Jan. 28, 2015

By Zachary Carlson

Duolingo brings the free and easy language learning software Duolingo.com to iOS and Android devices.
Offering Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Irish, Danish, Swedish and German, the app is an ideal tool for many language learners.

Users declare themselves as beginners or they can try to test into a higher level.
The app offers language practice and challenges in reading, pronouncing, listening and translating.
Duolingo uses a clean, easy-to-navigate design which makes learning to use the app simple and intuitive.
The usability is great, but the app’s biggest strength is the way it incorporates video game elements into language learning.
Experience points, health bars and difficulty levels compel the user to keep playing and to keep learning. The app lures in its users with the challenge of piling up experience points and teaches them a new language in the process.
Overall, Duolingo’s best success might simply be that it’s fun.
Its allure keeps the users playing once they start and draws them back in during down time.The best way I can describe it is like standing in line at the grocery store or waiting for a computer to start up.
Suddenly, the tabloid covers don’t seem as compelling as doing a few quick language exercises. Why not more learning and less gossip.
Duolingo’s clean design and engaging video game elements create a language learning tool that is fun and effective.
The app’s biggest drawback is that its offerings are primarily limited to European languages.
For now, people interested in other languages will have to find another resource.
But for those interested in one of the app’s available languages, it is an excellent tool.
I haven’t used the app enough to say whether it can replace a college course or lead to language fluency, but I do know that after just a few minutes, I’m a better Spanish speaker than I was yesterday.
And these small gains alone make the app worthwhile.