I've used Duolingo for a while. It's fine for helping to build random vocabulary, but absolutely nothing beats speaking and listening to a native and actually having conversations about lots of random topics.
There are so many things apps like Duolingo expose you to, but don't explain, and don't provide enough context to learn on your own. A simple example of this would be how in English we ask "why", but in Russian there's both "почему" and "зачем". Both mean "why", but using one instead of the other will result in very different answers. Duolingo will expose you to both words, but will never teach you why you'd use one over the other.
If you're serious about wanting to get good at speaking a foreign language, then I'd recommend finding a way to talk to a native speaker in an environment where you're either both in a "learning" mode or it's difficult to fall back to your native language. There's also something to the idea of "shared trauma" while you're both learning. Suggestions:
* Volunteering at a local immigration center. I did this in college and it was easily one of the best experiences of my life. I helped those who couldn't speak English go shopping, fill out forms, etc. I wasn't fluent in their language, but was helping them learn English while also learning.
* Use an app like Tandem or HelloTalk to find native speakers in another country who are trying to learn your native language. If you find someone with a passion for learning who is at the same "level" of learning that you are, it's a great experience.
* Audit university classes.
It'll feel painful and slow at first, but once you can get past the hump of being scared to speak (note: everyone goes through this stage), things will just start clicking. Also, there's a magical point where your vocabulary will just start skyrocketing. You'll be able to just infer meanings from context and recognize common roots, etc. It's a great feeling when it happens.
One other suggestion: use streaming services to watch children's shows in the foreign language. And turn on the subtitles in the foreign language as well, which will allow you to read and listen at the same time. Apps like "LingQ" also do this with children's books. If you already know the story and understand the context of what's going on, that's even better.
Comments
I've used Duolingo for a while. It's fine for helping to build random vocabulary, but absolutely nothing beats speaking and listening to a native and actually having conversations about lots of random topics.
There are so many things apps like Duolingo expose you to, but don't explain, and don't provide enough context to learn on your own. A simple example of this would be how in English we ask "why", but in Russian there's both "почему" and "зачем". Both mean "why", but using one instead of the other will result in very different answers. Duolingo will expose you to both words, but will never teach you why you'd use one over the other.
If you're serious about wanting to get good at speaking a foreign language, then I'd recommend finding a way to talk to a native speaker in an environment where you're either both in a "learning" mode or it's difficult to fall back to your native language. There's also something to the idea of "shared trauma" while you're both learning. Suggestions:
* Volunteering at a local immigration center. I did this in college and it was easily one of the best experiences of my life. I helped those who couldn't speak English go shopping, fill out forms, etc. I wasn't fluent in their language, but was helping them learn English while also learning.
* Use an app like Tandem or HelloTalk to find native speakers in another country who are trying to learn your native language. If you find someone with a passion for learning who is at the same "level" of learning that you are, it's a great experience.
* Audit university classes.
It'll feel painful and slow at first, but once you can get past the hump of being scared to speak (note: everyone goes through this stage), things will just start clicking. Also, there's a magical point where your vocabulary will just start skyrocketing. You'll be able to just infer meanings from context and recognize common roots, etc. It's a great feeling when it happens.
One other suggestion: use streaming services to watch children's shows in the foreign language. And turn on the subtitles in the foreign language as well, which will allow you to read and listen at the same time. Apps like "LingQ" also do this with children's books. If you already know the story and understand the context of what's going on, that's even better.