I mostly use Duolingo when I have a few minutes free and want to do some language practice without sitting down for a full study session. The short lessons work well for me because I can finish one between other things instead of having to spend an hour studying. I use the matching exercises quite often because they make me actively remember the meaning of a word instead of just looking at a list of vocabulary. The listening questions are another part I use regularly. Hearing the word and then choosing what I think I heard has been useful because reading a word and understanding it when someone says it are two different things. I also like the speaking and pronunciation exercises when they appear in the lessons, since they give me a reason to actually say the words rather than only recognize them. The hearts system is also something I notice during lessons. If I keep making careless mistakes, I run out of chances, so it makes me slow down and pay more attention to the question. The daily progress and streak also give me a small reminder to practice. I do not take the streak too seriously, but seeing that I have already practiced for several days does make me more likely to open the app again. Over time, the main benefit I have noticed is that common words and phrases stick in my memory better when I come across them repeatedly. I still need other resources for deeper grammar and actual conversation practice, but Duolingo works well as a regular practice habit. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
The biggest limitation for me is that some exercises start feeling repetitive once I have been using the course for a while. I sometimes get several questions that follow almost the same pattern, so it can feel more like reviewing something I already know than learning something new. I also think the lessons are better for building vocabulary and basic sentence familiarity than for preparing someone to have a long, natural conversation. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
