Duolingo App: 30 Day Review

I have an 11 day streak on Duolingo and am now (supposedly) ~4% fluent in Spanish. (I should have a 33 day streak but they got me on a technicality: past midnight. Days here end at 3am!)  

I highly recommend this aplicación to anyone who wants to learn Spanish or another language.  But, we need to talk about some improvements.

1. Stop reinforcing words that are practically, if not identical to English words.  Eg. Refrigerador, Actor, Televisión, Teléfono.  Once is enough.  Trust me, I got these.  

2. Stop teaching me ridiculous phrases that I’ll never use.  Mi caballo bebe leche.  No, my horse does not drink milk.  How many people even own a horse?  Tu quieres un león.  Nooo, I’d venture to say you do NOT want a lion.  How about: “El león quiere comer usted”?

3. I’ve got a great handle on the word ‘manzana’.  I was pretty set on it in Lesson 1.  Stop forcing apples down my throat.  Also, escribo, carta, bebe, come.  Got ‘em.

4. More funny phrases, Easter eggs and humor!  Segun mi primo, el vestido es azul y negro.  (According to my cousin, the dress is blue and black) When I read this, I burst out laughing.  MORE OF THIS.  

5. The Adjectives section (Adject. 1) needed to come WAY sooner.  It is 16 sections in and took me ~30 days to get to.  But, you taught me how to say crab in Section 5.  I really need to know how to describe things as tall, short, first, last, etc.  I haven’t seen ‘cangrejo’ on any menu yet.  Also, in Section 3: Basics 2, you hammer home diario (newspaper) and cartas (letters).  Newspapers and letters are practically extinct.  I’m ~30 days in and i have yet to see email, computer, or cell phone.  Time for an update, people.

Duolingo es una buena aplicacion!  Pero, siempre hay margen de mejora.

No Hablo Español

Mi nombre es Matt, o--en Córdoba, Argentina, me llamo Matías.  When I arrived in South America 9 days ago, I did not even know how to say the most basic things like, “My name is Matt.”  It just shows how incredibly busy I was pre-RY3.  No time to learn a new language when you’re packing your life into a storage unit.

But, a little over a week in Córdoba, and I feel light years ahead of where I was.  For one, I’m taking weekly Spanish lessons with our “profesora” Vicky (above).  And, two, I’m spending a lot of time in Duolingo, a phenomenal App that makes learning a new language like playing a game.

In the first Spanish class, we focused on “presentación”, aka introductions.  Vicky reviewed some basics and then asked the class for other questions we might ask a person we just met.  I blurted out, “Are you single?”, which drew a roar of laughter.  I didn’t really mean it to be funny--it seemed muy importante!  Thanks to Vicky, I now know how to say “Estás soltera?” and I feel much more equipped to hit the streets of Argentina.

For real though--being a non-Spanish speaking foreigner is incredibly humbling!

I pride myself on being a strong communicator, but now I can't even talk.  Now, I have a much deeper respect for foreigners who don’t speak the native tongue.  I highly encourage my fellow Americanos to have more empathy for people who don’t speak English.  IT AIN’T EASY being on the outside looking in.  Be kind, mmkay?