Featured App: Duolingo

I’ve always wanted to be bilingual.  And I’ve always been impressed by people that can speak several languages.  It has been something that I always wished I could do. My husband can speak Portuguese and French.  Although I’ve asked him several times to teach me Portuguese, we never got too far with any lessons.

I really wanted to learn Italian but I know very few people that speak it so I was concerned that I would loose any skills learned over time.

I finally decided to work on Spanish. I studied Spanish in high school and that gave me a little boost as I started.  Then I thought I could always watch a few Spanish TV stations to continue to exercise those skills when needed.  And it would help me preserve the skills I’ve learned.

I started using Duolingo in September 2021.  I’ve made it one full year in my quest to learn Spanish. I’ve learned so much and now I find am even more impressed by people who can speak several languages. I hope one day to earn a place among them.

The Duolingo App has been really great to use.  You set your own goals for the amount of points you want to earn each day.  There are some sections that are harder than others, so you need to be careful that you conserve as many hearts as possible.   You loose a heart every time you make a mistake.  You can always buy more hearts.

I especially like the matching game that helps to earn you extra points.  The stories are also helpful to work on your listening and comprehension.

Insider Tip: When I was investigating the different options for learning, I found a Youtube Video that told me that you get unlimited mistakes when you visit the Duolingo website.  Since some lessons are harder than others, I sometimes use the website to help me complete my points each day.

And I’ve got a Reminder (Reminder.app) on my phone to make sure I complete my daily lesson.

For now, I will continue my daily lessons hoping to one day be fluent.  Tengo mucho que aprender. 

My next challenge/goal will be to engage with real people that are fluent in Spanish.  I have several friends that are fluent and my plan is to converse with them in Spanish, but I’d like to learn a bit more first.

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