It's a free app loved by millions. Is Duolingo wasting your time?

Whenever I hear that someone new is starting language learning, I get excited.

But then, they mention Duolingo and I know how this is going to go.

I’ve spent years teaching, learning, and experimenting with language tools, and the little app with the Duolingo owl has always felt like a toy version of what language learners really need.

Using the app feels like language learning. You’ll pick up a few phrases. Cartoons cheer you on.

But deep down, it’s cosplay. Why?

What’s Good About Duolingo

This app felt like a revolution when it first came out. Here’s why:

• Free-ish, easy access to language learning from your smartphone. Nice.

• Lovely design with lots of fun illustrations

• Gamified learning keeps you coming back!

• It gets you from zero to somewhere in language learning, and officially works for getting people to do well on tests. (research sponsored by Duolingo itself though 👀)

The Downsides of Duolingo

Duolingo telling me what my problem is.

You probably know about a lot of these issues by now, but let’s recap:

• You have to learn endless nonsense sentences.

• No flexibility about how you express yourself in your new language, so you’re not learning how to communicate.

• The feedback is too easy to ignore.

• Of course it’s not really free. Duolingo is now an ad-packed freemium app, and their business model has always cost teachers and learners. (Want the back story? Listen to this podcast about the hidden cost of cheap & easy language learning.)

• Zero nuance, extremely limited explanations, no culture context.

Language learning should make people curious, but Duolingo doesn’t do that.

You don’t become a communicator. You become a really good Duolingo user.

What I Wanted to See Instead (So I Built it)

As a language teacher, AI has blown my mind. This endless resource of natural languages is easy to access, like a rich practice playground.

From the start, I wanted to build a community-driven, AI-powered space that actually helps people make progress:

• Fresh, exciting ideas developed for real learners

• Tools that help you learn with freedom, explore and have fun

• Real-time personalised feedback, not just error messages

• Content rooted in culture, context, and actual conversation

• And most importantly: a support system. Other humans. (Plus AI that doesn’t sound like it’s dying inside.)

So I opened AI Language Club, where we create and experiment with fresh, interesting language learning ideas in ChatGPT, Gemini, and other AI tools.

If you are just getting started with a new language, don’t sleep on the big possibilities of AI, because it can do so much more than Duolingo!

What to Read Next

• Where to start with AI chatbots like ChatGPT

• 3 Tutor-Approved Ideas for Improving Your Duolingo Experience

• Podcast: The Hidden Cost of Cheap & Easy Language Learning

• Finding the Button That Makes AI Easier for Language Learners

If you are ready for fun, exciting language learning with fast results, come and join our club!

👉 Meet AI Language Club

How to Learn a Language at Christmas (Even If You Don't Celebrate Christmas)

With just a few days to go until the Christmas holiday, chances are you might be feeling busy right now. When you’ve got gifts to wrap and trees to light, how can you keep learning languages?

Don’t worry, it’s not impossible. In this podcast and article, I’ve got handy tips for you to keep you in touch with any language - no matter if it’s Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah or Pagan Yule season.

You can also find this podcast by searching “Fluent Show” on 🍎 apple podcasts 📣Spotify 🔶Overcast 📻TuneIn Radio 🏆and anywhere you get podcasts

1) Surround Yourself With Your Target Language

At this time of the year, you’ll probably spend a lot of time in the home. You may already be decorating your house, which is a great opportunity for subtle language immersion.

The psychological concept behind this tip is that of priming, which describes the way your brain reacts to even the tiniest cues and adjusts its assumptions and expectations accordingly. You can use it to your advantage by decorating with a little language flair.

How about

• a few decorations adorned with words in your target language
• multilingual cards and greetings this year (try Irregular Endings)
• making and serving different foods and drink, inspired by your target culture

Even if your items don’t have any words in your target language on them, they will remind you that you’re a learner of another language and bring your loved ones in on your project.

2) Seek Out Tutorials in Your Target Language

This time of year is perfect for homemade gifts, decorations, and food. If you have an IRL friend who practices your target language with you, get out of the “1-to-1 conversation” routine and make something together!

For added bonuses, use a tutorial in your target language. This is excellent practice for reading comprehension and boosts your motivation by giving you something instant to show.

For example I’ve made biscotti before from a recipe in my Welsh learners’ magazine and then I packaged them up and gave them to friends and family as Christmas presents.

Look out for

• Crafting tutorials and magazine articles in your target language
• Recipes for seasonal food
• Crafting materials and instructions

3) Host a Language Party

The holiday season is a time to get together, not to sit alone and stare at Duolingo or Memrise. Here are a few ideas for bringing a bit of language flair to your holiday party:

Play Games Together

There are so many great word games that broaden your horizons about English, and it’s not too difficult to adapt them to a multilingual group. For example, guess the answers to a round of Pictionary or charades in another language, or get your friends to act out your vocabulary lists for you!

For more ideas, read these ideas for language learning games in a group.

Discover Music in Your Language

Play music in your target language and explore and share how they celebrate the season. If possible, get out and visit a celebration in the community of your language. There’s lots going on and during the holiday season most people love to open their doors.

If you haven’t found any music in your target language yet, go straight to my Spotify for Language guide or this multilingual Christmas song made by Lindsay Williams.

Watch a Christmas Movie

Many people have a favourite film about Christmas, and if you don’t have one yet then Netflix is ready to help out with every new instalments of the Christmas Prince series.

Here are a few ideas:

• Un conte de Noël in French
• 3 Haselnüsse für Aschenbrödel,a German/Czech 70s classic

And of course, you can always put target language subtitles on Die Hard!

If you have not found a festive movie in your target language yet, now is the time to ask and enjoy some well-deserved downtime.

What If Your Target Language Has No Christmas Season?

No worries!

• Use decorations that suit the season, and learn about celebrations at this time of year

• Sneak a little snack or food from your target language environment into the boring old Christmas with Aunt Bridget

• Use festive colours and glitter pens to write your vocabulary lists and language notes

• Take pictures of your decorations and add them to your digital flashcard apps (for example, Smartcards + lets you easily add photos)

Find Time and Focus For Studying Your Language

The winter holiday season often means a drop in productivity. You are likely interrupted in your routine, and you may find yourself with lots of extra tasks on your plate.

If you find yourself wanting stay productive without the added stress, take my short language course Focus & Fluency.

It’s a proven way to get more motivated and kickstart your learning with smarter study techniques.

No matter what you do, merry Christmas if you do celebrate it - nadolig llawen - frohe Weihnachten, and comment below sharing your favourite songs and movies in your target language.

Podcast Episode 29: How to Be Super Efficient with Languages with SmarterGerman's Michael Schmitz

Thanks to our podcast sponsor Hello Talk - check out their free app.

Note the episode contains two mild swearwords!!

Listen to the latest episode

Things get real with Michael Schmitz, creator of the SmarterGerman blog and teaching system. Michael is dedicated to bringing German learners to a high level in just a few months. And he has some frank opinions about what it takes to get there.

If you want to learn about efficient German learning, this is your show. Listen to discover:

• Why teaching at Berlitz made Michael want to start his own thing
• Why having fun is way overrated in language learning
• What efficiency is all about
• How to become an efficient and productive learner
• Why a polyglot and a language teacher is not the same thing
• Why you should never need external motivation to learn German

"Either you have money or you have time. I can save you many, many hours of your life."

"Language learners need someone to kick their ass sometimes."

Links From This Show

• Michael's website SmarterGerman
• Binaural Songs: How to use damit in German
• Speak German like a Native, my Pronunciation (and Spelling) Course
• Irregular Verbs Wizard App

Tips of the Week

Michael chose tip 1, and added that productivity and efficiency allows for the opportunity to become a creative thinker. Listen to his advice - excellent stuff!

1) Become a More Productive Learner with 12 tips from 5 Minute Language

2) Plan your Imaginary Trip

3) Sing Grammar Songs

This episode is sponsored by Hello Talk, the most focused language exchange app out there.