So, my relationship with Dolingo is complicated, but I do like it anyway. And I'll explain why. I'm a linguist.
I've tested almost every language app out there. Dualingo, Memorize, Rosetta Stone, you name it. And the thing is, not all of them work the way you think they do.
Not all of them are worth it. So, let me explain why and which ones I personally recommend. Before we start, I want to thank you for subscribing and for all the views I've got on the previous video.
It means the world to me. Also, don't forget to give a like on this video, too. So, first of all, I believe that language apps can be a productive way to spend your time, to study a language.
I wouldn't call it study to study a language but it's a good way to spend your time especially in this fragmented uh small moments of the day when you are waiting in line when you are commuting when you are sitting on the toilet. It's certainly more beneficial than doom scrolling on social media and wasting your time there. At least your brain is engaged.
It's uh processing. It's recalling. It's reinforcing some form of linguistic input.
And it's great if you're lazy too. So if you're lazy when it comes to learning, if you struggle to sit down and study properly, apps like Dualingo can help you because even if it's not serious studying, your brain is still working. You're still memorizing something, you are uh repeating something and you're staying in touch with the language.
Of course, we all learn differently. For some people, it's a good way to learn. For some, this format aligns perfectly with their with their lifestyle and attention span.
But for other people it can be superficial, too superficial and too gified to to be efficient. It's actually about me because personally I prefer opening a real book. I prefer writing.
I prefer studying with the help of books with the help of videos and like full format resources. It makes me feel like I'm actually studying not playing a game. And there is something symbolic about it.
like I'm actually investing in my own mind. I am literally putting knowledge inside my head and it doesn't correlate with playing a game. So I cannot make it work this way.
I cannot play a game and feel like I'm studying. But it's just my personal experience. I think for most of us when we open Dolingo, we don't consider it to be a learning resource.
It feels like a game to us. It's light. It's quick.
a bit addictive and we are just trying to keep the strike to unlock the next level to uh feed the little owl so it doesn't get mad at us. It's not a bad thing of course um it's motivating, it's encouraging, but it doesn't put you in the right mindset for deep learning. And there is another reason behind it.
We spend too much time scrolling behind our screens that our brains automatically associate phones with entertainment, not learning. And that's exactly why I try to separate these two formats. When I study from a phone, I get distracted too easily.
One notification, one random thought, and I'm nowhere near studying anymore. And that's why I prefer keeping learning and leisure in different mental boxes. It's like putting your eggs in separate baskets.
One for fun, one for learning. Okay? So, Duolingo and other language apps are great for motivation, for for fun.
But personally, I don't consider it to be a real studying. It's just my personal perspective. If you do not agree, if you see it differently, feel free to share your opinion in the comments.
I always love reading different thoughts. So, yeah, I'll be looking forward to it. I personally know several people and including one of my students who completed who actually completed the entire Dualingo course.
Did they become fluent? Unfortunately, no. Although Duolingo promises that you will reach B2 level with the help of the app.
So why does this happen? First of all, most of these apps teach you snippets of information, isolated sentences, single words that are completely taken out of context. Yeah, you are asked to memorize them, to translate them, to pick the right answer, but you rarely see how they actually function function in real communication.
So there is no bigger picture. you cannot see it in a full context. And that's the problem because when you learn something out of context, it becomes much harder to place that knowledge, to place those isolated words into your own context later when you actually need to use it in real life.
That's why it's important to read longer text or watch something authentic, a video, a short film, even a vlog, and extract phrases yourself. to extract some useful collocations from this text, from this video yourself. I mean to write them down, to study them, to reuse them.
Because when you collect a language from real sources, you understand where it came from, what it meant in that moment, and what kind of tone or connotation it had. That's what helps your brain build natural connections, not just memorizing single words. But of course, not all the apps are like this.
Some of them do things the right way and I'll show you some of them later. So, not only do these apps give you tiny uh fragments of information to learn, which is not necessarily bad, but it's not good as well, but they also encourage a very a very passive way of learning. So, we don't search for information ourselves.
We don't analyze, we don't compare, we don't question the information that we are given. the app simply feeds it to us and says memorize it. Yeah, we still feel like we're moving forward because the app gives us some uh rewards like badges and that's great in one way because it's encouraging.
It's uh it gives us a sense of achievement. It helps us to believe in ourselves but it's also misleading because it makes us feel we are improving without ever even doing uh the deep analytical work without putting effort that real progress requires because real studying real mental work takes time. It demands mental effort.
It demands analysis. And apps on the other hand they give you this illusion of speed um the sense of improvement. So my tip is to slow down, to think, to actually engage your brain, not just click buttons automatically.
And that's what really makes a difference from a scientific point of view. Our brains don't remember information just because we've seen it or repeated it a few times. We we remember it when we have processed it, when we have thought about it, analyzed it, connected it to something that we already know.
That's called deeprocessing. And it's one of the key principles behind effective learning. And when you simply tap through Dolingo exercises, your brain stays on the surface.
It doesn't need to think deeply. And that's why in a while you will forget most of the things that you have learned there. Unfortunately, and again, when you open a real text, when you extract the words yourself and actually use the words in speech, that's active learning.
And that's what tells your brain this information matters. Keep it. Don't get me wrong.
I don't think that there are only downsides. I think there are lots of advantages too. For example, what I really love about this apps is that they make the whole process convenient for you, especially if you learn by yourself.
Everything is already structured for you from simple to more complex with built-in audio, with visuals, with examples. So the content is usually well structured and the topics are usually organized logically and clearly. So it feels like you're moving through the language step by step.
So when a learner opens an app, they don't have to think what should I do today? They simply follow the system that's already been designed for them. And that's a huge advantage compared to more traditional study forms.
Of course, textbooks are organized logically, too. They're organized clearly and they're well structured. But when you study on your own, you often have to find the audio separately on a CD or on a website and look for grammar explanation somewhere else and constantly switch between different resources.
And with apps, everything is in one place and that's what makes them feel so easy, convenient and approachable, especially for self-arners. again actually I've realized that there is one issue one small issue there it's not actually small most of the apps don't give you the chance to um review what you have learned like you just keep moving forward new words new sentences without revisiting what you studied before I mean of course you repeat the words you drill them trying to memorize but in a while they don't give you the chance to to remember to recall the words again yeah you can go back manually ually and redo a few lessons you have already completed. But let's be honest, that gets boring pretty fast.
And ideally, apps would create different exercises that recycle old vocabulary, old grammar, but in new context, so it doesn't get really boring to revise. So, if you're learning on your own, consider this fact and recycle the the old vocabulary somehow. So, I'm going to make a conclusion before recommending the apps that I really like.
Um, I love the apps, such apps as Dualingo. I think they're great for spending your time, for having fun with languages, for uh having a structure. If you study on your own, they are good.
But if you use these apps as your main and only way to learn a language, you're not really going to learn it. So take real courses, talk to real people and think of apps as an extra tool, not your main source. Now let's talk about the apps that I personally use and love.
So when it comes to app, I only consider those apps that are free or at least give you some free access even if it's limited. Let's start with my favorite app that I use almost every day for all the languages. It's Quizlet.
It's absolutely amazing for drilling vocabulary. There are of course other apps that work in a similar way to Quizlet like Anki, Memorize or Word app. You can choose anything you like.
They all let you flash cards, review vocabulary through spaced repetition, and even add audio or example sentences. Each of them has its own style. Anki is a bit more technical, I would say, but still useful if you like full control over your cards.
U memorize focuses more on videos and real life usage. Word Up adds short definitions and examples from movies or series which can be fun and memorable as well. But personally, I've just gotten used to Quizlet.
I really like its clean design and somehow it just feels more pleasant to use for me. But here's the key. You should use it with the words you discover yourself from books, podcasts, articles, or any life real life resources.
And here's my personal tip. When I create my own sets for myself or for my students, I never write translations on the back side of the flashcards. I instead I add synonyms or short context examples.
That way my brain doesn't switch back to my native language. I it learns to understand the meaning directly in in the target language. Also helps you see what other words it naturally collocates with and recognize subtle differences in meaning.
As for Memorize, I used Memorize a few years ago, and honestly, it was a completely different app back then, and now it looks more modern. There are short videos with native speakers, personalized practice, and gamified lessons. The good thing is you can still use it for free.
Of course, there is a paid version, but the free one already gives you some useful content. So, yeah, Memorize is a nice tool for extra practice. I do recommend it, but not something to rely on completely.
Again, about 6 months ago, I downloaded Alon after seeing so many ads for it on social media, and honestly, I was pleasantly surprised. What I like about it, lessons are short, fun, and visually engaging, which helps you stay motivated. Compared to Dualingo, Alon feels more focused.
It works better for actually remembering words and using them rather than just doing endless drills. Probably it is helpful, but again, I'm not a big fan of this kind of apps in general. Would I recommend it?
Yes. I think it's a great alternative to Dualingo, especially if you want something more grounded and less gamified only. Another app that I like is Link Q.
And unfortunately, it's pretty limited in the free version, but I still find it amazing because it lets you read and listen to real content in your target language. By the way, it's not really expensive to buy the subscription as well. So, you can buy it if you want to.
You can import some articles, YouTube videos or podcasts and see instant translation for every word or phrase if you like translating. It's super useful for expanding your vocabulary naturally from context. So, what I love about this app is that it feels like real immersion, not just exercises or flashcards.
So, you're reading authentic texts, you're listening to native speakers, and learning words as they actually appear in real life. Another app I used when I was learning Spanish is CloseMaster. I mainly used it for drilling just to see how sentences are built and to get a better feel for the language.
It wasn't super helpful. Would I recommend it? Yeah, you can try it.
You might get some value out of it to see some patterns and sentence structures in the language, but personally, I wouldn't call myself a fan of this. Another tool I really love is Language Reactor. It's not actually an app.
It's a browser extension. And I use it because I usually learn languages on my laptop, not on my phone. As I've explained before, what I really like about it is that it lets you watch Netflix, YouTube, or other videos with double subtitles.
But I don't usually use double subtitles because I can go crazy this way. So I usually use it for clicking on any word to see examples to see what the word means while watching this video. I can even save it to my list in order to learn it later.
So it's perfect for learning from real content like shows, podcasts or interviews. The way I like learning, it's one of the best tools if you are into immersion uh learning when you want to understand the language as it's actually used by native speakers. As for the apps, Buzzu, Pimpsler, Rosetta Stone, Babel, I've downloaded them all, too, to test um to test them to check whether they're really good.
I think that they all have pretty good lessons, but personally, I'm not a fan of Babel and Rosetta Stone. They feel a bit outdated. I don't like the pictures, the phrases that the words are used in.
As for Buzzu, what I like about it is that you can actually get feedback from native speakers and track your progress. It feels more interactive. I like it.
And Pimpsler is great if you want to speak. It really focuses on pronunciation, listening, and repeating out loud, which helps you start talking faster. And the downside is that all these apps give you a few free lessons.
After that, you have to pay to continue. If you have used these apps, please share your opinion in the comments. Uh, I'd love to read what you think about them, and I think it will be helpful for everyone else.
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