Duolingo review in Spanish (2023)

To describe: Duolingo Spanish Review

• Cost of the Duolingo app in Spanish
• How the Duolingo app works in Spanish
• Duolingo Spanish lessons: what are they like?
• What we like about Duolingo Spanish
• What we don't like about Duolingo's Spanish
• Verdict: Should you use Duolingo to learn Spanish?

To make navigating this lengthy review a little easier,we insert jump links aboveso you can quickly get where you want to go.

video review: Is Duolingo good for learning Spanish?

In the video above, team member John breaks down the Duolingo program, covering everything you need to know. Or you can always keep reading our written review below for even more details.

Cost of the Duolingo app in Spanish

Let's start this review by covering the cost of Duolingo's Spanish program, as this is one of the main reasons why so many people are drawn to this app. As many of you may know, Duolingo offers a free version of their course. It is true:you don't have to pay a dime.

However, before you rush to sign up for Duolingo as your language program of choice, be aware that there are definitely some limitations with the free version. The free version is ad-supported (meaning you get hit with annoying sidebar and pop-up ads), there aredaily usage limits of your program, and you are forced to follow a very rigid curriculum (instead of being able to advance).

In other words,Duolingo uses your typical "freemium" software subscription model, and it makes its money primarily through paid premium subscriptions. And if you opt for their paid subscription,super duolingo, will cost about $84 per year (or$7 per month).

When upgrading to the Plus plan,Duolingo removes those annoying ads, includes unlimited usage (no "hearts" limits), lets you test units and advances, and adds custom lessons to review your mistakes, among other features.

So is it worth upgrading to Super Duolingo?I personally think it's worth it. I think the premium features make for a much better experience, but ultimately it will likely cut your budget.

That said, if you want to try Duolingo Plus,They offer a 14-day free trial.so you can play around with the upgraded plan and see if you like it much better than the free version.

Now, of course, if you're willing to pay for oneSpanish course, which raises the question,why duolingo? A big part of Duolingo's appeal isyour lack of a price tag. So if you're going to pay for a course anyway, why not consider one of the more premium language learning programs? I think it's a valid question, as Duolingo certainly has some downsides (more on that below).

So if you're going to pay for a course, I recommend doing your research and seeing how Duolingo stacks up against the competition. Do not hesitate to consult our reviews ofpimsleur,Chatyrosetta stone. In fact, we have these three Spanish courses rated way above Duolingo.

How the Duolingo app works in Spanish

With all of the above said, I'm not here to talk about other companies. I'm here to talk about Duolingo. So, let's see how your Spanish course is structured.

Essentially, within the Duolingo Spanish learning path, there arehundreds of "units". And within each unit, there are several rungs that cover skills, concepts and themes (eg emotions, travel and present time). and finally andEach step is made up of several lessons.

Now, that might seem like a lot, and it is, butknow that each lesson is very short, taking just 5-10 minutes to complete.

So this is the programhigh level. Basically, there are different units that you must complete and each unit consists of several rungs and lessons below them.

And to be clear,Duolingo dictates the order in which you complete units. New units only kick in when you've completed the old one, and the same applies to individual lessons within each rung.

However, with Duolingo's paid subscription, you can test individual units by passing a short quiz.This allows you to progress as you see fit..

Additionally, completing each lesson earns you experience points (abbreviated as XP points) as well as Duolingo's currency known as "ingots.” XP points are tied to your daily goals and allow you to track your progress, whileingotsit can be used to purchase additional features from the Duolingo store.

The general idea here is that Duolingo is trying to gamify itslanguage learning trip. They believe that doing their programlike a search game, you will be engaged and engaged for a long time.

Duolingo Spanish lessons:How are?

So now that you know howprogram duolingois structured, let's dive into what the lessons are really like. And the main conclusion is this:are too short.

As I just mentioned above,each only takes about 5 to 10 minutes to completeAnd they go super fast. This is largely due to the fact that each lesson is made up of a dozen quick, interactive exercises and exercises. Some examples of these exercises include:

• listening exercises. You can hear a native speaker say a word or phrase, then select it from a list,oYou might even hear a complete sentence and be asked to type it.
• Fill in the blanks. You can see a cartoon graphic of a man next to a blank sentence and click on the word "man” to complete the sentence.

• matching pairs. You can see 10 different words, 5 in English and 5 in Spanish, and asked to combine them correctly.
• Verbal Practice. You can listen to a native speaker say a phrase or sentence and then be asked to repeat it (during which time Duolingo's speech recognition technology is there to judge your pronunciation).
• write complete sentences. You may be tasked with writing full sentence translations from English to Spanish and vice versa.
• simulated conversations. You may be asked to complete simulated conversations by selecting the correct answer from a list of sentences.

These are the main exercises you will be asked to complete in a nutshell, albeit in different variations and levels of difficulty. To reiterate, they are very short and go by fast.

What we like about Duolingo Spanish

Now that I've covered the different subscription options and you know what the lessons are about, let's get into the nitty-gritty of this review. That is, what I like and dislike about Duolingo after thoroughly testing the program. And let's start with the good news.

The price tag (or lack thereof)

One of the highlights for me is the fact thatDuolingo offers a free version. This is very rare in today's era, and who doesn't like free? I mean, you don't even have to enter your credit card number, and you get full (if somewhat limited) access to your program. This is great for students who are studying for theAP Spanish examtoo (extra practice).

Now, as I mentioned above,there are some drawbacks with the free version, but still, if you're on a tight budget or just looking to learn the basics for an upcoming trip to Mexico, it's hard to argue with free.

Good variety of exercises

I like that Duolingo offers aWide range of workouts and exercises.covering listening, speaking, reading and writing. For learning purposes, it's great to practice working through many different mediums.

What is more,variety makes the program more engaging and enjoyable. I never felt really bored in individual classes.

Quick Access Lesson Work

I not only like the nature of theDuolingo spanish lessonsbut i like it toolessons are short and engaging. They just go super fast.

This is ideal for busy professionals and students alike.Not everyone has a free hour every day.dedicate to theirlanguage learning. Sometimes 15-20 minutes is all you have, so it's nice to be able to take a few quick lessons a day and still feel productive.

english translations

I like that Duolingo lessons includeGuidelines, suggestions and translations in English, as not all language learning programs do this.

For example,rosetta stonehe is a big believer in 100% immersion. In other words, they use very little (if any) English. And while I think this strategy has some merit, I also think it can lead to user frustration.

Ultimately I appreciate it.Duolingo embedsvery englishin your class workto ensure that you always understand what is going on, what is being asked of you, and to help classes move forward in a timely manner.

elegant digital platform

I'm a huge fan of the Duolingo digital platform and all the images and reminders they provide.Their dashboard is super clean and easy to navigate.and includes a daily goal tracker, as well as a leaderboard where you can compete against other users, invite friends, and track your streaks.

Together, all this createsa fun and collaborative environmentto keep you motivated and on track. so i giveDuolingotwo thumbs up from that perspective.

What we don't like about Duolingo's Spanish

Now that I've gone through all the reasons I like Duolingo, let's move on to the things I don't care about.language learning.

Lack of focus when talking

The first disadvantage I would point out is thatDuolingo classes don't develop your speaking skills very well. It's true that there are speaking exercises built into their classes, but they aren't very good.

Essentially, you're just being asked to repeat words and phrases in a vacuum. You hear a phrase and immediately they ask you to repeat it.There are simply no real memory helpersor contextual setting to help you understand the words andincrease retention.

advance,its voice recognition technology is far from perfect. There were several cases where I knew I was mispronouncing a word or phrase and the program would accept it, saying that I had spoken correctly. It's very limited.

Honestly, when it comes to verbal practice,I think Pimsleur, a Duolingo competitor, is much better.. Pimsleur audio lessons ask you to say words or phrases and respond to a native speaker in the context of arealconversation.

With Pimsleur, you are actively involved in following a conversation, and the audio lesson moderator keeps you on your toes, asking you to remember and use language under pressure, just as you would in real-life situations.

In my opinion, this finallycreates a much better environment for learning a new language. Again, here's a link to ourPimsleur's reviewif you want to check it,as well as a comparison.

Unnatural use of language

It's strange, but somethe phrases Duolingo uses in their lessons are unnatural. I've read a lot of complaints about this issue online and I have to agree. Some of your vocabulary choices and sentence structures are just plain weird.

To be fair,It seems that Duolingo has improved in this area lately., but you still occasionally come across a strange phrase or phrase that turns your head, whether from a grammatical or pure perspective,"What the hell did I just hear?"kind of moment

Some examples I saw were“my horses collect teeth”y"I've liked this beer since yesterday."I mean, it's not the end of the world, but it might interrupt you and distract your learning process from time to time. Other companies likespanish rocketThey are much better in that regard.

➡Related:Comparison between Memrise and Rosetta Stone

Low priority grammar instruction

This one is pretty straightforward. In Duolingo classes,teaching grammar does not seem to be a priority. To be clear, I'm not saying that you should get bogged down in dense and boring grammar principles, because in fact I think it can do more harm than good, especially when you're learning a new language for the first time.

However, I wish they would include a littlemore instructions or explanations about grammar rules. It would be nice if Duolingo approached grammar in the same way.Chathe does. Babbel integrates grammar teaching into his classes in a very subtle and efficient way.

Duolingo, on the other hand, only includes grammar tips via separate "guides". anyway i guessthe wayChatit's great. Again, here's a link to ourbabble reviewif you want to check it,as well as a comparison.

Duolingo's Free Ads Are Annoying

As mentioned above,the free version of Duolingo contains ads. There's nothing terribly weird about that with free software, but there's no denying that they're distracting and take your focus away from your main goal (you know, learning Spanish).

At first it's not so bad, butdefinitely starts to wear you down. If you've ever played the free versions of Candy Crush, Angry Birds, or another silly game on your iPhone, you'll know what I mean.Ads age.Honestly, I'm here to learn and practice Spanish, not to be bombarded with ads.

The free version of the cardiac system

The free version ofDuolingo limits your daily usage. This is how they do it: every day you earn a limited number of "hearts". You start with 5 a day, and if you answer a question incorrectly, you lose a heart.

So basically you are only allowed 5 failures per day,unlessyou go back and practice old lessons to restore your heart count.

If that sounds annoying, it's because it is.. But it's more than a little annoying, it can also be off-putting. When faced with the choice of rehashing old lessons to win more hearts, or simply giving up for the day,I tended to give up.

And reading the forums, it seems thatthat's what a lot of people end up doing, especially when many of the errors come from typos and not typing wrong answers. I think it's just another annoying aspect of the free version of the course.

verdict: Should you use Duolingo to learn Spanish?

However,there are many things I like about Duolingo. This Spanish learning app is free, there is a decent range of drills and exercises, and the digital platform is top notch.

However, there are certainlysome disadvantages with Spanish Duolingo too. In particular, in my opinion, it's not ideal for building your Spanish speaking skills, and there are some serious issues surrounding the free version.

In short, I think Duolingo should be usedmore as a supplemental study resource rather than a complete language learning course. In my opinion, it's better to treat it as an educational game than a serious study tool.

If that's all you want, maybe because you just want to learn a little Spanish for fun every now and then, then I think Duolingo is a great resource.

ButIf you are serious about learning Spanish, and you really plan on spending a good chunk of your time achieving some level of fluency,so I think Babbel, Pimsleur and Rocket Spanish are probably a better bet.

➡ READ FOLLOWING:Comparison between Pimsleur and Rocket Language