Duolingo (duolingo) - is a fairly new online project (launched in June 2012) for independent language learning. The idea of ​​its development was born from a young American professor Louis von Ahn. His previous successful projects Capture and Recupture are known to most internet users.

Developers of the DUOLINGO project

If someone is not familiar with the operation of these programs, then briefly this can be explained as follows: if you make some kind of request to a site that provides services (for example, you buy tickets), then the system must make sure that you are a person. To do this, a set of numbers or letters is sent to you so that you reproduce them and thereby prove your human nature.

Second project recapture was designed to digitize books. It was just a brilliant idea - to use a huge number of Internet users to digitize books. Probably not everyone is aware of this, but regardless of whether you know it or not, you are also participating in the creation of a digital library if you are given two lines of characters to play.

With one of them, you again confirm that you are a person, and the second is characters unrecognized by the computer. Of course, they are not only given to you, there is a comparison of the same fragment from different people, then all this is processed by the program. Now this project has already been bought from Louis von Ahn, and he and his team are working on a new grandiose project - Duolingo.

The essence of the project

Its essence is to give people the opportunity to learn foreign languages ​​for free, and in return, these people will translate texts from the Internet. The Internet is now 70% in English. Translation work is endless. Probably, everyone has already encountered when they cannot find something they need in their native language, and not everyone understands English, and it can be difficult for those who understand, since a lot of special terminology is often used.
And if this is some kind of matchmaker, then there is no hope at all!

Available languages

Initially, Duolingo was available in English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, German, French, but trial versions of other languages ​​are already running. Nowadays, Russian has already appeared - so you can learn English based on your native language. It's very interesting, exciting and enjoyable, I advise everyone to try it, by the way, in Duolingo you can start from scratch.

Duolingo - site snippet

Currently, over 5 million people use Duolingo every week and the audience is constantly growing. The site periodically changes its design, work on improvement is ongoing. All your successes are counted, there is voice acting, which is very valuable, as it is being worked out pronunciation which is indispensable in learning a new language.

DUOLINGO Efficiency

Louis von Ahn claims that using this free Duolingo course is very effective. It takes several hundred hours of work for a student with zero knowledge of a foreign language to reach the intermediate level and be able to participate in the translation of texts. Translations from different students are compared, evaluated, processed - with the help of special programs, it turns out quickly and not as expensive as the services of professional translators.

It turns out that the Duolingo project is mutually beneficial for students and founders. Students are given the opportunity to receive free knowledge, and developers receive and use the results of this knowledge.
Here is a video from the TED conference, translated into Russian, in which Professor Louis von Ahn himself explains how Duolingo works

Duolingo's official website is located at

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

Due to the comprehensive educational process, Duolingo is suitable for children from preschool age. To increase the level of the language, it is possible to skip the initial stages and go to sections of higher complexity. Teachers are offered the "For Schools" format, which allows them to compose classes, create accounts for students, assign tasks, monitor activity, and restrict access to certain functions. They may also conduct group classes, including those specifically tailored to the skills and needs of a particular class.

The training program is divided into lessons, arranged in order of complexity and, after the initial level, dedicated to individual topics. Each lesson contains different types of translation, reading, writing and listening exercises designed to learn grammar rules or new vocabulary in the context of live speech. At any stage, training is available to consolidate the 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 the regularity of classes, you can set a daily goal and set up email reminders. For further development of skills, the Stories project has been opened, where you need to complete interactive tasks in the framework of a voiced situational dialogue.

Key Features

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

is a simple free service for learning foreign languages ​​in a playful way. With it, 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 exercises for listening and pronunciation, 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 handy language learning aid, but it (like any other program) will not replace the reading, writing, and communication practice necessary for full language proficiency.

Linear plot - good or bad?

Some programs offer several courses to choose from right from the start. On the one hand, there is plenty to choose from, and on the other hand, the user's eyes widen, he does not know what to do. In Duolingo, this is easier: there is only one course (for each language), its “plot” is straightforward, you can’t deviate from it, except to jump ahead by passing the external test.

After registering and choosing the language to be studied (English, German, French, Spanish and Swedish are still available for Russian-speaking users), you are led by the hand through the chain of tasks, occasionally allowing you to take small steps to the left / right. Is it good or not?

It depends on you. If you want a simple and understandable course, compiled by competent teachers and not requiring too much independence from you, then fine. 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?

Duolingo is aimed at beginners and has 55 "skills" (groups of 2-10 lessons with a common theme) ranging from articles to topics like , business vocabulary. Some tasks are more designed for vocabulary replenishment, and some for practicing grammatical constructions, but I would say that grammar in Duolingo is given in a very unobtrusive and entertaining way. You are required to be able to build phrases, and not memorize the wording of the rule.

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

Playful learning

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

Most assignments are for translation

Typical tasks:

• guess the meaning of the word (choose the right picture);
• translate the sentence;
• write a sentence by ear;
• read the sentence into the microphone (the program evaluates the quality of pronunciation) - if you wish, you can skip these exercises, for example, if it is not convenient for you to speak at the moment.

Repetition is the mother of learning

Repetition is the mother of learning

The material covered can be repeated in the “Training” mode (“Strengthen Skills”). On the picture of each completed lesson there is a scale of knowledge hardness. Looking at it, you can find out which lesson you should retake.

In addition, in the right column there is a button “Strengthen Skills”, which starts the repetition of forgotten materials. I recommend starting each lesson with a repetition of the past.

How Owl Duo rewards diligent students

The program does its best to motivate you to practice regularly, and preferably daily. So, for each successfully completed lesson, you are given virtual lingota gems. If you exercise daily, then Duo Owl will give you bonus lingots for regular classes.

You can use the jewelry you earn in the Lingot Shop to buy various useful (and useless) things, for example, an extended language test, or a new costume for Duo the Owl.

I will only add that no lingots motivate to learn a language like real success in English. When you suddenly realize that you know what is sung about in the one that is written on the cover of this book, when, communicating with a foreigner, you understand that you find a common language, then you realize how great it is to speak a foreign language - this insight puts you on the tongue better than any lingots.

"Discuss the offer"

A big plus of Duolingo is the discussion of tasks on the forum. Under any question of the lesson there is a button “Discuss the offer”. 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, 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 (Strenghten Skills) - the program really gives those words, phrases that you have not repeated for a long time.

Mobile app

Duolingo mobile (running on IOS, Windows and Android) won Apple's App of the Year and Google Play's Best of the Best. Usually, as, for example, in the case of, mobile applications of training 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 the large version, the translation of phrases must be done by manually typing the text. In the mobile version, you need to put together the translation of words, like a puzzle. Apparently, this is done because it is not very convenient to type on the phone.

Another difference is that in the large version, before some lessons, a grammatical reference is given, the rules are explained. Unfortunately, this is not available on the mobile app.

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

Very simple. As I said, at Duolingo you can take the test externally. Scroll through the skill tree to the last test (after which there are several more lessons), complete the tasks and if you did well, then Duolingo will definitely not be useful to you.

How effective is the Duolingo program?

Commissioned by the owners of the service, 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 (native English speakers) and offered them a 22-hour Spanish course with the help of Duolingo. As a result, the statistics say that 88 people who reached the finish line (many were confused along the way) moved at such a fast pace that the experiment lasted not 22 to 34 hours, they would have learned the material of the whole semester (130 hours). It was this finding that led the company to claim that Duolingo trumps university-level language learning.

True, there are some "buts"

The study authors 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, 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 myself studied Spanish on Duolingo (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 (although the course developers actively help). There are a lot of native Spanish speakers on the Spanish-speaking forum, as they actively use Duolingo to learn English. This, again, greatly changes the conditions of the problem.

Moreover, as Professor Stephen Krashen(University of California) in "Is Duolingo Superior to the University Course?" (“Does Duolingo “Trump” University-Level Language Learning?”) comparing adult volunteers who are motivated to learn a language and students who often learn under duress 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 not to expect from Duolingo?

In my opinion, Duolingo is well suited for diversifying classes, developing initial listening comprehension skills, helping with spelling, memorizing words, making simple phrases. A big plus is a mobile application that almost completely repeats the functionality of the large version.

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

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

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

It can be seen that the student studied 200 days contract to complete the course. 200 days is more than half a year. I am sure that in six months, even if you study without a teacher, you can gain a basic vocabulary, study grammar from cover to cover of a textbook (I'm not talking about knowledge of the rules, but about the ability to build sentences), develop solid listening, oral and written speech, learn to read rather complex unadapted texts.

Duolingo is primarily an educational game, useful to complement and diversify the main activities, whether it be lessons with a tutor, in courses or independent work on textbooks. It is also a good option for those who have just started (or want to start) studying English, but do not yet know what to do better. Duolingo does not overload 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 learning service, but also a platform for collective translations. Various organizations (for example, CNN and BuzzFeed) commission text translations from Duolingo, students are encouraged to translate them on a voluntary basis as a language practice, and Duolingo receives money for this. In the end, everyone is happy.

What do you think of Duolingo?

Friends! I don't do tutoring right now, but if you need a teacher, I recommend this wonderful site- there are native (and non-native) teachers there 👅 for all occasions and for every pocket 🙂 I myself went through more than 80 lessons with teachers that I found there! I advise you to try it too!

We recommend downloading Duolingo to your computer for those who want to get their hands on an excellent program for learning foreign languages. You can quickly and easily learn English in just a few minutes a day. The program is absolutely free. So you don't have to worry about extra expenses.

By the way, more than 150 million people have already decided to download Duolingo to their computer. And this number is increasing every day. This is how you can judge how functional and popular this program is, and whether it is worth downloading.

Application functionality

The Dowlingo program on the PC will allow you to improve your knowledge of the English language. And not only, because there are other foreign of this group. Practice will include reading, speaking, comprehension and writing. All this will take place in the form of a game. Interesting tasks will increase your vocabulary and improve your knowledge of grammar. You can hear, see, write and repeat whatever you see fit.

After downloading the application, you will start learning with the simplest verbs. Further, phrases and sentences will open to your attention, which will develop into texts. And you will learn new words every day.

You only have to spend 34 hours to start speaking English well. In terms of efficiency, this time can be compared with a semester at the university. This program will be an excellent addition to the course taught in schools and universities. Therefore, you can get excellent knowledge without leaving your computer.

The program is completely free. It can be called the most accessible way to learn a foreign language. But, at the same time, you will not listen to boring lectures and answer awkward questions from the teacher. The game form of learning will be really effective and interesting. The effectiveness of the program lies in the fact that it is enough to perform simple interesting tasks to consolidate the acquired knowledge.

By the way, you can learn not only English, but also Spanish, German, French and many other foreign languages. Soon you will be able to speak fluently in the language of your choice.

Application pros and cons

By downloading Duolingo in Russian for your computer, you will receive an excellent program with many advantages. For example:

• interesting colorful design. He is not overburdened and unpretentious. Therefore, it is very convenient;
• complete absence of any financial expenses;
• fast way to learn. With just a few minutes a day, you can improve your skills in a matter of months;
• many language options;
• fast work of the application;
• constant repetition of lessons that work to strengthen memory.

The program can be called quite interesting and effective. But, there are still some drawbacks in it:

• slow response of moderators to requests and questions;
• several errors in spelling of words and construction of sentences;
• not quite correct work in voice recognition.

How to run Duolingo on PC

The Duolingo app works on Android and iOS mobile devices. But, few people know that you can also download it to your computer.

On our site you have such an opportunity. The main thing is to learn how to use the emulator. There is nothing difficult in this. Download it from our site, install it following the instructions and register in Google mail. It won't take you long. And if you already have an active account, it will be easy at all.

Then you have two options - download the application from our website or from the Google store. But, the first option will be more effective and also free. You download the archive and install it in BlueStacks. That's it, Duolingo is on your computer.

• Learn Languages: Rosetta Stone
• Babbel - Learn Languages
• Learn languages ​​for free
• Learn Spanish with Babbel

Summarize

Those who decide to download Duolingo to their computer will immediately open the functional world of a foreign language. It can be not only English, but also many others. You can combine them if you wish. The program is absolutely free. Therefore, you do not have to worry about being billed for additional expenses.

You will be able to increase your vocabulary in a matter of hours. Especially if you only have basic training or none at all. We recommend that you start learning several languages ​​of the same group at once. This way you can become bilingual in a few months.

After learning the words, you can move on to composing easy phrases. Then you will be asked to start studying sentence structure. Be sure to memorize the forms of irregular verbs. This will help you speak beautifully and correctly in the future. Well, and, if word order is not so important for our language, it is symbolic for foreign ones.

We really recommend you to download this application. It is active and interesting.

Knowledge of at least one foreign language is a big plus for establishing a successful career, and in any field of activity. Undoubtedly, the most effective way to learn a language is to communicate with its native speakers: discussion of films and books, discussions, expression of 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 you can choose for yourself the appropriate online services available for both mobile phones and computers.

One such service is Duolingo, a relatively new online project launched in June 2012 dedicated to independent language learning. The idea of ​​its development belongs to the young American professor Louis von Ahn. The earlier successful Capture and Recupture projects 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, as they progress through the lessons, simultaneously help to translate articles, various documents and websites.

The effectiveness of Duolingo's approach, which is based in part on the analysis of statistics, was verified by a third-party study commissioned by the company. A study conducted by professors from the City University of New York and the University of South Carolina found that 34 hours of Duolingo learning system helps to acquire the same reading and writing skills as taking an initial semester course at an American higher education 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 face the problem of the lack of this or that material in their native language, since almost 70% of all information on the Internet is now in English. In addition, text translations are also required by various organizations (for example, CNN and BuzzFeed), which have become regular customers of Duolingo. By inviting students to translate texts on a voluntary basis as a language practice, the creators of Duolingo, little by little, solve the above problem.

What and how does the program teach?

Designed for beginners, Duolingo includes 55 "skills" ranging from articles to modal verbs, tenses (Future Perfect), business vocabulary. There are tasks that are more designed for expanding vocabulary, while others are for practicing grammatical structures. As for the grammatical material, in Duolingo it is presented very unobtrusively, in an entertaining way. The user is required to be able to build phrases, and memorize the wording of the rule.

Learning English involves daily exercises, taking into account the time allotted for practice. For successful lessons, the user is rewarded with a special currency called lingots. The applicant initially chooses the amount of time that he plans to spend each day on assignments. Based on this, lingots will be awarded to him. The program also includes a period of practice, for which a separate promotion awaits him.

Duolingo mobile app

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

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

The Duolingo app, designed 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 have foreseen the fact that typing on the phone is not very convenient.

In the large version, before the start of some lessons, a grammar reference is offered, an explanation of the rules is given. There is no theory in the mobile application. And without explanations about the construction of an English sentence or about the system of tenses, it will be difficult to figure it out. Duolingo will be useful if you use the program as a simulator to consolidate existing knowledge obtained from other sources.

What not to expect from Duolingo?

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

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

Duolingo can be characterized more as an educational game that complements the main classes, making them diverse, whether it be lessons with a tutor, in 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 a language without overloading you with unnecessary information.