Duolingo vs. Language Trainers: Can I Really Learn English on Duolingo

Since its creation in 2011, Duolingo has provided an easy and enjoyable way for people to learn new languages, becoming one of the most popular language-learning apps in the world with over 300 million users worldwide. But, is Duolingo effective? Is it really possible to learn English on Duolingo?

If you’re wondering whether you can learn English without taking a course, you’ve come to the right place. In this blog, we’ll try to find out if you can actually learn English on Duolingo or if you should complement the app with a more formal approach.

Let’s delve in!

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How does Duolingo work?

Duolingo is designed to

1. Introduce you to new words and phrases.
2. Familiarize you with basic grammar rules.
3. Help you improve your diction.

But, is Duolingo actually effective at teaching you vocabulary?

Absolutely. Duolingo works by breaking down language study into bite-sized, achievable lessons. These leesons cover vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammar key points presented in a fun and engaging way through interactive games, quizzes, and activities.

Duolingo’s special features

Perhaps, Duolingo’s most attractive feature is that it feels like a language video game. Each exercise you complete earns you points towards the completion of an overall course. But be careful. You can also lose them if you make mistakes!

This game-like structure provides a fun and rewarding way to practice English. Without a doubt, one that will make you to keep going. All of which sounds very exciting…

However, the question remains:

Can you really learn English on Duolingo? Or is it just a nice learning companion?

Let’s get to the point.

What Is Language Trainers?

Language Trainers is a language training organization that offers customized live courses with native-speaking teachers in more than  a hundred languages. Our goal? To provide specialized classes tailored to fit each student’s individual needs, preferences and learning styles.

What sets Language Trainers apart

For more than 20 years, we have been helping learners worldwide to achieve their personal, academic, and professional goals and become proficient in the language of their choice. Unlike Duolingo and other language-learning companies, Language Trainers offers students a communicative approach to language learning that emphasizes real-world conversation and practice.

What’s more, we are one of the very few companies that offer both online and in-person courses. This allows every client to choose the learning format that best fits their schedule and lifestyle.

Duolingo vs Language Trainers – the pros and cons

Now that you know a bit more about each of these services, let’s compare Duolingo vs Language Trainers according to different criteria and see what makes them different.

1. Personalized feedback

Duolingo: ✘

Language Trainers: ✓

Being an AI app, Duolingo cannot adapt its feedback for each student; learners will simply get a ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answer.

On the other hand, Language Trainers offer personalized and tailored feedback that is designed to help every learner identify their strengths and weaknesses. This way, they can create learning strategies to improve their overall language skills.

2. Tailor-made lessons

Duolingo: ✘

Language Trainers: ✓

Duolingo’s course material is set and cannot be modified even if you don’t find the topics relevant or interesting. While you will find different sections such as “Work”, “Leisure” or “Family”,  you won’t be able to tailor the lessons to focus on topics that matter more to you.

In contrast, Language Trainers offers tailor-made courses designed to help you learn the language based on your own interests and objectives. You can discuss any topic with your teacher and focus on the areas that interest you.

3. Interactive activities

Duolingo: ✓

Language Trainers: ✓

Both Duolingo and Language Trainers offer interactive activities to help learners practice and develop their language skills. Duolingo offers a wide range of exercises such as matching, multiple-choice, dialogues, and fill-in-the-blanks. While none of these tasks are groundbreaking, the game-like structure of the app makes it really fun and engaging.

The teachers at Language Trainers, on the other hand, use a variety of activities such as role-playing, debates, storytelling. What’s more our courses include many interactive tasks that only a live teacher can provide. This means that you and your teacher will get to decide what kind of activities work best for you. This, as you can imagine, makes for a much more rewarding experience.

4. Flexibility

Duolingo: ✓

Language Trainers: ✓

Duolingo is known for its daily short lessons that you can complete anytime, anywhere. Whether you prefer to practice on the bus, while waiting in line or during your lunch break, Duolingo fits into any lifestyle.

At Language Trainers we also understand how important flexibility is for our students. For this reason, we go out of our way to accommodate lessons so that you can make the most of your time and learn languages without compromising on other activities.

With our online courses, you’ll be able to take your lesson even if you’re traveling. As long as you have your phone or laptop with you, you’ll never miss a lesson! As we always say: “Any language, anytime, anywhere”.

5. External Motivation

Duolingo: ✘

Language Trainers: ✓

Progressing with Duolingo is all about self-discipline. Since we are talking about an app you can delete by just sliding a finger on your phone, there is no one to push you to keep studying or follow a lesson plan.

With Language Trainers, however, you will have a teacher to motivate you. In fact, our teachers are specifically trained to encourage students. Especially those who tend to feel discouraged or overwhelmed by the challenges posed by the learning process.

Is Duolingo Effective?

So, is Duolingo actually effective? If you want to achieve fluency or work towards a specific goal, the answer is no.

This doesn’t mean that Duolingo is bad. On the contrary, it’s a great resource for those who want to enhance their language skills for fun, practice on the go, and revise what they already know.

In other words, it is an excellent complement to your learning experience but not a substitute for a qualified teacher.

Simply put, when it comes to mastering grammar, improving pronunciation or having meaningful conversations, you will need a more personalized approach and that’s when Language Trainers shines.

Can I learn English on Duolingo or should I look for a native instructor?

So far, we have discussed two awesome language-learning resources. Duolingo vs. Language Trainers. But, in reality, any committed learner who is willing to learn fast and efficiently should definitely use both.

Sure, you may not be able to learn English on Duolingo alone. However, this app will definitely come in handy if you want to get some extra practice for free while taking one of our customized courses.

At the end of the day, when it comes to language learning, you can never have too much practice! Is Duolingo effective? Sure it is. With its wide range of activities and lessons, Duolingo is an excellent tool to complement our tailored lessons. By complementing both resources, you’ll get the most out of your language-learning adventure!

→Sign Up Now: Free English Lesson With a Native Teacher!←

Have you tried to learn English on Duolingo and found that you are still not able to speak the language? In that case, perhaps you would like to learn English with a qualified teacher and start your journey to fluency today? Contact us today to find out more about our specialized language programs. We look forward to helping you achieve your language goals!