Click “Home” to get to your skill tree. The skill tree is where you'll do most of your training. It is divided into separate units, and each unit contains several lessons. The more you progress in learning the language, the more units will be available to you.

Take what you already know ahead of schedule (optional). If you already have the basic knowledge, you can complete part of the skill tree early. Click on the golden keyhole at the end of each section to take the test. You will have three attempts.

Click on the first skill block. It will probably be called "Basics 1"

  • Click on the lesson. Within each skill block there are several lessons. Click on the first one to get started. You start with four hearts (which will later turn into three as you progress in learning the language). Every time you answer a question incorrectly, you will lose a heart. The goal is to complete the lesson with your hearts intact. Here Various types questions that may arise in class:

    • Vocabulary: You will be shown a picture of an object and asked to name it.
    • Translation: You will be asked to translate a word or phrase from your language to the target language, or vice versa.
    • Listen: You will hear an audio playback of a word or phrase and be asked to enter it (note that these questions do not assume translation - for example, if you hear a phrase in Spanish, enter it in Spanish, not English.) For slower playback clip, click the smaller turtle icon under the large speaker button.
    • Spoken Language (optional): You will be asked to repeat or translate sentences using the microphone on your computer or mobile device.
      • If you don't want to do oral questions, click the drop-down list in the top right corner, select “Settings” and turn off the microphone option.

  • swipe over words for help. If you are unsure of the meaning of a word, hover your cursor over it. Duolingo will provide the translation or give you several options.

    • Please note that as your sentences become more complex as you progress in your studies, this tool will not be as useful. Beware!
    • Duolingo will mark you as a spy. However, you will not lose any points from this.

  • Use keyboard commands. Navigating Duolingo lessons using your keyboard is much faster and easier than using your mouse (this also comes in handy when you're doing a timed test). Here's what you need to do:

    • Enter: enters the answer
    • 1, 2 or 3: Select answers to a multiple choice question
    • Up and Down Arrows: Scroll through options in a drop-down menu
    • Ctrl + Space: replay audio recording
    • Ctrl + Space + Shift: Replay audio more slowly.
    • Click the drop-down list in the upper right corner and select “Keyboard Shortcuts” to see a visual table of keyboard commands.

  • Train! The key to remembering a new language is repeating what you learn. Every few lessons, stop and do a few practice rounds. Or if you only have 5 minutes to work on a language today, spend it testing yourself. Duolingo offers several different ways to test your skills:

    • Practice knowledge in general: Go to the skill tree and click the blue "Practice all skills" button on the right. You will be randomly asked questions about the topics you have studied up to this point.
    • Practice individual skills: To update the skill block, click on the blue “Practice Skill” menu on the right side of the page below the lessons. This will help practice what you learned in that particular unit.
    • Practice weak words: Click “Vocabulary” on the navigation bar at the top. Then click the blue "Practice weak words" menu on the right. Duolingo will run you through words you've learned recently or seen less often.

    • is a simple free service for learning foreign languages ​​in game form. With its help, you can learn basic vocabulary on topics such as “Family”, “Home” and so on, as well as learn how to build simple grammatical structures. The service has listening and pronunciation exercises, but it is designed primarily for mastering the basics of grammar and vocabulary.

    If you have already read my book, you know that Duolingo is a convenient auxiliary tool in language learning, but it (like any other program) does not replace the practice in reading, writing, and communication necessary for full mastery of the language.

    Linear plot - good or bad?

    Some programs offer multiple courses to choose from from the start. On the one hand, there is plenty to choose from, but on the other hand, the user’s eyes run wild and he doesn’t know what to do. In Duolingo, this is easier: there is only one course (for each language), its “plot” is straightforward, you cannot deviate from it except to get ahead of yourself by passing the test as an external student.

    After registering and choosing the language you are learning (English, German, French, Spanish and Swedish are currently available for Russian-speaking users), you are led by the hand along a chain of tasks, occasionally allowing you to take minor steps to the left/right. Is this good or not?

    Depends on you. If you want a simple and understandable course, compiled by competent teachers and not requiring unnecessary independence from you, then good. I note that such a lesson course is also very well implemented in the “Teacher Method” (on the service) - unlike Duolingo, you can only learn English there, but the course is very detailed and is designed for a Russian-speaking audience.

    What does Duolingo teach you?

    Duolingo is designed for beginners, with 55 “skills” (groups of 2-10 lessons with common theme), starting with articles, ending with topics such as business vocabulary. Some tasks are more designed for replenishment vocabulary, and some for practicing grammatical structures, but I would say that grammar in Duolingo is taught in a very unobtrusive and entertaining way. You are required to be able to construct phrases, and not to memorize the wording of the rule.

    Please note that Duolingo does not provide practice in reading, listening, writing or oral speech. There is only the most initial, elementary practice in the form of reading and listening to individual phrases. You should not expect that the program will help significantly improve reading, listening comprehension, and especially speaking skills - it has a completely different goal. The main content of Duolingo is basic vocabulary and grammar plus the development of initial listening comprehension skills.

    Game-based learning

    Learning in Duolingo is done in a playful way. Here, as in ordinary ones, you need to follow storyline, complete tasks of increasing difficulty. For the most part, the assignments are based on translation, but the course also helps develop initial skills in listening comprehension, writing (spelling, not the ability to compose, say, an essay in English) and even.

    Most tasks are for translation

    Typical tasks:

    • guess the meaning of the word (select the desired picture);
    • translate the sentence;
    • write a sentence by ear;
    • read a sentence into the microphone (the program evaluates the quality of pronunciation) - you can skip these exercises if you wish, for example, if you are not comfortable with this moment speak.

    Repetition is the mother of learning

    Repetition is the mother of learning

    The material you have covered can be repeated in the “Strengthen Skills” mode. In the picture of each completed lesson there is a scale of knowledge strength. By looking at it, you can find out which lesson is best for you to retake.

    In addition, in the right column there is a “Strengthen Skills” button, which starts the repetition of forgotten materials. I recommend starting each lesson by reviewing what you have learned.

    How the owl Duo rewards diligent students

    The program does its best to motivate you to exercise regularly, or better yet, daily. So, for each successfully completed lesson you are given virtual gems lingots. If you practice daily, then Duo the owl will give you bonus lingots for regular practice.

    With the jewels you earn, you can buy various useful (and useless) things in the Lingot store, for example, an extended test of language proficiency, or a new costume for the owl Duo.

    I will only add that no Lingots motivate to learn a language as much as real success in English. When you suddenly realize that you know what is being sung in the book that is written on the cover of this book, when, communicating with a foreigner, you understand what you find mutual language, then you realize how great it is to speak a foreign language - this insight gets you hooked on the language better than any Lingot.

    "Discuss the proposal"

    A big plus of Duolingo is the discussion of assignments on the forum. Under any lesson question there is a “Discuss the proposal” button. By clicking on it, you go to the forum where you can discuss the issue with other users, as well as teachers who created the Rus - Eng version of Duolingo.

    Individual approach to each student

    According to the developers, Duolingo calculates which words, tasks, and lessons are easier for you and which are more difficult. Based on these statistics, the program gives tasks designed specifically for you. This is especially noticeable in the repetition mode (Strengthen Skills) - the program really gives you those words and phrases that you have not repeated for a long time.

    Mobile app

    The mobile version of Duolingo (works on IOS, Windows and Android) received Apple's "App of the Year" award and the title of "Best of the Best" in Google Play. Usually, as, for example, in the case of, mobile applications of educational programs are their stripped-down versions.

    Duolingo for smartphones and tablets is slightly inferior to the web version, there are some minor differences. For example, in big version Translation of phrases must be done by manually typing the text. In the mobile version, you need to put together the translation from words, like a puzzle. Apparently, this was done because typing on the phone is not very convenient.

    Another difference is that in the larger version, before some lessons, grammar notes are given and the rules are explained. Unfortunately, this is not available in the mobile application.

    How do you know if you need a Duolingo course or not?

    Very simple. As I said, you can take the test externally on Duolingo. Scroll down the skill tree to the last test (after that still coming several lessons), complete the tasks and if you did well, then you definitely won’t need Duolingo.

    How effective is Duolingo?

    At the request of the service's owners, scientists from the City College of New York and the University of South Carolina conducted a study to determine how effective the program is. They recruited 156 volunteers (carriers in English) and invited them to take a 22-hour Spanish course using Duolingo. As a result, statistics say that the 88 people who reached the finish line (many got lost along the way) moved at such a brisk pace that the experiment did not last 22 to 34 hours; they would have learned the material of an entire semester (130 hours). It was this finding that gave the company the basis to claim that Duolingo is superior to university-level language learning (“Duolingo trumps university-level language learning”).

    True, there are some “buts”

    The authors of the study themselves Veselnikov And Grego noted that the study involved English-speaking volunteers learning Spanish. Whether the numbers will be the same with another language pair is impossible to say.

    If you have studied Spanish, then you probably know that there is much more in common between Spanish and English than between Russian and English, and this somewhat changes the conditions of the problem.

    I studied on Duolingo myself Spanish(in the direction of English - Spanish, since Russian - Spanish is not there) and I can say that this language pair has a huge advantage that those who learn Russian - English do not have.

    On the Russian-language Duolingo forum, everyone communicates in Russian; there are no native English speakers there (although the course developers actively help). There are a lot of Spanish speakers on the Spanish-language forum, as they actively use Duolingo to learn English. This, again, greatly changes the conditions of the problem.

    Moreover, as the professor noted Stephen Krashen(University of California) in the article “Is Duolingo Superior to a College Course?” (“Does Duolingo “Trump” University-Level Language Learning?”) comparing adult volunteers who are motivated to learn a language and students who often learn under pressure is not entirely correct.

    And let’s not forget that out of 156 subjects, 66 mysteriously disappeared somewhere along the way. Why did they abandon the program, some in less than 2 hours? Science does not know this.

    What shouldn't you expect from Duolingo?

    In my opinion, Duolingo is good for diversifying classes, developing initial listening comprehension skills, helping with spelling, memorizing words, and composing simple phrases. A big plus is the mobile application, which almost completely replicates the functionality of the larger version.

    However, you should not expect that after completing the program you will learn to read unadapted literature, understand films, or speak English. To master a language, vocabulary, grammar (which in Duolingo is given at a very modest level) and simple listening exercises are not enough. Practice is important - in reading and listening (not individual phrases, but at least adapted texts), writing and speaking. Duolingo doesn't do that.

    It is worth noting that specialized programs cope with each individual function better than Duolingo: for developing listening comprehension it is more suitable, for memorizing words there is, for writing practice -.

    You shouldn't expect quick progress from Duolingo either. If you are studying only According to Duolingo, learning a language will take a long time. One of the service users posted the following screenshot on VKontakte:

    It shows that the student was studying 200 days contract to take the course. 200 days is more than six months. I am sure that in six months, even if you study without a teacher, you can gain basic vocabulary, study the textbook’s grammar from cover to cover (I’m not talking about knowledge of the rules, but the ability to construct sentences), develop solid listening, oral and writing, learn to read fairly complex unadapted texts.

    Duolingo is primarily an educational game, useful to complement and diversify the main activities, be it lessons with a tutor, courses or independent work according to textbooks. This is also a good option for those who have just started (or want to start) studying English, but do not yet know what is best to take up. Duolingo doesn't overload you with unnecessary information, but simply leads you by the hand, helping you learn the basics of the language.

    Why Duolingo is free

    is not only a training service, but also a platform for collective translations. Various organizations (for example, CNN and BuzzFeed) order translations of texts from Duolingo, students are asked to translate them on a voluntary basis as language practice, and Duolingo receives money for this. In the end, everyone is happy.

    What do you think about Duolingo?

    Friends! I don't currently tutor, but if you need a teacher, I recommend this wonderful site- there are native (and non-native) language teachers there 👅 for all occasions and for any pocket 🙂 I myself took more than 80 lessons with the teachers I found there! I advise you to try it too!

    Duolingo is an online service with which you can learn foreign languages ​​in a playful way. Courses in English, Spanish, French and German are open for Russian speakers; 30 living and artificial languages ​​are ready or are being developed in the English version. Training takes place in a completely free web version and in applications for Android, iOS and Windows Phone.

    Thanks to comprehensive educational process Duolingo is suitable for children starting from preschool age. To improve your language level, you have the option to skip initial stages and move on to sections of higher difficulty. Teachers are offered the “For Schools” format, which allows them to create classes, create accounts for students, assign tasks, monitor activity, and limit access to certain functions. They can also conduct group classes, including those specially compiled taking into account the skills and needs of a particular class.

    The training program is divided into lessons arranged in order of difficulty and, after the initial level, devoted to individual topics. Each lesson contains exercises different types translation, reading, writing and listening, designed to learn grammatical rules or new vocabulary in the context of live speech. At any stage, training is available to consolidate acquired knowledge. The game format is represented by elements such as experience points, levels, rewards and in-game currency for purchasing additional features and bonuses in the store. To keep track of your regularity, you can set a daily goal and set reminders for email. To further develop skills, the Stories project has been opened, where you need to complete interactive tasks within the framework of voiced situational dialogue.

    Key Features

    • Completely free web version
    • Discussions for each task
    • Learning vocabulary in context
    • Paid testing to obtain a certificate in English
    • Russian-language interface for 4 languages ​​only

    Knowledge of at least one foreign language- this is a big plus for establishing a successful career, in any field of activity. Undoubtedly the most effective way learning a language is communicating with its native speakers: discussing films and books, discussions, expressing one’s point of view, etc. But, alas, not everyone has such an opportunity. But almost everyone has access to the World Wide Web, where they can choose suitable online services, available for both mobile phones and computers.

    One of these services is Duolingo, a relatively new online project launched in June 2012, dedicated to self-paced language learning. The idea of ​​its development belongs to the young American professor Louis von Ahn. The earlier successful projects Capture and Recupture are known to most Internet users. This platform for language learning and crowdsourced translations is completely free. The service is designed in such a way that users simultaneously help translate articles, various documents and websites as they progress through the lessons.

    The effectiveness of Duolingo's approach, which is based, in particular, on statistical analysis, was verified by a third-party study commissioned by the company. A study conducted by professors at the City University of New York and the University of South Carolina found that 34 hours of Duolingo learning provided the same amount of reading and writing skills as taking an entry-level semester course at a US college. educational institution, lasting about 130 hours.

    What is the essence of the project?

    Duolingo is not only a learning service, but also a platform for collective translations. Many users have to deal with the problem of the lack of this or that material on their native language, since almost 70% of all information on the Internet is now in English. In addition, translations of texts are also required by various organizations (for example, CNN and BuzzFeed), which have become regular customers of Duolingo. By inviting students to voluntarily translate texts as language practice, the creators of Duolingo are little by little solving the above-mentioned problem.

    What and how does the program teach?

    Duolingo is designed for beginners and includes 55 “skills” ranging from articles to modal verbs, at times (Future Perfect), business vocabulary. There are tasks that are more designed to expand vocabulary, while others are more designed to practice grammatical structures. As for grammatical material, Duolingo presents it very unobtrusively, in an entertaining, playful way. The user is required to be able to construct phrases and memorize the wording of the rule.

    Learning English involves doing exercises every day, taking into account the time allocated for practice. For successful lessons, the user is rewarded with a special currency called lingots. The applicant initially selects the amount of time he plans to spend each day on assignments. Based on this, he will be awarded lingots. The program also involves a period of practice, for which he receives a separate reward.

    Duolingo mobile app

    Among the most popular applications in terms of the number of requests and downloads for Android, according to the rating provided by Google, the best is the Duolingo service. The mobile version of the program received Apple's "App of the Year" award and the title of "Best of the Best" on Google Play.

    The installation process is simple, everything goes quickly and smoothly. To start the installation, you just need to visit the official project page on Google Play.

    The Duolingo application, developed for smartphones and tablets, is somewhat inferior to the web version. So, for example, in the large version, when translating phrases, the text must be typed manually. In the mobile version, the translation is made up of words, like a puzzle. Apparently, the creators took into account the fact that typing on a phone is not very convenient.

    In the larger version, before starting some lessons, a grammar reference is provided and the rules are explained. There is no theory in the mobile application. And without explanations about the construction of an English sentence or the system of tenses, it will be difficult to understand. Duolingo will be useful if you use the program as a simulator to consolidate existing knowledge obtained from other sources.

    What shouldn't you expect from Duolingo?

    For those who want to diversify their studies, develop initial listening comprehension skills, improve spelling, learn to compose simple phrases, Duolingo is a great helper. A big plus is the presence of a mobile application, which almost completely replicates the functionality of the large version.

    But you should not hope that after completing the program you will be able to read unadapted literature, speak English fluently, or understand films. To master a language, the vocabulary, grammar, and simple listening exercises provided by Duolingo are not enough. Practice in writing and speaking, reading and listening (at least adapted texts) is important, which Duolingo does not provide.

    Duolingo can be best described as an educational game that complements the main classes, making them varied, be it lessons with a tutor, courses, or independent work with textbooks. This option is also suitable for those who have just started (or want to start) learning English, but have not yet decided on the source. Duolingo helps you learn the basics of the language without overloading you with unnecessary information.