Comment by simonw | Hacker News Reader

Comment by simonw | Hacker News Reader

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I've tried learning Spanish theee different times - a course at university, a course at an employer and now with Duolingo.

The results I've got from Duolingo have been by far the best - a little very day works way better for me than a larger commitment of time in shorter bursts.

I can now read tweets from Spanish language Twitter accounts and understand them 90% of the time (CNN and BBC News in Spanish are great).

I took some in-person lessons via video chat to practice conversational Spanish which was also useful, and I'm hoping to spend a few months fully embedded in a Spanish speaking country some time in the future - but I don't feel the need to rush things. I'll be happy getting incrementally more vocabulary and grammar in 10-15 minutes a day for a long time to come.

Duolingo is great, because learning a language (and many other skills) is a matter of doing it consistently. If you have a 4 hour class once a week but don't study or read anything in Spanish outside of the class, you will forget things before the next class.

Of course, Duolingo is not magical, but it gives you enough vocabulary and understanding that you can start following people on twitter/instagram and know what's happening. Then you start trying to reply and interact, and then at some point try a book, then a TV show..

Also, many people plan on starting something (like learning a language) later on, when they have more time. Many people I know that wanted to learn English (Im Brazilian) didn't start years ago because they `didn't have time`, so now, after a few years, they still need to start from 0

Hey I made leerly.io for people exactly like you! Check it out and see if you get any utility out of it. We are in the early days so your feedback would mean a lot; you're our target demographic :)

That's really fantastic - good work. I'm glad to hear that my experiences with Duolingo aren't the only ones possible.

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