I decided roughly a year and a half ago that I wanted to attempt to learn Spanish. There are languages aside from Spanish I would also like to learn one day, like Hungarian, as an example; the reason behind selecting Spanish to pursue is because I would like to be able to carry actual conversations with our temporary migrant workers, from Mexico, who work on our farm.
I figure if most of them have learned English, I can do them the same courtesy and learn their own language.
I did not want to pay for an app, or a program, or attend actual classes to learn Spanish; rather, I wanted to learn it on my own terms, at my own pace, without having to pay anyone in the process. I had heard a few promising things about a language-learning app known as Duolingo, and because it is free to download and use, I figured I would give it a shot and see how it went.
I’m still using Duolingo, and I try my hardest to complete a lesson every single day. I use the free version of the program, meaning I can only make a select number of mistakes in a given lesson before running out of chances, at which point I must quit, lose my progress and try again the following day. If you use the paid version, you have unlimited attempts when it comes to fucking up, but, personally, I like the challenge and the savings.
I have definitely learned a thing or two using Duolingo, and while I’m certainly nowhere near fluent, I have picked up a number of words and phrases that somewhat enable me to get by in conversation. I imagine the longer I use the app and continue with my lessons, the stronger I will be in Spanish, but I do think Duolingo is a fantastic and affordable way to pick up a new skill.
ontheedgeofeverything 