Can You Learn Spanish Fluently Using Only Duolingo? (Teacher Reacts)

Have you ever wondered how efficient Duolingo is for learning Spanish? I'm Nate, I learned Spanish from scratch and now I teach Spanish to more than 2000 students through my online courses. In this video I will tell you just how efficient Duolingo is in becoming fluent, and how you can best use it to learn Spanish fast. So… can you actually learn Spanish fluently using only Duolingo? Find out in this video! Thank you for watching, you're awesome :) New videos every Saturday.

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Hola, I'm Nate. I used to not know any Spanish at all, and I had no interest in learning the language. I thought learning Spanish would be boring, a waste of time, and would provide no value to my life. Then I started taking Spanish classes in high school and everything changed for me. I struggled with learning the language a lot at first, but thanks to my teachers and my Spanish speaking friends, they helped make the learning process fun. Within a few months, I had gotten to a conversational level, but more important, I had become a more confident person. The real win for me, though, was the friendships I made and strengthened. I discovered that not only did I have higher self esteem, but being out in the real world with people, whether old friends or new ones I met, made me feel more alive and connected with the world around me. Now it's my goal to create videos that make you smile and inspire you to learn Spanish or another language!

#duolingo #spanish #learnspanish

[michaelmills]

"You cant learn Spanish using duo lingo" also "buy my course"

[paxonearth]

Nate, I didn't even have to watch the entire video to know that you're giving Duolingo a fair and accurate assessment. I just started (again) with Duo French. I think all of these language apps are a GREAT tool for getting started in any language, but to be truly fluent- being able to think in the target language without having to translate the conversation into one's native language (my definition of fluency)- you have to be conversing regularly with native speakers. I mean, isn't that the goal of language learning anyway? The fantasy of becoming fluent in a language without speaking it in real situations is like dreaming that you'll become a great fighter without having to do any sparring.

[jaydenmoore]

This helps so much my Spanish has improved in just days by watching these videos gracias por todo🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽

[jasperoosthoek]

My biggest problem with Duolingo is that it takes ages before you learn anything but the present (indicative) tense. It will teach you: "I am really interested in European art", but not: "I told you that.", "She had to work yesterday", "They arrived two days ago", "Could you help us?" or "I want you to know that". As you would understand, these sentences all use different tenses and moods.

So instead of slowly letting you get used to a few past tenses early on it just hooks you with an addictive interface. My work around is that I use a lot of phrases from Duolingo and use DeepL translator to change it to a different tense because there are so many to learn.

[annaruss]

I am fluent in italian and I only used duolingo

[jbrose]

I know people that have used Duolingo for 700 and 1000 days straight and still have problems making basic sentences but they're addicted to it because they don't want to ruin their streak.

[tonyfuturepolyglot]

Great points Nate! It's true; Duolingo is not an one size fits all solution to language learning (just like any other app because they focus on one or two facets of learning). It's a supplement to your language learning. Especially for me, I use it just to warm myself up for my daily language routine. Anki and SpanishDict are great resources as I agree with you Nate. They're great ways to keep expanding your vocabulary because the more vocabulary you acquire, the more sentences you can form.

You hit the nail when it comes to going out and speaking with people in real time because it is a different ball game. When I went to Puerto Rico and Costa Rica the past few years, I ended up struggling a bit to understand a lot of what natives were saying and it was because I didn't put enough practice into speaking with natives in real time. I think at best I only understood 20-30% of what natives were saying, but being able to visit Latin American countries or places gave me that chance to practice in real time.

Muchas gracias por tus videos como siempre hermano! Cuídate!

[justinjohn]

I remember being shy as heck when I newly started learning Spanish but now I'm not as shy. Sure, I sweat a bit when speaking to natives but at least I can speak Spanish 😀

[Raul-ngfq]

I learned spanish with Duolingo a few years ago (for 1 month), it really gave me a knowledge boost before starting to learn spanish in class

[christianornelas]

You mentioned that confidence is a big part of it and people like that you are trying to learn their language, but I feel like as a hispanic myself who does not speak Spanish this makes it much harder when they expect you to already know how to speak it.

[georgestanko]

Solid advice! Ive been practicing a lot on Tandem lately. I really like it. Its good practice to hear real spanish speakers. I still do my daily Duo, though!

[bankroll]

Great information, I learned some great tips thank you!

[MaaxiSchneider]

Gosh Nate I just bumped into this vid, I'm an early subscriber, you look so much different than I remember. Great vid, you seem to be doing great. Happy for you.

[languageswithevan]

Thanks for the video and your thoughts. I made a video about Duolingo too when I hit 1000 days and my thoughts are similar. I think it’s a great tool to expose people to the language but needs to be used along with other resources as people get out there and practice what they’re learning.

[TimothyBurt]

I think you have based your review on the old DuoLingo and from what you are saying, you are missing some very important features in the newest (since about 2/2023) version of the app.
I was using the old DuoLingo (for Spanish) for a few months, then I was forced to take a break. When I came back, the new version had just launched. A lot has changed.
The biggest change for me is the switch to dynamic lesson content. DuoLingo now adjusts your lessons to fit your needs and it works surprisingly well.
I am a software engineer and I can "see" the algorithm running the system. If I am having trouble with a new word, DuoLingo can tell and adjusts my lessons on the fly giving more emphasis to the word or concept I am struggling with. If I am "getting it", DuoLingo also adjusts and does not burden me with continually asking me to spell "aqui" for example.
I am very pleased with the new version, and I feel I have a better assessment because I have used it BEFORE AND AFTER the upgrade.
It might be helpful to explore these new features and tell people about it.
Thanks for the VID...

[TaincKWLanguages]

¡Espero hagas más vídeos hablando inglés! Asombroso.

[GDom_]

As someone who has just reached 365 days on duolingo (but around 15 months learning without streak freezes) i can say that it helps knowing the language but still listening to spanish speakers and speaking is difficult. I'm in a small UK town so don't know any spanish speakers irl that are local, my comprehension for music and reading is fine but that's done at my own pace and leisure, but i've found for the times when i'm either listening to spanish conversation through videos or in person, and sometimes need to reply that's where all my knowledge kinda just leaves me as i'm not used to actually conversing in it. I'm not one for doing online classes, so it's rare that i verbally speak spanish and after a year+ of learning i still feel like my spanish isn't the best, but my spanish speaking friends tell me that i'm doing good and to keep it up! i go away to spain in june for 2 weeks so i'm putting extra work into this test of seeing how my spanish actually fairs when i'm actually conversing

[tealmacfarlane]

I used to be fluent in Spanish but I lost it. I've been using Duolingo to get it back and I've been starting to speak in full sentences again. I'm also now at a point in Duolingo where after the stories, for bonus XP, they have me talk about something about the story in Spanish and though it's typed, that's still expressive language practice and I'm impressed by it.

[DPickho]

I agree that more than anything, putting yourself out there really helps after you take the time to learn it from the learning tool. It has helped that I work around Hispanics, joining a Mexican ballet (Folklorico), and occasionally eating or shopping in Hispanic owned stores.

[fal_]

No creo que puedas aprender un idioma y hablarlo con fluidez solo con Duolingo, pero es una aplicación muy fácil de usar y puede mantenerte motivado para aprender.