You're Using Duolingo Wrong [10 BEST Tips for Fluency]

Can you get fluent with Duolingo? Not if you keep using it the old same way. These are the best tips for getting the most out of Duolingo.
I’ve been using Duolingo since 2014, and have completed two trees. These are my best tips and advice for using the app to get you closer to fluency in your language journey. Get a review of some lesser-known features, and how to learn faster.
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We're Jim and May, a gringo/Mexican married couple dedicated to helping you learn Spanish and travel the world with confidence. We teach "real-world travel Spanish" to show you how to navigate the Spanish-speaking world. Learn about places to visit, cultural differences, food, and the traditions that make each country unique. Learn Spanish, travel the world. ¡El camino es el destino!
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[@SpanishandGo]

Tools mentioned in this video: ✅ Pimsleur Language Program: spanishandgo.com/get/pimsleur​ ✅ Spanish and Go Podcast: spanishandgo.com/podcast ✅ Duolingo Podcast: podcast.duolingo.com/​​

[@angieove]

About the refill hearts thing, I created a classroom in Duolingo and it gave me infinite hearts and it costs nothing to make too!

[@divyav89]

Can you please add the other german learning app or site you mentioned .

[@seashella52]

Duolingo be like : Cats are not good university students.

[@fruityloop]

💀

[@seashella52]

I swear I had a sentence today on German Duolingo: My fish is a very good police officer 😄

[@esvinhernandez6043]

@@seashella52 I found "Ma tante n'a plus de lait" on my French course today, which means "My aunt has no more milk", it can be understood in many ways. lol

[@seashella52]

@@esvinhernandez6043 hahahah okkk 😄😄😄

[@Walia10palestine]

Yesterday I had I am a 🐈 😂

[@nerdwasfound2641]

No one: Literally no one: Not a single soul: Duolingo German: *I am a boy and you are eating bread*

[@tenplusten1116]

Ich bin ein Junge und du isst brot

[@EinSteini]

@@tenplusten1116 There is no present progressive in German, at least nothing used as often as in English. “Ich bin ein Junge und du isst Brot“ would be a correct translation. There is also “Ich bin ein Junge und bist dabei, Brot zu essen / du bist Brot essend“, which emphazises the progress by using either a subsentence or a participle.

[@danielrodriguezmejia517]

Im learning german and this is impressively accurate

[@soyaisfun1]

“Ich bin Maus” I used to get this one a lot

[@triskel8161]

@@soyaisfun1 It would be correct if you would say “Ich bin eine Maus”

[@lulu2210]

I'm afraid to talk to myself with the language I practice because I always think that someone is going to hear me lmao

[@LUKA_DONCIC77]

same

[@kayleighwybert4238]

just whisper lol

[@nixissilly]

same

[@margoxathegamer9371]

I was feeling the same, but then I got used to it and stopped worrying about that. At some point everyone can take the courage

[@thecakeofcommunism503]

@Big Black Dot. Yes you can

[@isamarysanguinety312]

off topic but can we appreciate how the video’s exactly 10 minutes long

[@kleydermendoza4771]

Interesant

[@bigdonnie8671]

Videos have to be 10 mins long for advertisement this one being 10:01

[@AnkanBasu7]

Ad sense revenue going brrr

[@kleydermendoza4771]

@@AnkanBasu7 Dani's vibes uhh???

[@Eskiii]

you should appreciate the video less because that means he is lazy and 10 minutes = more ads = more money

[@zombievomitxd]

As I clicked on this, I got a notification from Duolingo, it said I missed my Chinese lesson, goodbye.

[@SLIMEREX10CREEPYPASTA]

Farewell soldier 😟

[@gdesatyavrata]

Me and my friends made a youtube channel teaching Chinese. Feel free to watch, thanks for your time

[@alonsoreyes5602]

@@gdesatyavrata What is the channel?

[@gdesatyavrata]

@@alonsoreyes5602 mandarin bytes 😁

[@satwatbatool820]

What Jae in your profile picture 😌

[@AllisonReece]

I really like the Stories section. I was surprised how much I knew when trying to follow the stories!

[@rhondafriscia5528]

They're like Three's Company episodes from the 70's! Always a misunderstanding. 😀

[@SunflowerSpotlight]

I loved them too. I used them when they were just online, so I'm thrilled they're on the app now.

[@Ababacolongo]

@@rhondafriscia5528 but how do u open them

[@arthur__lt]

French speaker here. Sadly as far as I know there's not a single story for us :/

[@arthur__lt]

@@rhondafriscia5528 Oh, I mean I'm a native French speaker. ^^ I'm learning Italian & German on duolingo.

[@Caine61]

No one: Not a single soul: Spanish Duolingo: MY GRANDMA AND I READ TOGETHER ON THE BEACH

[@hadiza1412]

hey that’s wholesome 🥺

[@lanzz8608]

:,)

[@eyalpery8470]

LOL

[@mrgrumpycat9049]

mi abuela y yo leemos juntas en la playa hell yea after 13 attempts i did it

[@kenneth.topp.]

My Spanish Duolingo had a cat who is a doctor and a student.

[@Error403HRD]

Yeah, the speech recognition is pretty bad. I generally get it right, but it tends not to pick up some words I say. Repeatedly it's said that I didn't say "Ich" despite the fact that I practically screamed into the microphone four or five times lmao.

[@aparnaga1182]

Ich and Frau always gets me. Idk if its me or the app??

[@haniabatool4974]

@@aparnaga1182 it may be app because i used to have that problem too. Used to get stuck in ich and frau.

[@PeachPlastic]

It's "un" in french for me. Admittedly, it's hard to get the nasal sound but I think the microphone's issue is that it's a short 'bass' sound. Maybe those get picked up less?

[@shreddder999]

As I posted in the same thread here it often claims you only said the first two words or absolutely nothing at all!

[@montescottbarber7636]

With me its the opposite. I fail and start to panic, but then it says I got it right

[@sofiaduran4241]

I use duolingo with a notebook, in it I write down new vocab and towards the back of the notebook I write down the sentences. For the tips, I print them out.

[@ijn1216]

Me too

[@bewareoffluffo2367]

@ICA CASSANDRA GELIDO what is anki

[@devnakv4042]

Yeah it is useful

[@soo-jin1017]

Yes that works. You can also note down a buch of words at a time and then practice them hard after two or three days. It will help you learn the words effectively.

[@raggmopp857]

Yep, the same good habits that got you through college apply to any learning.

[@bluespanish123]

Who else was using Duolingo before watching this videos?

[@eijirio_0]

Me!

[@WideCuriosity]

Yeah, but not Spanish. I decided that latin alphabet languages wouldn't be difficult enough !

[@bangtan_army2982]

me I use spanish

[@lukesmith8896]

Me.

[@Zerin666]

Meee

[@talkativeness1433]

“You can type things in on desktop!” Me, learning Japanese: ;-;

[@kaushikassagur769]

I think Duo might give the alphabet on screen so you can click on them. at least that's the case for accents and punctuation marks in Spanish.

[@djantouahmed7319]

Virtual keyboard

[@viralviruz8694]

Same

[@viralviruz8694]

Got any tips Sensei!

[@Valcuda]

On Windows, you can enable a Japanese keyboard option When you do this, use alt+shift to swap between English and Japanese. Id also recommend downloading the Google IME, which'll be a bit hard, since the download page is in Japanese, but the installer is in English. Once you get used to it, its quite easy to use

[@kings7man]

i love one of the latest spanish stories , the one about the parrot that the owner’s date mistook for his girlfriend , nothing like a parrot talking Spanish or even French

[@margoxathegamer9371]

And german

[@aparnaga1182]

@@margoxathegamer9371 You beat me to it lol

[@karlafernanda2715]

Don't forget Italian

[@tenplusten1116]

@@margoxathegamer9371 Auf Wiedensehen, Pia!

[@Priya_JR]

1:18 Tips 1:45 Discussions 2:16 Forums (Desktop Only) 3:08 Repeat aloud 4:40 Use desktop version 5:59 Stories 7:50 Podcasts 8:44 Dedicate Time 9:04 Night Learning

[@derekwong8772]

Thank you, It saves time from watching it

[@sakthikalyani697]

I'm an unlucky girl ☹️ I saw this comment after watching this video fully 😞...

[@Ellie_Kyu]

Thank you. :D

[@Taylor-cp2tn]

Thank you!!

[@Priya_JR]

@@filmspelis When you tap on the lesson, above the start button you can see Tips. Available in Android, have used it myself😃

[@JJC007]

Man, you are a billionaire in Lingots

[@SpanishandGo]

😂 I wish I could cash them in for dollars.

[@midnightandtommy]

@@SpanishandGo Not $, £.

[@thetwinsnakes6790]

@@SpanishandGo stfu

[@midnightandtommy]

@@ahuman3749 Well, I'm not from America, so what? You can't force people to pay in dollars just because they are not from America.

[@midnightandtommy]

@@ahuman3749 But, but... I am british. We pay in pounds.

[@sparklingivory6855]

French duolingo: "T'habites avec un cheval?" "you live with a horse?" 💀

[@itsmemeulous]

"Je suis un chien" 😶

[@thomascouch4864]

Pourquoi êtes-vous un chien?

[@chloerobins4487]

@@itsmemeulous and it is a human saying it lmao

[@Unknown-zk4nl]

Is that not correct💀

[@kiky.mp4]

omg I encountered this question a while ago and I screenshotted it lololol, I thought to myself, "hmmm.. well yes"

[@rk_san]

5:28 I’m saving up to buy a house for my owl 🤣🤣🤣

[@bluetube364]

I feel like it’s more like “My human is buying me a house because he forgot to practice one time.”

[@spinnenlillie]

I accidentally read the owl house… please omg

[@ScullyPopASMR]

I'm glad to be a part of this community.

[@SpanishandGo]

Thanks, Scully! We are too! Cheers. -Jim

[@priel9840]

Me too! Although Duolingo stories are kinda weird....

[@lucasleroux706]

I finished the Swedish tree, this app can only help you reach level A2 at most, I use it as a warming up practice, once I finished the tree I start to buy a series of textbooks and start learning the target language officially.

[@KPXP3]

Just finished the Swedish tree too a few weeks ago. I split it up in 3 chunks over the course of a year (been using other resources). I agree it really only warms you up to the language. But it's good to add some vocab at least.

[@INF-pj5wp]

Hej. Jag skriver den här texten på svenska för att jag måste också öva min svenska. Använde du bara duolingo eller läste du också tidningar/nyheter för att jag tycker att om man bara använder duolingo kan man inte förvänta sig de bästa resultaten.

[@INF-pj5wp]

@@KPXP3 Åh okej. Jag har inte avslutat min duolingo kurs än men jag hoppas att jag kan få kanske b1 eller sådant.

[@pappagamingpoo9766]

Hey I think that there is a bit of difference learning Swedish or Spanish for example with Duolingo. Here is why Swedish tree is short but Spanish is not and also there are no stories in Swedish version. My point is how good Duolingo is for language learning depends on how much material there is in the target language and also how much you like the app. With Spanish you can get pretty far.

[@yasarmehmetcelik6671]

Guys, I'm studying German on English. What do you think, does it work?

[@halligalli_edgarsalli]

Him telling me to read stories and listen to podcasts: Me learning Finnish that doesnt have stories or podcasts: 👁👄👁 But great tips!

[@cheddarpuff]

Finnish is hard, isn't it?! There is a Finnish show on Netflix called "Bordertown", that was rally fun. I learned a few random words like 'money' and 'why'.

[@Bonavire]

Italian has stories but idk if it has podcasts or not

[@akseltrnnes1146]

Äiti on Suomi, mutta en tiedä how to speak finnish

[@88marome]

My mom is Finnish too.

[@Hello-rq9yx]

Yeah, same with Korean.

[@shelleyjennings4344]

The best advice was to use the desktop version. I didn’t know there were differences between the app and desktop versions. HOWEVER as a near- native speaker of Spanish, be careful with the discussion comments because some people don’t know what they’re talking about and give incorrect information. I used Duolingo with my Spanish students and it’s very good. I’m learning Italian with Duo and these hints are helpful for the Italian version too. Grazie!

[@GavinPetty]

Wow, i never realized how under-utilizing i was with duolingo

[@TAikodrum3385]

I didnt even know there was a tip thing I-

[@Fr0zenPeanut]

How? It's literally right above the start button.

[@TAikodrum3385]

@@Fr0zenPeanut Idk! Most times I notice small details like that! Ig on mobile the buttons are sorta small lol 😅😅

[@algierssolja]

@@TAikodrum3385 tips is a pretty big button though. However it is a different color.

[@DanksterPaws]

The mobile version is missing some of these. That is unusual though, I noticed it with Esperanto and Latin. If this happens, just go to their website to read the tips.

[@algierssolja]

@@DanksterPaws my mobile version is different on 2 different android phones. I assumed this is because I created 1 account back in 2013 and the other in 2020.

[@ekaski1]

I'm so glad you made this video! When I decided to learn German (for the 4th and final time), I used a research-based approach. I have several teaching degrees, including in the field of English as a Second Language and bilingual instruction. I created a language-learning plan based on all the pedagogical strategies I had learned as a teacher. For German, Duolingo was the program that fit most of the characteristics of a strong language program. I can't speak to other languages, as there may be better products. I understand the constant criticism of Duolingo, but I always argue back that: (1) they aren't understanding its intentional design, (2) they aren't using it effectively. If you use Duolingo simply as a game, it's true you likely won't get much out of it. That should not shock anyone. But if you use it as a foundational language program, it's actually quite stellar. I use all the tricks mentioned in this video, and I can confidently say that everything he mentioned follows sound language-learning pedagogy. I use a few other tricks not mentioned as well. Within months, I had made more progress with this method of using Duolingo than I ever had in years of traditional German study - in high school, college, and living in Germany. Though I did use some other sites supplementally, Duolingo was my only main program. By the time I finished my tree, I was able to (fairly) easily pass B1 tests.

[@jennifermitchell6643]

I am very greatful to Duolingo for teaching me Spanish in my twilight days . Never thought that I could learn even one sentence I am surprised at my ability to remember all these words. Everything is improved . Especially my spelling . Thank you so much Duolingo and all the teachers . Wish I could meet you . Bye .

[@n.q1158]

As a native German, I'm very impressed that you stuck with it and managed to develop such an efficient and successful learning plan for yourself, that'd be amazing for any language, but German especially! I'm not claiming that it's the hardest language in the world by any means, but it certainly does have its tricky grammar rules that can be very frustrating for learners and even native speakers. So kudos to you for sticking with it, I love my language and I'm always thrilled and impressed to see when people actually take the time and make the effort to learn it, considering how hard and in comparison "unimportant" it is worldwide. Glückwunsch und Dankeschön!

[@saravenusti-buch5544]

I freaking love Duolingo. Definitely was one of the most helpful tools with vocabulary to learn German :). One tip that always helps me is writing the vocabulary words in a notebook with the English translation next to it and that really helps with retaining the words.

[@TylerTMG]

Yo how many fam u lost

[@robertwilbrand3441]

Another thing I would recommend: Experiment! Duolingo has a lot of repetition, so it's easy to stick to a previous translation that you already know to work. But instead, try using synonyms, changing the word order, varying between tú/usted versions, etc. I sometimes use variations that I'm not yet sure about, so that I can find out if they work (and why not if they don't).

[@normaevett]

Great idea! Tests my sentence skills!

[@dum_fyr7165]

Tú and Usted are not the same, for example: Usted: For someone higher than you, this would be used for bosses, teachers or someone you don't know Tu: For someone you have confidence, like friends, family, some colleagues or class This also depends on the country, since in Costa Rica you say "usted" to most people, as a form of respect, but in Argentina or Mexico most of us talk about "tu" with the majority of people (tuteo). A little advice from a Spanish speaking ;)

[@helloitsme7553]

@@dum_fyr7165 so I assume Usted is always used to pray to God especially?

[@laromipatuconsu]

@@dum_fyr7165 Argentina doesnt use "tú", it uses "vos" instead.

[@sporadicalx238]

This is a little random, but if you were bald you’d look a lot like adult Aang from Avatar: The Last Airbender

[@pngs]

🤣🤣

[@chellie7751]

Totally agree

[@danprieto_]

So random.

[@rocstan]

Hahaha omg

[@smellinfishy6431]

XD

[@aparnaga1182]

To improve my pronunciation and sentence formations in German I started watching German children's shows which I used watch as a child in English as they have simple sentances compared to films. It's really improved my pronounciation.

[@tueur3369]

Im also lerning deutsch, just started the pther day. Can you please reccomend me some?

[@Gleamiarts]

@@tueur3369 bernd das brot is a good children's show

[@fabiansaerve]

@@Gleamiarts oh god

[@vickigsolomon1241]

I've never figured out what lingots are good for. I bought a "sayings" and "how to flirt" and that was all. Buying my way out of practice doesn't seem like a good idea.

[@SWOLLACE]

I buy outfits for my bird lol

[@ComedyGlor]

I literally just give them to people lmao

[@slabtowntours6096]

I use my lingots to jump level. I hit the key symbol. I took Spanish 25 years ago I retained conversation skills but have not written anything in decades. My vocabulary also needed some growth. But I hate going slow in some units like eating out that I know well so I use lingots on areas of strength.

[@Panda_boizzz]

Hey..🥺🥺my lingots aren't working 🥺🥺 I'm not able to buy anything 🥺🥺pls help

[@margoxathegamer9371]

It also has christmas bonus lesson, but it appears only at christmas. Also there are costimes for Duo just for fun

[@kristinahernandez564]

I started learning Spanish in January and Duolingo has been a lot of help! I have also been watching a lot of KZbin, listening to only Spanish music, watching a lot of Spanish movies, TV, and listening to Spanish audiobooks! Duo has been great, I have been using it just as you have recommended here so I feel like I am getting the most out of it. I love the stories!! Since I am learning on my own, Duo has helped guide me on what to work on now and what I’m learning next, although I am usually working on much more outside of that as well, it’s nice to not have to think about what I should practice next. I take a lot of notes and review frequently. I also just discovered the list of words on the desktop version, they tell you how many words you’ve learned, which words you need to practice more and which are your strongest! I love this feature! I can’t remember exactly how I got there but I stumbled across this on Thursday! Very cool! I love Duo!

[@lesliearriaga3390]

From January until now, how far have you gotten?

[@billbigd3644]

I need to find the feature on the desktop

[@irenestar9256]

Felicidades 🥰

[@slahellsingify]

Listen vallenato is very nice music

[@harshitaagrawal8661]

Also along with using duolingo to learn a language you can also watch tv shows or movies in the same language with captions. You can pick up more of the vocabulary used in daily life while also learning the context in which words are to be used. I also like listening to songs in the language I'm learning and then first I translate the words i know or remember, then I search up the meaning of the words I didn't translate.

[@MisterAlexEsquire]

No Tree layout anymore, but I started Duolingo a couple months ago and *just* found the Tips sections. The detailed explanations are SO handy. Japanese is very foreign to this English speaker in so many ways...

[@acatwo7767]

Actually, DuoLingo do have typing when you reach level 2 or 3 of every lesson.

[@johnpace2285]

I found that when I use a speak function to write the sentence in a language, the device I’m using must pick my voice up accurately enough to write the correct phrase. Hope that helps someone too!

[@ihuxo]

Thanks for breaking this down! I hadn't really considered some of these ideas but it's a great way to get more out of it!

[@gsalehi1942]

I am on my 300th consécutive day of learning French, I wish I had watched this video on the first week, would have saved me tons of stressful moments, thanks

[@TomKilworth]

The Mandarin speech recognition seems to be the opposite. Very strict especially on the tones! The Japanese course doesn't give any opportunity to speak the answers, but the workaround I use is to use my phone's speech recognition in the Japanese keyboard.

[@karabolefa9487]

Thanks for the Japanese tip.

[@EmberTail]

Yeah, Japanese don't want no speaking on desktop for some reason.

[@princeemperor9173]

I thought I was the only one not being able to speak in Japanese

[@KellyOspina]

Hi Jim, I am a self-taught Spanish speaker. I learned by listening and repeating, not in a classroom. I have a large vocabulary and can read, watch TV, understand whatever is said, but struggle mightily with verbs and grammar. What app or resource would you recommend? I would really like to achieve fluency, but find a lot of what I have tried is very vocab focused.

[@SpanishandGo]

Hi, Kelly! Great job at being self-taught and having that level of understanding. If you want to integrate more verbs into your vocabulary, I'd write down some of your favorites from books or videos (KZbin/shows/movies) and try to come of up example phrases with them at night to study before bed. You can practice new vocab or verbs specifically with ANKI (free app). Then try to incorporate some of those verbs in real conversations. Do you have a tutor? I'd recommend getting one if you don't to chat with at least once or twice a week. They can help you practice your new verbs, and help you focus on grammar where you need it most. I'd check out italki, Live Lingua, or Lingoda (links below). I hope that helps! italki: spanishandgo.com/get/italki Free Class w/ Live Lingua: spanishandgo.com/get/live-lingua Lingoda: spanishandgo.com/get/lingoda Un saludo, -Jim

[@zorantill981]

Wait wait wait , how do you learn by listening and repeating? Are there any websites or apps that have audio with subtitles?

[@KellyOspina]

Thank you Jim. :)

[@KellyOspina]

@@zorantill981 I learned by trial and error, talking with people, watching Spanish TV, and working where all of my coworkers were Spanish speakers helped, too. Mostly in the pre-smart device era, so no apps.

[@zorantill981]

@@KellyOspina Got it. Thx :)

[@MyOm100]

Thank you for a great video! I use Duolingo myself, but it isn’t my only source of learning Spanish. I also take classes in the evening, classes on Skype, read books, watch Tv and listen to music. I always use the tips function and the comments section is great when I don’t understand why my answer wasn’t marked as correct. I also love the story section.

[@G1NZOU]

I'm almost 100% up to checkpoint 3 in the Japanese course, it's really helped my learning via repetition and hearing and structuring sentences, way more than just following an audio CD. I find it's better when I write down things after lessons, like the various ways you can say the same Kanji in different contexts, even though the symbol is the same there's sometimes like 5 different ways of saying it. I'll have a go at the desktop version though, been mobile only since I started mid 2019.

[@panchi1290]

It's almost 4 months I have been learning from Duolingo. From the past week I started the stories section,it is so good and funny.

[@timsttyler7100]

Some minor corrections (although you should have know): Stories are only available in Spanish, French(fr-en),german(du-en), portugués and Chinese (English-chinese)

[@SpanishandGo]

You're right, stories are only available on Duolingo's most popular languages for now. Thanks for watching! -Jim

[@silvian.4040]

Also Japanese.

[@Hand-in-Shot_Productions]

I have taken two courses of Spanish as part of my 9th and 10th-grade classes (and was introduced to Duolingo through the 9th-grade Spanish class just before _La_ _Pandemia_ shut down my school). I have since used Duolingo to learn Spanish when I have the time, and when I finish Spanish, I actually plan on teaching myself other languages, such as Russian, possibly with Duolingo. This video is good advice for me! Thanks for popping up on the KZbin homepage!

[@sweetcaronia]

It's nice to see someone not completely trashing Duo. I've been using it for a few months after giving up a year ago and I've found it incredibly helpful. I already use all the tips you've mentioned and I also wrote things down at the end of a lesson. Whatever the tips were, say reflexive pronouns with negation, a few sample sentences, and then I make up a few of my own. French also has a new journal feature with a writing prompt on desktop. I can actually feel pathways opening up in my brain when I'm using that feature. I also listen to podcasts during my commute, listen to french music, and watch french movies. I think I'm going to start sentence mining with Anki soon, too. I just feel like Duo has brought me quite a long way already. I'm not fluent, I'm not even to checkpoint 3, but I feel like I've learned enough that I could get by if you dropped me out of a plane over France, Quebec, or L'Côte d' Ivoire. ;)

[@matthewcoombs3282]

The discussion tab is really good. I give out lingots to people on the threads who give helpful and insightful comments that clarify the topic being discussed. I found my understanding of German Grammar particularly was helped by native or very experienced speakers of German explaining grammatic rules to me that had previously seem opaque or arbitary.

[@noreenjenny7039]

I am happy to be a part of Spanish community, thank you. I did not realize there are tips and more to explore "wow" need more help certainly. 🙏❤ thanks again

[@ravinair6195]

Your tip and method of repeating phrases or lines in a story is an excellent tip and you demonstrated how to use it in order to improve your pronunciation - In fact each and every suggestion made by you are excellent.

[@joanlynch5271]

The stories are so cute! You get more points for the stories which are much easier than the lessons which get really tricky! PS : I tried learning Italian using Duolingo and also Rosetta stone. I got to the point in only a few months where I could understand somethings that I overheard on TV. However, speaking was difficult for me because it was too close to Spanish.

[@rickparsagian217]

Dang! The Duolingo tips were really helpful to get more out of the program. Thanks for the tip video.

[@SpanishandGo]

Glad you found them useful! Thanks for watching. -Jim

[@Iris-pm6ob]

The fact that you learned German and Spanish is what I’m doing right now 😭

[@PamelaProPeace]

Great video. I was happy to discover that I do most of the things you recommend. I so agree that it is important to say things aloud - to repeat when possible - to read the question aloud more than once - and then to say my answer aloud. If I could add another tip: I always try to answer the question by myself before looking at the options in the boxes (the ones you click on) FYI - I have only been learning for less than a month and I already feel I am getting somewhere (and at age 71 it isn't always easy to retain new stuff).

[@totoroben]

Pimsleur is great. Sometimes you can get the tracks from the library. Lots of course material for Spanish. I listen to it every day on my dog walks.

[@isipotter]

as a spanish speaker learning german, we have just 6 lessons with tips and no stories

[@pinktapestry3495]

Have you tried doing it through English? Duolingo unfortunately favors English courses. I saw another video where this guy was learning German, and tried to learn Spanish through German, and said it was much easier to do it with English

[@loganjones3723]

@Deyvi You're somewhat correct. I'm learning 日本語 (japanese) atm and it's one of the hardest languages to learn in English, not everything is easier in English

[@puddintoast]

@@pinktapestry3495 Evan Edinger, yeah?

[@juanjosesierramacias1255]

At lest the German course has tips!! In the French course there are no tips nor stories! And they're too strict when translating French to Spanish, and many sentences they teach have no sense, like "The natural environment is hard" (WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN???)

[@babyblue882]

@@juanjosesierramacias1255 ohh same as me. I learn korean course, but there is no tip in the app. I thought korean course did not have any tip but when i open the course on web, there are tip for the korean course. But there is no stories unfortunately

[@wayana8978]

Hey this was very helpful! I took a lot away from this! So helpful! I have added some of these tips when I am on duolingo. Another thing that I added is when the there is no speech but just the sentence written I say it out loud three times ( if I can remember it) it seems to help! Thanks again guys! Great channel by the way!!!✌👍

[@SpanishandGo]

Awesome! I'm glad you found it useful! Saying everything out loud is a huge help. Thanks for watching. -Jim

[@gpmiranda873]

Great video! I just started my Spanish lessons and I needed these tips. Thank you!

[@melissawright5716]

Oh wow! I found your cenote video and now you are my new favorite go to Spanish language help, too! Yay! Thank you so much for sharing.

[@SpanishandGo]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@webster7413]

Get so much more out of this app than the surface level!! When learning French and starting a new lesson I always write down any new vocabulary and write down almost all sentences. Also don’t just breeze through the 1st level of each lesson and move on, you actually solidify the content by getting it to level 5. And you’ll be overwhelmed if you’re halfway through the course and everything is only level 1-2

[@cheddarpuff]

Thanks! I was wondering about that. I usually finish a whole topic to level 5 before moving on. I also write down vocabulary as I go along. Duolingo is seriously missing some deeper explanation of grammar in their "tips" sections. One thing I really don't understand is when you do a "quiz" they have phrases/grammar/words that haven't been covered in previous lessons.

[@exoticcats6119]

@@cheddarpuff I also get words before finding out what they mean. I end up clicking on them to see what they mean only to get that word in the next lesson as a “new word”.

[@karenn.8810]

Great tips! The Japanese tree on Duolingo is still pretty bad but when I was studying with it for new vocab, I always used to write out the Japanese words on paper to practice the Kanji and Kana as well. In this case it's super important to learn the stroke order of the signs but there are tons of resources online to look them up. This might be a helpful tip for all languages with a different writing system compared to one's mother tongue.

[@LavenderSky499]

Very helpful video! Japanese learner here. Crossing my fingers that stories come to the course soon! I've read they're right around the corner.

[@hazelbotedapgonzalez6172]

Just stumbled upon your video and joined your podcast. You won me over when you were repeating the stories 😂😂😂 I look forward to listening to all the podcasts and learning!

[@warrenstates8955]

I absolutely love this video. Very well done! P.S. I regularly visit your channel. I LOVED when Maya cut your hair!

[@SpanishandGo]

I'm glad you liked it, Warren! 😂 I'm glad you were there for the haircut! We had a lot of fun during that live stream. 😅 Much more to come soon. Un saludo. -Jim

[@ayanatsutv48]

I started learning Portuguese with Duolingo (I'm a native Spanish speaker), when I reached 100 days strike I started to watch some videos from Brazilian teachers and I could understand a lot! Since then I've been using both sources and it really improves the experience. I'm a. It salty that the stories aren't available in every language and that the tips don't appear in the app with all courses. I think Duolingo is a great tool for learning languages that use an alphabet you know.

[@visalakshik.raman.6278]

You are quite a Linguist. Thank you for the wonderful tips. I am doing the Deutsch course since two weeks. I am sure I can get more out of Duo Lingo on future. Be Blessed for your help and Service.

[@marlynrojo2872]

I am happy to learn about the tips. Thanks for sharing.

[@adamduffy9299]

Great video. How do you move through a tree? Do you go all the way up to completion of each lesson before moving to the next session? Or do you do level 1 in all sections and then lesson 2 etc..??

[@TheBassplayah]

I enjoy supplementing Duolingo with "Spanish With Paul" It is best for perfecting those little sentences that ensure common usage and a thorough understanding of basics and speaking from the beginning. Vaya Con Dios! Thanks for the Duolingo tips.

[@liamtollenger5326]

Very good tips! Over the 2+ years of Duolingo I have come up with pretty much the same list, so I am glad I am following in your footsteps. Another thing I have started to do is go to this burrito cart near where I live and try understand as much as I can when being spoken to in Spanish, answering in English if don't feel confident about what I want to say, and filling the gaps in conversation with as much Spanish as I can. This way I don't feel like a nascence to the workers, but rather as someone who is try to learn.

[@patrickfielding3613]

Thank you.. a thoughtful and helpful commentary on duolingo.. I guess theres no magic answer and learning a new language required a LOT of work. Thanks again.

[@adrianabalbuena2682]

Didn’t knew about the stories and the postcasts! 😧❤️ the rest of them i actually were doing them already

[@SAVlRA]

Thank you for the tips. Do you think the vocabs in Duolingo can be considered as essential words in our target language or should we learn most common words in [target language] separately?

[@ipekkomurcu]

Story part is the best. I genuinely wonder what’s going to happen in most of them, they’re short, surprising and really helpful!

[@kirstenfarr7877]

Thanks for your tips. They've been really helpful. Und viel Erfolg beim Deutschlernen. :)

[@picoallen]

My tip: don't get hung up on getting each lesson to gold as you go. That might work for you. But I get bored. Instead, I storm ahead in the lessons. In Portuguese I eventually got the the whole tree to gold. In Spanish I'll probably just get most of it to level one or two. I'm reading novels, listening to podcasts, watching movies etc. I enjoy doing all that too much to bother trying to gold the Duolingo tree.

[@cowlico]

I agree!!

[@sagek7949]

This was helpful. Thank you. I do it all minus the podcast, I am not too good at it yet. 7:35 I laughed so much!

[@SpanishandGo]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching. -Jim

[@emishelly]

Very helpful, thanks 😁

[@janetsworld9734]

This was really helpful, thank you!

[@extraudoknight]

Me: watched a vid about language KZbin: gives me Spanish ads

[@brendanblack4455]

One problem I have with Duolingo is the distinct difference in attention between languages. Spanish has a lot of resources like the voice actors and more lessons whereas Italian, for example, doesn’t have most of the same features that Spanish does

[@juliadebbs]

This is very helpful thank you!! 👍🏻

[@inoscent]

Thanks for the advice!

[@bodymuezik]

1:17 Understanding concepts better with TIPS Read about grammar and context in each lesson • available for most languages on desktop • available for some languages on mobile 1:45 DISCUSS when you have an issue Check the discussion when you don't know why your answer is wrong 2:19 Use the FORUM Use the forum for advice, motivation, and new sources •desktop only 3:07 Repeat everything out loud Repeat every phrase 3 times 4:42 Use the DESKTOP VERSION Switch to desktop when you run out of hearts 5:59 STORIES are a game changer Use the stories feature half way or three quarters of the way through tree •not available for all languages 7:49 Step up to PODCASTS Listen to the Duolingo podcasts and other language learning podcasts • not available for all languages 8:43 Dedicate enough time Spend 15+ minutes a day studying with Duolingo 9:03 Learn when winding down Studying with Duolingo before sleeping improves memorization

[@orereo2328]

Thanks man, idk why this only has 9 likes

[@riddis8785]

Trying to learn arabic from 0 its going to be a loong journey. After that i want to learn chinese looking forward

[@printidle6927]

How’s it going?

[@riddis8785]

@@printidle6927 i gave up

[@jackmaison4209]

@@riddis8785 lol it's ok to give up. Try something easier.

[@malikaabbad5971]

I learn swahili then if i finish i will do a choise betwenn spanish, portugues and latin

[@Muhammad_Waleed]

I also start learning Arabic Today 😁😁😁

Such great content. Thanks. I use the stories from Duolingo myself together with Anki. Saludos desde Dinamarca.

[@sidramartian]

There are now free (and paid) conversation classes, dance classes and all sorts of other group activities which are tutor led and available on Duolingo which is unreal! And they also have those podcasts on Spotify (and likely elsewhere) that are led in Spanish with context supplied in English. What a great program. Very happy subscriber here. Good tips. I have been engaging in all of these tips as I go, and also once I have reached the next level, I go back and do another level test or lesson in each of the previous to help cement what I've learned before moving on to the next thing. I have a hard time getting into the stories, but will give them another go in this method.

[@arvilmogensen1945]

75 lessons later, I feel I am on a “Treadmill” running as fast as I can. I advanced to the DIAMOND league and now instead of enjoying the learning experience I am feeling pressure to spend more and more time to acquire points or risk demotion. The more I learn the more complex the verb conjugations. This requires more review time to maintain awareness of spelling and grammar. The acquisition of points then drops, your self esteem falters and I chose to opt out completely. Now am looking for a learning option that stresses more listening to acquire the ability to understand the spoken word.

[@hoodedr6]

Best thing I ever did was completely forget about leagues.

[@evelynsaungikar3553]

You can practice any level you’ve mastered and lose no hearts. Also, go on early in the day for one quick review lesson, to get a token to double points later in the day. Then go on to a couple new lessons.

[@davidbrisbane7206]

Just ignore the leagues. When it gets boring I just jump to the next section.

[@ldegraaf]

I love your tips. I've been using Duolingo for several years now and have started each of my languages by using Duolingo. Here are some of my tips: 1. Try typing instead of using the blocks to form the sentences. You can switch back and forth between the blocks and typing as many times as needed before submitting your answer. 2. After you finish a tree try completing your native language tree. For example, I have been working on the English as a Spanish speaker tree. It will force you to read and type a lot more in your target language. Also, it will mean that the app/website are in your target language. 3. I usually complete a level or 2 in 3-5 subjects and then go on to the next 3-5 subjects before circling back to the first group which keeps everything more interesting, provides review and means that when you finish a tree you have all the subjects gold too.

[@marlinn.9612]

Thank you. 👍 This Video was very helpful.

[@Twiphed]

I didnt even know about the desktop version! Thanks for sharing!

[@robertwilbrand3441]

An important piece of advice I would add is to use the waterfall method (or cascade method or hover method - there is no universally agreed term for it). All it means is that you should go back to level up older lessons in a manner resembling a cascading waterfall. So oldest lessons all the way on level 5, next few up to level 4 and so on. It's up to each person to decide how wide to make the steps or to even use fixed widths at all. I learned Portuguese keeping 4 skills each on each level and I now have only 13 skills left that aren't level 5 yet. I've found this to also make a difference.

[@californianorma876]

So I guess you mean that you don't go through all five levels before proceeding to the next lesson? I've been doing it all wrong?? 🤦🏽‍♀️

[@patrickfielding3613]

Thanks.. this was my main question.. up till now i ve been mainly getting each lesson to 5.crowns/legendary and only then moving on. But this sounds like a better suggestion.. thank you :-)

[@rolandoabrego1974]

Me gustan tus vídeos... el mismo esfuerzo que estoy haciendo por aprender inglés, puedo comprender muy bien a la hora de leer, pero, hablar es lo más complicado. Necesito amigos que hablen inglés para que me enseñen y yo haré lo mismo. Gracias.

[@valerieals6476]

Thanks that was very helpful ☺️

[@pardismousavi6355]

Thank you so much very helpful

[@nadezhdakodzheykova3117]

I use my lingots to skip levels because I use some other ways of studying too and I feel Duolingo is a little bit slow and repetitive P.S The stories are my favorite part too :D

[@calebbach7542]

Gracias! On the app version that I use (iOS) there are “gems”. Which are lingots but during inflation? 😂 I’m not sure on the ratio, but I have about 7000 gems, and 400ish lingots. Also, how did you get 100,000 lingots?! I have a 260+ day streak and under 450 lingots. But then again, I’ll “spam” people and give them 50+ lingots every now and then 😂

[@ES4406]

thankyou for this video, and all your content! subbed!

[@amitdhawan579]

Very good tips! Thank you

[@Major_Rain]

My phone is old so I Duolingo doesnt run on its new version with hearts

[@pompem2140]

They've made a lot of updates on Duolingo. They got rid of the speech recognition in Spanish. Like you said it was useless. Not sure about the other languages. Also, you no longer loose points/hearts on the mobile app. So you don't have to purchase anything. You can now practice for however long you want, even if you get wrong answers.

[@SpanishandGo]

Hey Pompe M! That's interesting. I just used the Spanish speech recognition today, and my version of the app still has hearts. Like I mentioned in the video, Duolingo does a lot of "split testing," so you may have a different version of the app than I do. Duolingo does this to see how users react to new features before rolling them out to everyone. Thanks for watching! -Jim

[@pompem2140]

@@SpanishandGo That's really interesting. Reading one of the comments below, you're right. I do have a different version of the mobile app. My mobile I think is identical to my desktop, I haven't noticed any differences.

[@normaevett]

Got rid of speech? I did not know! I just turned it off after it wouldn't recognize uno, did, tres! Also, mine still has hearts. I refill by doing a practice.

[@Adriana-ej3fd]

Great tips thank you!

[@nandini8851]

Man,you made my dayyyyy! Thanks for your awesome tips dude😊