New lessons are presented in a tree format, where you'll be able to unlock new paths as you complete lessons. You'll also get encouraging messages from Duo, the app's neon green owl mascot, every few screens. Each lesson comes with a progress bar that feels like an RPG experience bar, and encourages you to keep pushing to new levels. The app's bright colors and sleek displays make vocabulary words jump off the screen. It might sound monotonous, but Duolingo makes things interesting by adding components that make the lessons feel like games.

You'll also be offered the chance to speak your new language by using your device's microphone. Exercises consist mostly of vocabulary translation this might take the form of translating words into your native language and vice versa, or constructing sentences by tapping available options in a word bank. For example, a particular lesson might focus on conveying emotions like sadness or happiness, or focus on the names of foods. Lessons consist of small, easy-to-digest areas of syntax or vocabulary. New lessons for existing languages are also periodically added.Īfter choosing a language, you'll start in on your first lesson. Though the list of available languages isn't as expansive as rival apps like Memrise, Duolingo is continually expanding its list with updated options. For the nerdier learners in the crowd, there's also the option to learn a few pop-culture related languages like Klingon from Star Trek and High Valyrian from Game of Thrones. These include English, French, Spanish, and German among others. After creating an account, you can select a language you want to learn from a list of common spoken options. Learning a language begins the second you open Duolingo.

Skip the classes and start speaking a new language on your own timeĭuolingo's basic, step-by-step approach to language learning makes it one of the best tools to quickly pick up a new language for free.

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