Duolingo–Language Learning Favorite

As a foreign language learner, there are A LOT of apps to choose from, but, I admit, Duolingo is one of my favorites. There are those who love it or hate it for various reasons. Every language learning app will have its strengths and weaknesses. One of the cool things about Duo is the fact that they are continually seeking to make it better. Though it doesn’t have ‘everything,’ you get out what you put in.

Duolingo

A huge strength is the fact that it’s free. Of course, there is a paid option with some pretty good perks! However, their free option has a ton of content and will help you reach a decent level of fluency. You just have to put up with adds.

I really appreciate the practice (SRS). Every day, there is the option to review past content. If you scroll through your progress ‘circles’ so far, there are specific places that have ‘cracks’ indicating it’s a review option. You don’t have to review if you don’t want, but I’ve found this helps a lot with retention.

For new content, Duo takes what you already know and adds to it. Each ‘circle’ focuses on a specific element, i.e. colors, season, numbers, etc. Exercises include putting the words you hear in their proper order (and choosing the right ones!), translating from English to your target language, speaking, and translating from the target language to English. For Korean (and other languages with a different writing system), there is the option to choose to learn the target language’s alphabet and writing system. Another option is ‘stories,’ where you follow along as a story is told in the target language and then answer questions about what you just read/heard.

One of the reasons I like Duolingo so much is its ‘streaks.’ It keeps track of the days you’ve played. There are also monthly challenges to achieve a certain number of XP. Then, when completed, you receive an exclusive badge. You can also move up and down the ‘leaderboard’ competing with other people for first place each week. If you’re one of those people who like to maintain a ‘streak,’ this is a great incentive and it’s fun. You can see how many days you’ve accumulated so far, and you can get a ‘streak freeze’ just in case you miss a day. (In fact, part of the reason I stuck with it is because I didn’t want to lose my streak!)

There are quite a few languages offered. I’m learning Korean, Chinese, and Japanese. This is really a great app to ‘get your feet wet’ if you aren’t sure if you want to put in the effort required to learn a new language. Some of the content is goofy, but I think that adds to the fun. Another perk offered is the discussion option with each question. You can ask other people questions about this crazy language you’re learning. This adds quite a bit as well.

Of course, you need to supplement for specific vocabulary and it doesn’t explain grammar structure at all. I don’t think there is an app that will do absolutely everything, especially not a free one, but Duolingo offers A LOT. The goofy pictures are fun too. There’s a cat that appears out of nowhere and runs around when you get something right. The various people make it feel like you’ve got your own cheering section.

Bottom line: Think about your personal language learning goals. If you’re trying to get to a certain level in order to work in your target language’s country, Duo will only take you so far. If you’re under a time crunch, Duolingo may or may not get your there. However, if you have no deadline and don’t have to pass any language tests by a certain date, Duo is great and will take you pretty far.

Enjoy the journey!

 

Learn Korean With This Free, Awesome App!

Patchim app

Product Review:

Patchim Training: Learn Korean, Created  by Hikari Nakashima

Pros: 

1. 3 Minutes Training
2. Lots of Content
3. Pronunciation excellent
4. Includes Handwriting and Typing
5. Very Encouraging (fireworks and crowds cheering) 
6. Well laid out
7. Easy to use
8. Kid friendly
9. FREE

Cons:

1. No Search button
2. Very little Grammar explanation
3. No Speaking/Pronunciation Practice
4. Cheering and Fireworks may be a little off-putting for adults

First off, I really like this app. It’s very comprehensive with a Verbs button (from very formal to informal), Words training (animals, colors, clothes, body, seasons, etc.), Hangul (alphabet training), Listening exercises, Numbers, Sentences, etc. There are many thousands of words in here. The creator obviously put a lot of thought into it, making Korean both fun and accessible. 

The games are mostly fill-in-the-blank/multiple choice with anywhere from three to four choices at a time. When you get an answer right, crowds cheer and confetti flies. There’s even a little teacher guy who claps for you. Sessions are only ten questions each. As you move forward in that section, there is repetition as well as new material added each time. 

The home screen is very straightforward. At the top is a chart telling your usage over the week. In the middle is a collection of buttons that take you to the actual training. The ‘3minutes’ button is literally three minutes (10 questions) of random vocabulary. The ‘Words Training’ button takes you to another set of buttons with specific word choices, such as colors, shopping, time, nature, body, etc. Each of these has anywhere from 90-450 words to learn. Along the bottom are several buttons which include ‘Dic’ (dictionary) and ‘Recipe’ (chance).   

One thing I’ve struggled with is the fact that the Korean language structure is pretty much backwards from English. In this app, there is a ‘Postpositions Training’ button addressing this very issue. English uses words like ‘the’ and ‘a’ to indicate subjects and objects—before the words. Korean uses various markers which attach to the ends of words, ‘postpositional.’

The ‘Verbs Training’ button is my personal favorite. This takes you to another screen which includes two ‘Hamnida’ buttons (formal speaking), one by inflection and another by words, with over 1000 words in all their forms. The two ‘Haeyo’ buttons show the slightly less formal (but still formal, used in a work or school setting) verbs. The last set is the ‘Panmaru’ button which is informal, used by friends. These are also ‘by inflection’ and a separate ‘by words’.

When you get an answer wrong, you repeat that same question immediately. Then, through spaced repetition, you’ll see that question again later. Also, the home screen has a ‘Missed Questions’ button to give further practice. 

The negatives of this app include the fact that there is no ‘Search’ button. However, if there is something specific you want to practice, it’s not that difficult to find. 

Another possible negative is the fact that it was obviously designed for a younger crowd. I mean, if you like fireworks and crowds cheering, you’ll love this app. If you like multi-colored, dancing hangul keys, this is the app for you. (You can turn off the dancing.) There are even stars, five if you get a perfect score, less if you don’t. Also, you can earn recipe cards, which, when all are found, reveal the full, finished dish. This, like the dancing keys, can be skipped. 

The lack of detailed grammar explanations does not, in my opinion, detract much. In fact, for the purposes of this app and its intended audience, less is more.   

As an adult, I admit that I really like this app. The fireworks and cheering may be a bit off-putting, but the content is excellent. If you spend even three minutes every day on this, your Korean vocabulary will grow.

Do I recommend this? Why yes, yes I do.