I have been searching for affordable ways to learn Spanish. Rosetta Stone is incredibly expensive for me, and to find time to sit down with my laptop undisturbed is unheard of in my house. There are 5 different language options in the free version: Spanish, German, Portuguese, French, and Italian. I am very excited about learning Spanish with Duolingo!
I first downloaded the app onto my Kindle Fire. It was a quick download with no issues. The audio is very easy to understand, and you have the option to slow the audio samples to an easier to understand speed. Duolingo is suitable for many different types of learners. Much like Rosetta, it uses graphic images combined with text and audio. It also gives you opportunity to type translations in a variety of different methods. That really helps lock the language into your memory bank.
After just a few days of using the app, I shared it with my husband. He laughed at me, because just days earlier I tried to order 3 tacos with no cheese in Spanish, and ended up carrying 3 bags of tortilla chips and enough salsa to feed a small army of oompaloompas. So, I told him to test me. He opened the app, and Duolingo was in quiz mode. I answered everything correctly, and even got the gender specific samples correct. To say the least, he wants me to order tacos again.
Today, I downloaded the app on my iPhone. The download was much slower, probably due to being on a 3G network instead of wi-fi. Everything was the same as the Kindle version. This app is also appropriate for a variety of ages. My daughter saw the cute little green owl app, and started “playing” it on her own. I would classify this app in the “edu-tainment” category. That’s when the education is so much fun, you forget you are learning something. Move over, Rosetta! Duolingo is in the house!
