The Duolingo Thread

All about language programs, courses, websites and other learning resources
User avatar
zenmonkey
Black Belt - 2nd Dan
Posts: 2528
Joined: Sun Jul 26, 2015 7:21 pm
Location: California, Germany and France
Languages: Spanish, English, French trilingual - German (B2/C1) on/off study: Persian, Hebrew, Tibetan, Setswana.
Some knowledge of Italian, Portuguese, Ladino, Yiddish ...
Want to tackle Tzotzil, Nahuatl
Language Log: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=859
x 7030
Contact:

The Duolingo Thread

Postby zenmonkey » Sun Aug 02, 2015 11:38 am

For users of Duolingo having, issues, questions, criticisms, comments or just to share profiles.

I'm actively using it for German and as a background maintenance for FR, SP.
I'm zemonkey over there (without the n).
0 x
I am a leaf on the wind, watch how I soar

User avatar
daegga
Blue Belt
Posts: 560
Joined: Thu Jul 09, 2015 12:00 am
Location: Upper Austria
Languages: Bavarian (spoken), German
-- ≥ C1 passive --
English (IELTS 8.5)
Scandinavian (a: N>D>S)
-- along the way --
French, Italian
-- can read with dict --
Old Norse
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... 15&t=17055
x 951
Contact:

Re: The Duolingo Thread

Postby daegga » Sun Aug 02, 2015 12:17 pm

The mobile version used to be more user friendly - selecting the order of words instead of typing them for example - but this seems to be gone. Is there a solution for this? Typing on my mobile is not going to work out, takes too long and too many typos.
0 x
jag nöjer mig med tystnad

User avatar
zenmonkey
Black Belt - 2nd Dan
Posts: 2528
Joined: Sun Jul 26, 2015 7:21 pm
Location: California, Germany and France
Languages: Spanish, English, French trilingual - German (B2/C1) on/off study: Persian, Hebrew, Tibetan, Setswana.
Some knowledge of Italian, Portuguese, Ladino, Yiddish ...
Want to tackle Tzotzil, Nahuatl
Language Log: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=859
x 7030
Contact:

Re: The Duolingo Thread

Postby zenmonkey » Sun Aug 02, 2015 3:21 pm

daegga wrote:The mobile version used to be more user friendly - selecting the order of words instead of typing them for example - but this seems to be gone. Is there a solution for this? Typing on my mobile is not going to work out, takes too long and too many typos.


Depends on the question, sometimes it is an order exercise, sometimes it is a typing exercise.
It certainly does go faster with a true keyboard but I would not want to have something that is only about choosing words - typing them out helps me learn.

The voice entry just isn't good enough yet to replace keyed letters.

Do you use duolingo on a computer or just a mobile device?
0 x
I am a leaf on the wind, watch how I soar

User avatar
daegga
Blue Belt
Posts: 560
Joined: Thu Jul 09, 2015 12:00 am
Location: Upper Austria
Languages: Bavarian (spoken), German
-- ≥ C1 passive --
English (IELTS 8.5)
Scandinavian (a: N>D>S)
-- along the way --
French, Italian
-- can read with dict --
Old Norse
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... 15&t=17055
x 951
Contact:

Re: The Duolingo Thread

Postby daegga » Sun Aug 02, 2015 3:43 pm

I used to use it on a computer back when it was all new, but friends showed me the mobile version and I liked that one better, writing exercises came up, but not as often as on the web site.
Recently I tried it out anew with one of the newly added languages - this time on an android phone - but it was all writing. Maybe this was because I did the "tests" to jump over sections and never got to the actual learning part because the test format put me off.
From your response I gather it works still like back in the early days. Good to know, thanks. I should do the tests using the web page then.
0 x
jag nöjer mig med tystnad

User avatar
Brun Ugle
Black Belt - 2nd Dan
Posts: 2273
Joined: Mon Jul 27, 2015 12:48 pm
Location: Steinkjer, Norway
Languages: English (N), Norwegian (~C1/C2), Spanish (B1/B2), German (A2/B1?), Japanese (very rusty)
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... 15&t=11484
x 5821
Contact:

Re: The Duolingo Thread

Postby Brun Ugle » Sun Aug 02, 2015 5:16 pm

I think the tests have a lot more writing because they want to make sure you really know something if they're going to let you test out of it. I use Duolingo on iPad, so typing isn't as easy as on the computer, but it isn't so bad. There are always some typing questions, but there are other kinds too. I wish they let you see the notes on the mobile version though. I always have to go in on the web version to check the notes before beginning a new section.
2 x

User avatar
tangleweeds
Green Belt
Posts: 449
Joined: Sat Jul 18, 2015 7:09 pm
Location: Portland, Oregon, USA
Languages: English (N)
beginner: Irish
clearing cobwebs: Japanese
on the shelf: French, Latin
wanderlust: Norwegian, Vietnamese
Language Log: viewtopic.php?t=705
x 1226

Re: The Duolingo Thread

Postby tangleweeds » Sun Aug 02, 2015 9:28 pm

I have the same username on Duolingo as here. I got restarted with language learning when I heard about Duolingo Irish graduating from beta, but I found the typing stressful, with unfamiliar key combos for accents. Doing accents on the phone or tablet was easier, but typing on devices is icky-picky slow for me.

But now that I'm a comfortable "false beginner" in Irish (and used to typing accents ) Duolingo on the computer is much more fun than it used to be. Now I'm thinking about creating myself a Duolingo challenge with progress bar in my sig and everything.
0 x
Neurological odyssey is going better! Yay!

galaxyrocker
Brown Belt
Posts: 1119
Joined: Mon Jul 20, 2015 12:44 am
Languages: English (N), Irish (Teastas Eorpach na Gaeilge B2), French, dabbling elsewhere sometimes
Language Log: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=757
x 3327

Re: The Duolingo Thread

Postby galaxyrocker » Sun Aug 02, 2015 11:25 pm

tangleweeds wrote:I have the same username on Duolingo as here. I got restarted with language learning when I heard about Duolingo Irish graduating from beta, but I found the typing stressful, with unfamiliar key combos for accents. Doing accents on the phone or tablet was easier, but typing on devices is icky-picky slow for me.

But now that I'm a comfortable "false beginner" in Irish (and used to typing accents ) Duolingo on the computer is much more fun than it used to be. Now I'm thinking about creating myself a Duolingo challenge with progress bar in my sig and everything.



Just be careful with Duolingo's Irish course. There's quite a bit wrong with it, especially the audio. There's better free courses online.
0 x

User avatar
tangleweeds
Green Belt
Posts: 449
Joined: Sat Jul 18, 2015 7:09 pm
Location: Portland, Oregon, USA
Languages: English (N)
beginner: Irish
clearing cobwebs: Japanese
on the shelf: French, Latin
wanderlust: Norwegian, Vietnamese
Language Log: viewtopic.php?t=705
x 1226

Re: The Duolingo Thread

Postby tangleweeds » Mon Aug 03, 2015 4:55 am

galaxyrocker wrote:Just be careful with Duolingo's Irish course. There's quite a bit wrong with it, especially the audio.

So I should drop the guilt over using it in situations where I can't listen anyway :mrgreen: It's cheerful typing/spelling practice when my roommate's watching TV I'm meh on, or I'm killing time waiting for something.

Between dialects vs. CO, plus non-native speaker issues etc. there's lots of Irish stuff I only listen for recognition, to test whether an appropriate scenario plays out in my mind's eye when i hear the recording, and that's all. The stuff that I loop for extra listening, or record my attempts at imitating, I'm research to make sure it's native speakers.

Am I right in remembering that Duolingo has begun fixing their Irish audio?
0 x
Neurological odyssey is going better! Yay!

galaxyrocker
Brown Belt
Posts: 1119
Joined: Mon Jul 20, 2015 12:44 am
Languages: English (N), Irish (Teastas Eorpach na Gaeilge B2), French, dabbling elsewhere sometimes
Language Log: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=757
x 3327

Re: The Duolingo Thread

Postby galaxyrocker » Mon Aug 03, 2015 12:43 pm

tangleweeds wrote:Am I right in remembering that Duolingo has begun fixing their Irish audio?



Yes, they are. They said the new voice is recording. Whether it'a better or not, we'll have to wait and see.
0 x

zatris
Yellow Belt
Posts: 75
Joined: Thu Jul 23, 2015 2:22 am
Location: Brazil
Languages: Portuguese (native), English (?), Latin (beginner)
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... 81&p=92296
x 152

Re: The Duolingo Thread

Postby zatris » Mon Aug 03, 2015 5:44 pm

I'm using it for Italian. I like it a lot, but the Italian course isn't perfect and seemingly inconsistent in some regards, as the use of the definite article, but I may be wrong, I'm not that deep into the tree. There can be some pattern I haven't perceived yet, or the use of the article can be optional in the cases I found strange, so maybe my criticism is unfair. There are lots of complaints about this kind of thing on the comments, though.

Anyway, I reckon it as basically a fun and game-y way to get started with some basic grammar and vocabulary, to be followed by or used in parallel with more substantial courses. In my case, I'm going through Assimil Italian with Ease (1991 edition).
0 x
Corrections are welcome.

I have the patience of an ox. (Gustave Doré)


Return to “Language Programs and Resources”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests