150 Days with Duolingo

Context

I have set myself one goal - to learn the 6 most used languages, to such a level that I can understand and communicate with locals. I already know English, that's 5 left. When I googled, the first choice was clear - Spanish. I have been to Spain several times. I plan to visit Latin America sometime.

¿Por dónde empezar? / Where to start?

At first I used pirated Michel Thomas tapes, but over time I didn't develop a habit of learning from them (too passive). So, I decided to try Duolingo (further aka. bird).

It was a cautious choice because I had previous experience with the bird and it was much different before. In the past you were just bombarded with ads and notifications until you either left or bought a subscription. Of course, I didn't buy it.

It has been a few years, so I decided to try again and after 150 days of learning, I can say that my opinion has changed a bit.

Tiempo de aprender / Learning time

The first 100 days, I did several lessons a day until I ran out of hearts. After that, my studies decreased to 1-2 lessons a day. Now I spend an average of up to 8 minutes every day on this thing.

In the beginning, while learning the language, I got a lot of new information, so it was interesting. However, over time I digested and learned that information through constant repetition.

At Unit 20, that repetition became more of a hindrance because of the lack of new information.

Realizaciones / Realizations

I realized that Spanish is very similar to English in places.

Some things were strange in the beginning: e.g. In Spanish, if you are hungry, you should say "I have hunger" (tengo hambre) or if you are cold - "I have a cold" (tengo frio).

Other than that, Spanish doesn't seem that difficult.

¿Puedo ver series de televisión? / Can I watch series?

Tried watching La Casa de Papel (by the way, it literally translates to Money House, not Money Heist). I can understand the context in places and tell a lot about what is being talked about, but small details still slip by my ears. Sometimes the characters seem to talk too fast.

I can hardly read the news, because, in many articles, sophisticated and unusual words are used, so I have to use a translator.

But songs are different because they are slower. I finally understand what Shakira sings (she definitely can make a man wanna speak Spanish) and all the other trending Espanglish musicians.

Conclusión / Conclusion

The Bird is a good way to start learning a language, but a bad way to learn it well. You have to deepen your knowledge in other ways.

Apart from the bird, I also tried to learn by reading a book, but it didn't stick.