Are you trying to compare LingQ vs Duolingo to figure out which language learning software is better? I’m going to share with you my detailed thoughts on LingQ vs Duolingo after having completed the Duolingo Spanish course in April 2017 and after having reading over 1 million Spanish words with LingQ.
Disclaimer:
This article contains affiliate links, and I may receive a commission if you do a free trial of LingQ and become a paid subscriber through my affiliate link to LingQ.
My Duolingo Story
I went to Hartland College, a small school that had many international students. Through my association with people from many different countries at Hartland combined with a desire to be more useful for the Lord, I knew I wanted to learn a foreign langauge one day…
I knew I wanted to learn a foreign langauge one day…One day turned into two days, which turned into several years.
One day turned into two days, which turned into several years. I graduated from Hartland in November 2010, and off and on I had a desire to learn Spanish. I had heard about a free language learning app/website named Duolingo, so I decided to try out Duolingo. My resolve to learn Spanish wasn’t that firm, and probably within a month or less or so, I stopped using Duolingo, and I stopped learning Spanish altogether. I think I tried out Duolingo a few times off and on before I seriously tried to use it.
My resolve to learn Spanish wasn’t that firm, and probably within a month or less or so, I stopped using Duolingo, and I stopped learning Spanish altogether.
During the latter part of 2016, I wanted to learn Spanish for real, and my mind went back to using Duolingo. During my various attempts to learn Spanish, I had even paid for and used another language learning software for a little bit of time. However, I thought, at that point, I was going to complete my Duolingo Spanish course (the Spanish tree) before moving on to any other paid product. At that time, my mindset was I wouldn’t call myself a serious language learner unless I completed my Duolingo Spanish course.
At that time, my mindset was I wouldn’t call myself a serious language learner unless I completed my Duolingo Spanish course.
Although I was still somewhat lazy, I started to approach language learning Spanish with a concrete goal; I wasn’t just learning Spanish, I was on a mission to finish my Duolingo Spanish course. On April 2017, I (finally) completed my Duolingo Spanish course, which I know has expanded since that time.
Although I was still somewhat lazy, I started to approach language learning Spanish with a concrete goal.
What were the benefits I received from using Duolingo?
A Free Spanish Course:
Stepping into the world of language learning, I had no reference point based on my own experience of what was/what wasn’t a quality language learning course. I had no idea of how someone truly learned a language in adulthood. In addition, I had already spent money on another language course, which I didn’t really use, not really because of the content, but because I lacked dedication in pursuing language learning goals.
I lacked dedication in pursing language learning goals.
There was still so much to figure out about language learning, so I was thankful that I could start learning Spanish with Duolingo for free. At the same time, I started researching about how people learned a foreign language to aid me in developing my own language learning strategy. This way, I could get my feet wet in Spanish with Duolingo without having to pay any money for things I wasn’t sure I wanted to do. Eventually, I paid for Duolingo Plus for one month, not so much for any type of benefit, but just for a way for me express my appreciation for all the free content I received on Duolingo.
I could get my feet wet in Spanish with Duolingo without having to pay any money for things I wasn’t sure I wanted to do.
From Duolingo’s first lesson, I felt like I could master Spanish:
The first Spanish lesson on Duolingo was very easy, and I started to learn Spanish words very quickly. Duolingo’s bite sized lessons combined with an easy to use app and website made Duolingo instantly appealing to me. Because I could understand the first lesson so easily, maybe I could actually get through the Duolingo lessons and eventually master Spanish.
Duolingo’s bite sized lessons combined with an easy to use app and website made Duolingo instantly appealing to me.
A Duolingo community full of language learning enthusiasts
I didn’t know too many people in my area who were seeking to learn a language, so I was thankful to be able to tap into the Duolingo discussion boards to talk with people that shared a passion for langauge learning. I was discovering different ways to learn a language, and I was thankful to have a forum to get different opinions about those strategies.
I didn’t know too many people in my area who were seeking to learn a language.
Also, I was able to read posts about what people said they could do with the language that they were learning after they completed a Duolingo language course. Sometimes, I would share my Duolingo progress in the forums as well. There seemed to be always someone online that would respond to my posts within 1 hour or so. When I didn’t understand why I got something wrong on Duolingo, I could see what other people had said about the answer, which helped deepen my understanding.
Is Duolingo a Waste of Time?
The Duolingo Effectiveness Study
Luis von Ahn, the founder of Duolingo, posted a December 2012 study comparing the effectiveness of using Duolingo to Rosetta Stone and other college classes.
These were his two points he summarized from that study:
“On average, it takes 34 hours of Duolingo to learn the equivalent of one semester of college. Since a semester of college generally takes a lot more than 34 hours of work, this suggests that Duolingo is more effective than a college course.
On average, it takes 34 hours of Duolingo to learn the equivalent of one semester of college.
The study was done by an external research team that previously evaluated the effectiveness of other methods such as Rosetta Stone. It is of note that it took 55 hours of study with Rosetta Stone to reach the equivalent of one semester of college. So not only is Duolingo free-er than Rosetta Stone, the study suggests it’s also better.”
According to Duolingo itself, what level can you reach in language learning through using one of its courses?
It’s important to note that an April 3, 2019 Duolingo blog post said: “Our new courses now cover all the A1- and A2-level content, with about 800 words introduced at each level; B1-level content is currently under development.” To put it simply, A1 & A2 are beginner levels based on the CEFR (Common European Framework Reference for Langauges) scale. B1 is a lower intermediate level.
It’s worth noting that if people want to get to a B2 or higher level in their language, they can’t reach that level with Duolingo courses, no matter if they get a 1,000 day (or longer) streak.
It’s worth noting that if people want to get to a B2 or higher level in their language, they can’t reach that level with Duolingo courses, no matter if they get a 1,000 day (or longer) streak.
Duolingo isn’t a waste of time–if it’s used for a short, well defined, period of time
As I’ve said, even when I started using Duolingo, I was somewhat lazy. After a few months of me using Duolingo somewhat consistently, someone I know also started doing the Duolingo Spanish course, and he was able to complete it in one month. He had set daily goals, and he stuck with them. I know Duolingo’s course has expanded and is somewhat different than it was in 2016/2017, but it still is important to have goals when using this course.
After a few months of me using Duolingo somewhat consistently, someone I know also started doing the Duolingo Spanish course, and he was able to complete it in one month.
Also, you need to realize that no matter how much time you spend on a Duolingo course, you’re not going to reach higher than a B1 level (a low intermediate level). If your goal is to get to an upper intermediate or higher level in the language you’re learning, you’re going to have to eventually branch out of Duolingo. I recommend setting a goal of doing that within 1-5 months (or less). I now do not stress or in any way recommend the necesity of completing any Duolingo Spanish course. Your ulimate language goal should ideally be centered learning the language, not mastering Duolingo.
If your goal is to get to an upper intermediate or higher level in the language you’re learning, you’re going to have to eventually branch out of Duolingo…Your ultimate language goal should ideally be centered in learning the language, not mastering Duolingo.
It might be helpful if you go to the Duolingo Forums and read stories of what people have stated they can do with the language they’ve learned after they’ve completed the course. Pay careful attention to if they say how they’ve been able to use their new language in real world context. If people recently post about finishing a Duolingo course or completing a 1,000 day (or more) streak, you might want to ask them things like: what has been their experience watching/listening to native level programs? Have they been able to read a native level book in their target language?
If people recently post on about finishing a Duolingo course or completing a 1,000 day (or more) streak, you might want to ask them things like: what has been their experience watching/listening to native level programs?
Duolingo can be a waste of time if you use it over 1-5 months and have higher goals than the Duolingo course:
I get it; there is a lot of hype about reaching a 1,000 day (or longer) streak on Duolingo. However, 1,000 day Duolingo streaks are overrated. Let’s say your children were learning to ride bicycles. Would you celebrate 1,000 days of them using training wheels? Training wheels are only to be used for a short period of time, not for the whole life of a bicyle rider.
1,000 day Duolingo streaks are overrated. Let’s say your children were learning to ride bicycles. Would you celebrate 1,000 days of them using training wheels?
I personally think one reason people stay on Duolingo for long periods of time is because fear stops us from trying to go further than what we’re comfortable with. However, language learning isn’t about feeling comfortable; it definitely has more to do with being able to be comfortable with the unknown for a long period of time. I understand; I, too, have been afraid of listening to native level content in Spanish because I didn’t understand everything, but there has to come a point when the training wheels are taken off, and you go into more challenging, native level content in the language that you’re seeking to learn.
I personally think one reason people stay on Duolingo for long periods of time is because fear stops us from trying to go further than what we’re comfortable with.
My LingQ Story
After researching various language learning strategies, I changed my language learning strategy to primarily reading, watching, and listening to things in Spanish by native level speakers following my personal interests. I focused started to focus more on input than output, although I was also doing a language exchange with a language partner from another country as well.
After researching various language learning strategies, I changed my language learning strategy to primarily reading, watching, and listening to things in Spanish by native level speakers following my personal interests.
In June 2017, I started to read my first Spanish book, El Camino a Cristo. Though it was a struggle, by God’s grace, I finished reading that small, native level Spanish book in April 2018. I used a combination of Google Translate, a paper book, a pen, a pdf copy to go through that by sentence by sentence with understanding. It was a very slow process, and for several months, I lacked focus, but I did it. You can learn more about my story of reading my first Spanish book here.
Though it was a struggle, by God’s grace, I finished reading that small, native level Spanish book in April 2018.
I know that people usually start out reading beginner books, but I choose a higher level book because I know it’s a principle of the mind that I will become accustomed to whatever I focus on. So started reading a Christ centered, native level book that was hard, knowing it would get easier to read over time. I was committed to learning Spanish for the long haul, so I was okay with experiencing a struggle in reading books way over my comprehension level.
I know that people usually start out reading beginner books, but I choose a higher level book because I know it’s a principle of the mind that I will become accustomed to whatever I focus on.
One other thing that helped me become focused with reading Spanish books was seeing the example language motivational partner, Connie Warner. When we first met up virtually on a language learning Facebook page, she was reading her 10th Portuguese book. She would tell me from time to time about how she was using LingQ to read. I thought it was interesting, but in that time period, I didn’t want to spend any money to help me read things in Spanish, especially because I could use Google Translate to help me look up words or sentences for free.
I didn’t want to spend any money to help me read things in Spanish, especially because I could use Google Translate to help me look up words or sentences for free.
(BTW, you might be interested in my video about how you can read Spanish books faster using the Google Translate web extension for free).
I started my slow and tedious method for reading my next Spanish book, Palabras de Vida Del Gran Maestro. After some encouragment from Connie, I started my free trial of LingQ, and I was blown away by how I could more effectively read my second Spanish book with LingQ. I then paid for LingQ, and I’ve read over 1 million Spanish words with it.
I started my free trial of LingQ, and I was blown away by how I could more effectively read my second Spanish book with LingQ.
What are the benefits I’ve gotten from using LingQ?
I get to read what I want on LingQ
I’ve uploaded free pdf files of books such as El Camino a Cristo and Palabras de Vida Del Gran Maestro to LingQ and read the books. I’m selective with what I read, and I like to read content that follows the guidelines of Phillipians 4:8. I can upload EPUB, PDF, DOCX, TXT, MOBI, SRT, VTT, and TTML files to LingQ. Though I’ve mainly used LingQ to read pdf books, I appreciate that I can use LingQ to read websites as well. (Honestly, on the desktop/laptop browers, the free Google Translate web extension does a better job of helping one read websites, but for reading books, I like using LingQ better.)
I’m selective with what I read, and I like to read content that follows the guidelines of Phillipians 4:8.
LingQ has helped me understand native level, Spanish content
In my opinion, reading is one of the pillars of learning Spanish. The more people read, the more people can start to notice the sounds of Spanish, especially for those who have native tongues in the same language family of Spanish like English, Portuguese, Italian, and etc. When you notice the sounds of a language more, it helps increase your listening comprehension. Reading and listening to Spanish can help you watch things in Spanish with more comprehension as well.
The more people read, the more people can start to notice the sounds of Spanish, especially for those who have native tongues in the same language family of Spanish like English, Portuguese, Italian, and etc.
When you can understand more of what native Spanish speakers are saying, it’s easier to hold conversations with them. Many times, no matter how it comes out, we know what we’re trying to say in Spanish; the problem many times is we need to know what the other person is saying. This is why it’s important to build up a Spanish vocabulary in a real world context. This is what reading does.
Many times, no matter how it comes out, we know what we’re trying to say in Spanish; the problem many times is we need to know what the other person is saying. This is why it’s important to build up a Spanish vocabulary in a real world context.
I can read Spanish faster, which helps speed up my Spanish comprehension.
I could have just stuck with trying to read a paper Spanish book with a paper dictionary. However, over time, I’ve seen that method was ineffective for the goals I had and the stage of Spanish I was at compared to using a tool like LingQ. The faster I can go through Spanish words, the faster I can understand more Spanish. By the way, I do believe there is a place for reading native level, paper Spanish books, but not so much during a transition from Duolingo to LingQ. There is a lot of vocabulary that one still needs to acquire during that transition.
I could have just stuck with trying to read a paper Spanish book with a paper dictionary. However, over time, I’ve seen that method was ineffective for the goals I had and the stage of Spanish I was at.
LingQ counts how many words I’ve read in Spanish
This is a screenshot of my Spanish reading progress with LingQ that I took on May 10, 2020:
It says I’ve read 1,155,559 Spanish words. Because I’ve had a little bit of English words imported in my files sometimes, you can subtract 1,000 words from that total. Therefore, let’s say I’ve read 1,154,559 Spanish words with LingQ. Also, it says my known word count is 26,149. These are the unique words that keep on being repeated as I read. Since I’ve read somewhere that LingQ counts variants of words, let’s divide the known word count by 3. That means I know around 8,716 Spanish words that I’ve read with LingQ.
I know around 8,716 Spanish words that I’ve read with LingQ.
Knowing around 8,716 words in Spanish isn’t bad.
There is a saying that “what gets measured gets done.” I’m glad that LingQ has a built in measurement system so I can still evaluate my reading progress though I read content I like. I should point out that my growing vocabulary that I’ve gained through reading also allows me to comprehend a variety of content using those words. Instead of me using a word review system, I focus on reading more, which is in itself a built in review system.
I’m glad that LingQ has a built in measurement system so I can still evaluate my reading progress though I read content I like.
I like LingQ’s mobile app for reading Spanish books
Though I sometimes read books I’ve uploaded to LingQ on LingQ’s website on my computer, I like that I can also use their app to read content as well. Sometimes, I don’t want to read with my laptop, and I just want to use a smaller screen. I’m glad I have options to easily read things with LingQ on the go as well as at home. This gives me increased opportunities to get to a deeper Spanish comprehension level faster.
I’m glad I have options to easily read things with LingQ on the go as well as at home.
What are the disadvantages of using LingQ?
Is LingQ costing money a disadvantage?
No. I now think that the fact that LingQ costs money isn’t a disadvantage. First of all, LingQ offers a free trial for you to test out the serivce. Secondly, it’s sometimes recommended in the language learning community that you have to travel to a foreign country in order to learn a foreign langauge. However, if used seriously, LingQ can help you reach a higher Spanish comprehension level after reading 1 million Spanish words than you could achieve by going to on a 10 day trip to a Spanish speaking country…for a fraction of the price.
If used seriously, LingQ can help you reach a higher Spanish comprehension level after reading 1 million Spanish words than you could achieve by going to on a 10 day trip to a Spanish speaking country…for a fraction of the price.
Plus, if you do a yearly plan with LingQ, you get to save more money. It costs money to continue to support software, and I’ve had no problem paying for a program that has helped me understand Spanish in a real world context.
LingQ’s current pricing is $12.99/mo, $71.94 for 6 months (8% off), $107.88 for 12 months (31% off), or $191.76 for 24 months (38% off).
If you do a yearly plan with LingQ, you get to save more money.
LingQ’s interface took a little getting used too
I didn’t immediately know how to import books and even audio files into LingQ. I had to ask a my friend, Connie Warner, who was already using LingQ how to import books into LingQ. I’ve done several simple videos from my phone showing how to do things with LingQ as well as why I use LingQ.
I didn’t immediately know how to import books and even audio files into LingQ.
I personally don’t like to use the LingQ review system, so I don’t use it.
In one sense, I think it’s cool that LingQ allows you to review words you read using some of the context of things you read. However, in my opinion, it’s better to just keep on reading than doing some type of flashcard word memory system. You’ll cover more words by reading more than you will by doing a LingQ review system. Therefore, I just don’t use it. This con doesn’t take away from me being able to read Spanish with LingQ.
LingQ vs Duolingo: Which language learning software is better?
- Duolingo definitely wins on ease of use.
- If I were to start learning another language tomorrow, I probably would start with using Duolingo before LingQ. However, probably after a few days or so, I would probably be using LingQ to read in that language.
- LingQ is for people that want to get to an advanced stage in language learning; Duolingo courses at best are designed to get you to a high beginner/low intermediate level in a language
Because I’ve wanted to get to an advanced level in Spanish, I’ve prefered using LingQ over Duolingo.
Because I’ve wanted to get to an advanced level in Spanish, I’ve prefered using LingQ over Duolingo.
I challenge you to read 1 million Spanish words with LingQ
It’s one thing to sign up for a free trial with LingQ, but it’s another thing to actually read 1 million Spanish words. Sometimes, in language learning, we don’t have goals, or we don’t set high goals for ourselves, so I’m going to challenge you to aim high. LingQ tracks how many Spanish words you’ve read with their program, so I challnege you to read 1 million Spanish words with LingQ before stopping using this program. If you do this for real, you should notice an increase in your Spanish comprehension like I have after I’ve read 1 million Spanish words with LingQ.
Sometimes, in language learning, we don’t have goals, or we don’t set high goals for ourselves, so I’m going to challenge you to aim high.
You can click here to get your free trial from LingQ. After you sign up and get a welcome e-mail from LingQ, please let them know that First1000Hours referred you.
My name is Franklin, and I seek to inspire and motivate you to complete your first 1,000 hours of your language learning marathon with an out of the box mentality. Check out my resources page for a list of resources that can help you in your language learning journey.
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