so instead of 25 people learning Mandarin now there are 79 people learning Mandarin.
I’ve just learned how to say fuck America, 他媽的美國
What a take: learning a language makes you a tankie.
This guy absolutely harasses people in the real world.
I’ve just learned how to say fuck America
Also, the countless comments in praise of China and calling anyone they disagree with sinophobic.
Optimists learn English
Pessimists learn Chinese
Realists learn AK-47
Kuwata (soba) tsuno wovalai Tsurizhi (swakhna) pura alekai Kondəvain (kondəvain) umbu fərtun blonnuwail Shurtətei (skora) chegi hiato
Chinnata (bamba) iferih pulei Lechona (nawa) sowethi anei Shijako (shijako) alekhni fatalinya Nih pisha (fali) unhore sile
Utrashain aforen zhəkuraswa Towa ihatosei, ihatosei tsufralai Utrashain aforen zhəkuraswa Towa ihatosei, ihatosei tsufralai Keisha
Ulilya kozhizhi chachu kaija Nyame fetsu mekri, fetsu mekri ling ganal Ueri manja khutei araku Ali laraga chei, laragath yei shindulo
About 15 years ago there was a saying that optimists are learning Russian now.
Pessimists Chinese.
Imagine a time when you need it (for example, your old language isn’t spoken anymore where you live)
No one is learning any language using shitty Duolingo all they are learning is how to parrot useless phrases and vocab with no explanation on how to form sentences or actually use the language properly for themselves.
Hate is justified as it turns people away from actually learning a language
All this hatred for a tool that is bridging the gap between not speaking a language and being able to understand basic sentences.
Except for the fact that it is designed to keep you coming back and hopefully paying them for the privaledge whilst making people believe they are learning something useful.
It is in fact counter productive to actually learning a language properly. I used it for a year and a half trying to learn Spanish and in that time I never really learnt anything of worth. On top of that my native Spanish speaking girlfriend told me on numerous occasions that the things it was “teaching” me were flat out incorrect.
I learnt more useful language skills in a month on Busuu than I did in a year and a half using Duolingo. So yes there is a lot of hate because it wasted a lot of my time for absolutely zero benefit and in some cases taught me the wrong things so I had to go back and “unlearn” all the bullshit it constantly pushed to me.
It isn’t a tool to bridge a gap, it is a word game designed to get you addicted to “streaks” and then hopefully remove money from your wallet under the guise of teaching you something.
People that seriously want to learn a language should be dissuaded from using this trash app as it is only counter productive to the learning process, they should instead check out Busuu or listen to Language Transfer which is free and vastly superior!
I used it for a year and a half trying to learn Spanish and in that time I never really learnt anything of worth.
Might want to start with English first. (Emphasis mine)
I found language transfer very weird as you start with way too much english and I guess you need to jump at least 4 hours to learn interesting things
I see what you mean, but I don’t think anybody should expect Duolingo, atleast in the early stages, to teach conversation. The streaks are just a way to keep people engaged. That’s the biggest issue in education, which is keeping people engaged even during the tough parts.
I do agree though. I use Duo as a method of practice side-by-side learning in an actual language school. My personal opinion is that nothing good ever comes of a single source. I always keep looking for different sources of information.
I also see how this might not be how other people function, so I don’t really see any reason to object to your point.
TL;DR - Fair enough. To each their own. Nothing is ever perfect and I agree that you shouldn’t charge money for something that isn’t “correct”. But for the most part, it isn’t worthy of hate as much as just distaste? Maybe there’s a better word for it.
I speak 4 languages, and when I need surface level basics for a trip, I’ve found the Duolingo helps get the wrote memory part of see a shape, hear a sound.
For actual terminology or grammar, it’s OK, but it doesn’t deserve the hype it gives itself. I can make up my own lessons with Google Translate better than Duolingo.
And it’s so fucking slow. Like yeah I remember the word for man and woman please stop asking me to click on it especially with the image next to it…
Its called spaced repetition. Its helpful for people to remember something over repeated learning.
If you find it too easy, you can choose to jump ahead or find better alternatives.
I know spaced repetition, but it’s too much repetition and not enough space. The jump ahead feature is bad because you just do the quiz twice until you success then you jumped without knowing previous stuff and you’re stuck with once again slow minded repetition just that it’s now a more “advanced” vocabulary
Isn’t Mandarin grammar super easy? It is relatively easy to speak, definitely less so to read/write.
Easy or not that doesnt excuse Duolingos lack of explanation of any rules or concepts present within the language you choose to learn.
I don’t speak Mandarin so I just share what I’ve heard from a friend who does. Supposedly there are very little rules to explain and other than writing system and how exotic it is, it’s one of the easier languages to learn. All of this sounds perfect for Duolingo. Obviously once you get the basics there’s no other way than immersing yourself in a language but that first hurdle should be easier to overcome.
IDK how long ago you used it but I use it to practice Chinese (in addition to having a tutor) and it does have an entire tab about grammar and vocalization, it just doesn’t always show you those lessons early on and focuses on vocab. Actually I think it has one of the best pinyin “tone” lessons I have seen.
That depends on how you use it.
I use DuoLingo as daily practice, and I add a bunch of other stuff to it as well. I did really well learning Esperanto this way, and have learned a fair amount of Spanish and Korean as well. Generally:
- Duolingo for a couple weeks, blitzing as many lessons as I can
- Find lessons elsewhere (YouTube, books, etc), while using Duolingo for 5-10 min/day
- Read childrens books (look up everything you don’t understand) and watch children’s shows (write down what you don’t understand) in the language, and use that to review grammar and vocab
- Read the news in the target language, looking up unknown words
- Watch TV in the target language
- Finish up the Duolingo course while doing the above
Duolingo by itself won’t get you fluent, but it’ll teach you basic grammar (if you read the grammar notes), vocab, and build a habit of learning with a minimal time commitment. Use it as a sort of stretching routine before more serious study.
i tried learning spanish with it, now i know how to order a hamburger with cheese but it won’t teach me much else… just the same fucking sentence over and over again. every now and then it drops in a new word and then we’re back to the hamburger thing.
