Duolingo bingo
It’s Tuesday morning. My alarm is trying its horrible best to wake me up. As the lazy sunlight creeps past our doormen-like-curtains, I give in as my eyes begin to open.
TV remote located; the room is slowly illuminated with the mornings headlines (COVID, Zoom, bookcases, repeat). I roll out of bed, dragging my zombie carcass to the kitchen, mustering up enough energy to turn on the kettle, before somehow returning with a couple of unspilt black coffees.
We’re unbelievably almost a year into lockdowns; that’s a long time to go without gyms, offices and commuting routines, but it has gifted some lucky folk like me, with new found minutes each morning.
My bonus time is absorbed by my phone. Not with the usual suspects though; no sir, this sleepy barista bypasses all emails and socials, heading straight to one app in particular…
Do you-o lingo?
For those wondering where the hell-o this is going-o, I’m talking about Duolingo; it’s a free language learning app I’ve been using, that offers over 98 languages to its 500 million users worldwide (including Klingon and High Valyrian for the fellow nerds out there).
Since lockdown, it’s become my first port of call (after the coffees), where I attempt to learn Spanish for a quick five minutes (in-between slurps). It doesn’t sound like I’m the only one, with over 30 million new users worldwide jumping on board too (up 67% YOY). In the UK alone:
Fellow language lovers were aplenty, new user growth increased 132%
Spanish is our most popular subject to learn, followed by French then German
We’re swots too, ranking 11th / 194 countries in terms of average lessons completed.
Nice stats, so… why?
You can probably guess from the foreign sounding name, I’ve got roots overseas, Colombia in fact (where my dad’s side of the family are from). So after booking flights for a long overdue visit in 2016, it suddenly dawned on me I couldn’t speak a word of Spanish: this needed fixing!
With previous failed attempts including a module at uni, and even a tutorial CD off eBay, I needed a Plan C… Hellooo Duolingo! I was pleasantly surprised; it was a fun and could fit around my schedule. It’s colourful layout and bitesize lessons were a winner for me; the lesson reminders were a god send, all helping push me into the rhythm of learning a new language.
Sticking to a couple lessons a day; before I knew it - everything was starting to sink in, as I started throwing words and sentences together, to the amusement of my work colleagues, as I asked if they wanted a brew in Spanish… Quieres cafe con leche anyone?!
Talking the talk
A year passed and the big trip arrived. As we touched down in Bogota for a few days; suddenly I was surrounded by all the words I’d seen on posters, signs, cars; hearing people saying the phrases, the different ways they pronounced things. Being immersed in it all, really helped everything sink in even more.
We moved on to picturesque Cartagena, then spent some time in the jungles of Tayrona, before finally flying over to Cali where my family were based. Talking to mi familia in the native tongue was great (albeit pretty slow and basic), nevertheless it was great to have that basic level of chat.
And the bingo?
It made a good title! It’s also been five years since I first downloaded the app, so I’ve noticed a few things in that time. Tick them off and you’ve officially become a seasoned Duolingo’er:
Streakers - Every day you complete a lesson, your streak grows by one. Miss a day, and the streak resets to zero. So prepare yourself for the day your 30+ dayer inevitably comes to an end. Take glory as you a) shout every foreign expletive under the sun, that b) you didn’t realise you knew, and c) didn’t get off Duo!
Late night sessions - When you realise you’ve not done a lesson, usually when you’re all tucked up in bed; wiping away the sleep as you try to beat that midnight deadline (prepare for tuts if another half is present)
Peculiar lines - There’s bound to be a day when one of the sentences you’re learning, leaves you a little perplexed! Like when will I need to tell someone “the moon is not made of cheese” (check out Twitter for some of the best ones)
Lookalikeys - You’ll become familiar with all the different characters in the app. So keep a look out for some familiar faces in there too. I once saw a Spanish Hulk Hogan, but hear a Russian Donald Trump is imminent!
Hasta luego… and for the record, la luna no es de queso!
WriteHereWriteNow is my new adventure, diving into the world of freelance writing. Personal blog aside, I’m available for all types of content requirements (Articles, Emails, Socials etc). Feel free to get in touch, cheers!