwinters 2020-01-16 06:48 pm (UTC)(link)
Sounds like a good reason. My own French has rather deteriorated in the 30 years since college graduation--vocabulary, the more complicated grammar and so forth--but I've retained the pronunciation.
minnehaha: (Default)

[personal profile] minnehaha 2020-01-17 01:50 pm (UTC)(link)
As someone who has language-learning skills (and I believe you do also), I found Duolingo impossibly slow.

K.