• jackmaoist [none/use name]@hexbear.netEnglish
    34·
    11 days ago

    Duolingo was never worth anywhere near 25 billion lol. It was just a pyramid scheme to transfer cash from the poorer shareholders so the richer shareholders could have a good exit.

    Duolingo has basically been a shitty mobile game since the forums were deleted and they really really enshittified even more in the last 2 years.

    • joaomarrom [he/him, comrade/them]@hexbear.netEnglish
      22·
      11 days ago

      Duolingo has basically been a shitty mobile game since the forums were deleted and they really really enshittified even more in the last 2 years.

      Wait, their forums were deleted? I remember doing their German course like a decade ago and my favorite aspect of it was always the discussion boards that went into more detail on the lesson topics. That’s insane!

      • jackmaoist [none/use name]@hexbear.netEnglish
        7·
        10 days ago

        That was the only good part about Duolingo. Volunteers spent thousands of hours explaining languages and grammar on the forums. Duolingo nuked all of that information.

    • jack [he/him, comrade/them]@hexbear.netEnglish
      3·
      10 days ago

      I remember when it started, a key part of the business model was the users would do translation work to hone their skills and the app would get paid. AI ultimately destroyed all sides of the company.

  • RamenJunkie@midwest.socialEnglish
    25·
    11 days ago

    I habe used Duolingo for many years now, huge streak, but god its just gotten worse with the stupid gamey gatekeeping that punishes mistakes.

    News flash Duo, failing and fixing mistakes, is part of learning languages.

    Now its just “Oh I ran out of energy because I spelled it wrong too many times, guess I will hope I learn tomorrow.”

    • Bartsbigbugbag@lemmy.ml
      17·
      11 days ago

      What language are you trying to learn? It’s really pretty bad, you can complete a whole course and be unable to have basic conversations, but it’s certainly better than nothing as long as you pair it with a rigorous study and practice regimen. Or, it was, before the AI-ification of it, now half the time it’s just completely wrong.

    • supdawg813 [comrade/them]@hexbear.netEnglish
      9·
      11 days ago

      I found clozemaster was really helpful in grasping the flow of the language and practice recall. I will forever recommend this app. I got my grammar foundations from actual coursework though.

      Lingo legend was a cute idea, haven’t picked it up in a while so I don’t know if it’s changed but I’m pretty sure it’s free.

      Lingo deer is a pretty good clone of what Duolingo was trying to be when it first hit the scene. The app needed polishing last I used it but it definitely earned an honorable mention.

      I’ve seen Anki highly recommended. Fair warning, it’s not the most user friendly experience to a casual learner. People are snobs about building your own deck and shit but that barrier to entry is just not one I’ve been able to fully overcome, and the pre-made decks you can find were never appealing to me for one reason or another. You might have a better experience though if you’re the type that can sit down and do the required data entry.

    • Inui [comrade/them]@hexbear.netEnglish
      8·
      11 days ago

      It really depends on the language. For Chinese, there’s HelloChinese and other apps that are significantly better and don’t use AI to develop their lessons. They do sometimes use them for silly example art.

      • RNAi [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
        5·
        11 days ago

        Yeah the new HelloChinese course images all have the piss filter

        Then Superchinese is really into their AI chat features but they are optional (paywalled). Btw I keep sniffing misogynist vibes from the example art.

      • RoliversEnglish
        3·
        11 days ago

        Hmm. How about Korean? I haven’t found any of the alternatives very convincing.

        • Inui [comrade/them]@hexbear.netEnglish
          3·
          10 days ago

          Unfortunately not familiar enough with Korean and haven’t tried to learn it myself. To be honest, while trying to learn Chinese, I think apps should only be supplemental anyway to help with things like proper pronunciation and speech. Actual textbooks have been significantly better for pretty much everything else. Both China and Taiwan have government crafted textbooks that target their language exams, so if something like that exists for Korean, that’s the route I’d recommend most strongly.

          EDIT: It looks like it does exist and is called TOPIK, so there’s probably good textbooks that target those exams as a good baseline for the language.

    • RNAi [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
      4·
      11 days ago

      I think HelloChinese was worth it at least for a year, there’s a sale now for CNY, hurry up or wait for the next festival (ie discount).

      Anyways Ankidroid is free and very good for its limitations