Whether it be through need or for a hobby, learning a new language is never easy for adults, however there are audio and online programs that try and make this as easy as possible for us, and one of them is called Duolingo.
Duolingo is an online program that teaches a handful of languages through interactive activities that are easy to follow and set out almost like a game, where you clock up points and other digital rewards as you make progress through the program. The best part is that it is totally free, and interactive, which is likely to make the language easier to learn than simply listening to an audio program.
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Go to www.duolingo.com and click the “Get Started” button on the home page. Next select the language you want to start learning by clicking on the flag for that language and you will be taken to the next step, which is to select how much time you would like to invest in learning each day. Select a level, and then click “Set Goal”.
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If you already know some of the language you have selected you can now take a placement test to establish what you know and what you don’t, or you can start at the basics. Either way, now is a good time to create your profile. Click the “Create a profile” button and fill out the form with your details – this way your progress will be saved.
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Now it’s time to start the first lesson or take the placement test. You will notice that each lesson has different parts to it – notes and tips you must read, and activities that require you to listen or spell out words with your keyboard.
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As you progress through the course, you earn a digital currency called “lingots”, which in Duolingos own words, you can use to get “cool items from the virtual store” – these include things such as extra tests. On the home page you can see which levels you have completed and quickly return back to where you left off last time you logged in.
