Anybody try Duolingo?

[GloucesterChief]

Anybody try duolingo, www.duolingo.com ? After kicking myself for being young and dumb for not paying more attention in high school and college in picking up a foreign language, I am now trying many years later. The site is free and I have been using it a couple days. If you have experience with it what were your results?

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by PunkinDrublic

It will speed up your fluency after you’ve learned the basics. You can’t just drop someone off somewhere they don’t know the language and expect them to easily become fluent. You first have to learn basic conversational phrases and vocabulary as well as have a basic understanding of the grammar.

Of course you have to learn grammar and vocabulary. But if you don't engage with native speakers at some point, that's really all you will learn.

Like I said before, these kinds of programs can't teach fluid comprehension. It has to become 2nd nature at some point, or you will forever be doing translations in your head and not following the conversation well enough.

I arrived in Germany knowing how to ask for bathrooms and beer. I left Germany being able to converse about global politics, philosophy, and stuff like that.