DuoLingo: Brushing up on Spanish!
By April
@thislittlepennyearns (61701)
Defuniak Springs, Florida
May 7, 2024 11:27pm CST
I have several friends and family that have jumped on the DuoLingo trend in the last several years. I have half @ss3d it once or twice in the last couple of years- but never really went gung ho.
I have thought about wanting to brush up on one or all of the languages I have studied, but there is no real application for German. At least not in the boonies in Florida. Or at least not in my boonies. There may be some secret sect of German's in one of the Florida boonies. @moffittjc might have some in his neck of the woods LOL.
Sign Language is not really something that I think DuoLingo would be the right way to brush back up on it.
So Spanish it is.
My maternal grandma taught high school Spanish from the time I was in third grade until she retired from teaching. She also taught French for a couple years. But much like German, French doesn't have a whole lot of application here. Maybe French -Cajun, but again I don't think DuoLingo teaches that. Because I went to school for Zero Period with my grandma (basically an extra class before the actual school day started) for her Spanish class for several years. So I picked up a lot. Then I took it in seventh and eighth grade. I took German and ASL my Freshman year. Took ASL again in college, but took Spanish in high school as well.
I am on day 3 of brushing up. I am actually doing better than I thought I would. It's amazing how much I have retained.
Foreign language was mandatory for me to graduate, but I graduated from a private Christian school. Did you take a foreign language in school? Middle, high school or college? If so, what did you take?
3 people like this
6 responses
@moffittjc (121487)
• Gainesville, Florida
10 May
I did Duolingo for several years and did learn some Spanish, but I currently work with a husband and wife who moved here from Argentina, and I am learning much more through them than I ever would have with Duolingo.
@moffittjc (121487)
• Gainesville, Florida
11 May
@thislittlepennyearns I took five years of Spanish between high school and college, but could never speak the language well. I could understand it fine and also read it fine, but just never picked up on the speaking part, mainly because you have to do it frequently to really get a grasp of it.
@thislittlepennyearns (61701)
• Defuniak Springs, Florida
11 May
That's true. But with my health, we don't hang out with a lot of people.
I took years and years of it and I was fluent for a long time, but it's been years and now I want to re brush up and be fluent again so I can get more freelance opportunities.
1 person likes this
@thislittlepennyearns (61701)
• Defuniak Springs, Florida
12 May
@moffittjc I started taking it in third grade. Took It off and on through middle, high school and college. I also took ASL and German. LOL. Got confusing sometimes.
1 person likes this
@Ronrybs (18933)
• London, England
9 May
@thislittlepennyearns That's a pity. Germany is a fascinating place. I have been cycling there as well as Holland.
@Ronrybs (18933)
• London, England
11 May
@thislittlepennyearns Love Amsterdam. Took the Euro Star from Waterloo. Really great train journey and had a good three days wandering around the city
@thislittlepennyearns (61701)
• Defuniak Springs, Florida
11 May
@Ronrybs I mean I would go, but it's not as high on my list as it was once upon a time.
Holland I Would be all about. I really want to go to Amsterdam.
1 person likes this
@annierose (21600)
• Philippines
8 May
It's great to hear that you're getting back into brushing up on your Spanish with Duolingo! It sounds like you have a solid background in languages, especially with your grandmother teaching Spanish and French. In my school, English was the only second language offered. My interest in foreign languages began when my brother applied to work in Taiwan. The agency taught him basic Mandarin, and I became fascinated studying his notes. Later, during my college days, I became interested in Spanish and studied it using the Livemocha website. When I started working, I developed an interest in Korean and learned through self-study and communicating with native speakers.
@xstitcher (32214)
• Petaluma, California
8 May
It was mandatory for you to graduate? You mean high school or college? Maybe it was mandatory when I was in school...no, I don't think so. I remember it as being an elective.
I took two years of Spanish in High School, but I honestly learned a lot of what I know via 3-5 year olds.
@JudyEv (338393)
• Rockingham, Australia
8 May
I took French and German at school and have tried to keep up my French but I've found the new-look Duolingo difficult to navigate. I want to go back to basics and revise but I can only seem to go to the page I should be up to.
@zainkhan121 (859)
• Pakistan
16 May
It's fascinating how much we can retain even after years of not practicing. Keep up the good work with DuoLingo!
