How Long Does It Take To Learn Spanish With Duolingo? (2024)

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What Type Of Spanish Does Duolingo Teach?

Duolingo primarily teaches Mexican/Latin American Spanish. However, they keep their content pretty universal, so you’ll also pick up words and grammar that work in most Spanish-speaking places.

How Long Does It Take To Learn Spanish With Duolingo? (1)

While there might be a few local twists in vocabulary or accents, you should be able to learn and speak Spanish that’ll have you understood from Madrid to Mexico City.

Keep in mind, Duolingo does offer specific courses for Catalan and Guarani Spanish as well, however, these courses are not as comprehensive as Duolingo’s standard Spanish course.

How Many Sections In Duolingo Spanish?

In the Duolingo Spanish course, you’ll find eight sections packed with language lessons and resources to explore. Each section covers different aspects of the language, from basics like greetings and food to more advanced topics like past tense and professions (similar to the Rosetta Stone Spanish course).

As you progress through the sections, you’ll unlock new vocabulary and grammar concepts, gradually building your skills and confidence in Spanish. Whether you’re a beginner or looking to brush up on your skills, Duolingo’s structured approach makes learning Spanish engaging and rewarding.

How Many Units In Duolingo Spanish?

Within each section of the Duolingo Spanish course, you’ll find anywhere from 5 to 40 units, each focusing on a specific language skill or topic. These units are designed to be bite-sized and manageable, making it easy to fit learning into your schedule.

How Long Does It Take To Learn Spanish With Duolingo? (2)

Whether you’re practicing greetings, verbs, or travel phrases, the varied unit lengths keep the learning experience dynamic and engaging.

How Many Lessons In Duolingo Spanish?

On average, each unit in the Duolingo Spanish course contains about five lessons, making them easy to tackle in one sitting. These lessons cover different aspects of the unit’s theme, helping you grasp the material step by step.

Whether you’re learning vocabulary, grammar rules, or pronunciation, the bite-sized lessons make it convenient to progress at your own pace.

How Long Does It Take To Finish Duolingo Spanish?

Finishing the entire Duolingo Spanish language course can take anywhere from a few months to over a year, depending on your learning pace and consistency. Completing one section, which consists of multiple learning units, might take around 3-4 weeks with regular practice.

However, achieving fluency can take much longer and requires continued practice and immersion in the language beyond Duolingo.

Tips For Learning Spanish With Duolingo

Learning Spanish with Duolingo can be a blast. Here are some tips to make the most of your Spanish-learning journey:

Daily Dose of Spanish: Practice a little bit every day. Consistency is key, and even just a few minutes can help reinforce your learning.

Speak Up: Don’t be shy to practice speaking out loud. It helps with pronunciation and getting comfortable with the language.

Mix It Up: Use Duolingo along with other resources like Spanish music, movies, or language exchange partners to keep things interesting.

Take Your Time: Don’t rush through lessons. Take the time to understand the grammar and vocabulary before moving on.

Review, Review, Review: Use the review feature regularly to reinforce what you’ve learned and keep it fresh in your memory.

With these tips, you’ll be salsa dancing your way to Spanish fluency in no time!

Other Ways To Learn Spanish Beyond Duolingo

Here are some additional activities and strategies to complement your Duolingo learning:

Immerse Yourself: Surround yourself with the language as much as possible. Listen to Spanish music, watch Spanish movies or TV shows (see Lingopie), and try to think in Spanish.

Use Different Spanish Language Apps: Some language learning apps offer more comprehensive and effective approaches than Duolingo by providing more advanced grammar explanations, cultural insights, and interactive practice. These apps often tailor their content to different learning styles and goals, offering a more personalized learning experience. A few top rated language apps include Rocket Spanish, Babbel Spanish, and Pimsleur Spanish.

How Long Does It Take To Learn Spanish With Duolingo? (3)

Find a Spanish-Speaking Friend: Find a language exchange partner or join a conversation group to practice speaking. This can help you gain confidence and improve your fluency.

Read in Spanish: Start with simple books, news articles, or blogs in Spanish. Reading will help you expand your vocabulary and improve your understanding of grammar.

Use Flashcards: Create flashcards for vocabulary words and phrases you’re learning on Duolingo. Review them regularly to reinforce your memory.

Take Formal Classes: Consider enrolling in a Spanish course at a local language school or online. Formal classes can provide a structured learning environment and access to a teacher for guidance (see BaseLang).

Travel or Study Abroad: If possible, spend some time in a Spanish-speaking country. Immersing yourself in the language and culture can greatly accelerate your learning.

By incorporating these activities into your routine, you can enhance your Spanish learning experience and accelerate your progress beyond what Duolingo alone can offer.

How Long Does It Take To Learn Spanish With Duolingo? (2024)

FAQs

How long does it take to fully learn Spanish on Duolingo? ›

Finishing the entire Duolingo Spanish language course can take anywhere from a few months to over a year, depending on your learning pace and consistency. Completing one section, which consists of multiple learning units, might take around 3-4 weeks with regular practice.

Is Duolingo an efficient way to learn Spanish? ›

Verdict: Should You Use Duolingo To Learn Spanish? All in all, there's a lot to like about Duolingo. This Spanish learning app is free, there's a decent variety of drills and exercises, and the digital platform is top-notch. However, there are certainly some disadvantages with Duolingo Spanish as well.

Is Duolingo worth it for Spanish? ›

It's because Duolingo is a brain game—not a full blown Spanish course. Thus, I would say that if you're just looking to learn some basic phrases and elementary-level understanding of Spanish before a trip, then Duolingo is great for that. Go for it.

What level will Duolingo get you to? ›

At Duolingo, we're developing our courses to get you to a level called B2, at which you can get a job in the language you're studying. Reaching that kind of proficiency requires dedication, varied practice opportunities, and a lot of time.

Can you learn Spanish in 3 months? ›

Yes, it is possible to learn Spanish in 3 months. While it may be challenging to achieve fluency in such a short period, it is definitely possible to lay a foundation in the language. Spanish is an incredibly useful and widely spoken language, opening doors to new opportunities and experiences.

How long should I do Duolingo a day? ›

Use the sections and levels in the Duolingo courses to make a study plan for yourself, and dedicate time for focusing on the language. For example, when I had only 4 weeks to study German, I did Duolingo lessons for 30-60 minutes a day, plus a lot of talking to myself.

How much XP in Duolingo to be fluent? ›

No, unfortunately you cannot reach fluency with Duolingo. That doesn't mean Duolingo is a bad option for learning a language. It just means that you'll need to use other resources to supplement your learning (conversation exchanges, watching movies and series, reading books, magazines, and so forth).

How fast can Duolingo teach you a language? ›

Duolingo offers courses in more than 40 languages, and the time it takes to complete a course varies depending on the language and the learner. At the beginner level, you will learn basic vocabulary and sentence structure. Depending on the language, this level can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks.

Is Rosetta Stone better than Duolingo? ›

As a lifelong language learner who's fluent in three languages, I've tested out these popular apps, and they have very different approaches. I like Rosetta Stone for the immediate immersion it offers, but Duolingo is great for the more casual language learner as it offers a fun, gamified way to steadily gain knowledge.

How to learn Spanish fast? ›

Spanish, like any other language you want to learn, isn't easy, but here are ten sure-fire ways to learn it faster:
  1. Sing along to the music. ...
  2. Watch Telenovelas. ...
  3. Read everything. ...
  4. Enhance your commute. ...
  5. Translate. ...
  6. Find a Spanish-speaking lover. ...
  7. Move to Spain! ...
  8. Or at least travel to a Spanish-speaking spot (and then practice!)

What is the most accurate way to learn Spanish? ›

As a beginner, you'll find apps handy for picking up some basic vocab and grammar. But beyond this, if your goal is to be able to have conversations in the language, the best way to learn Spanish is not through answering multiple choice questions on an app. It's through speaking and listening to people.

Is it possible to be fluent in Spanish from Duolingo? ›

Learners who completed the beginner content in our Spanish and French courses had reading and listening scores comparable to four semesters of university study! Our learners are also successfully acquiring speaking skills, with about half of learners achieving on-target speaking scores—or better!

How many hours to complete Duolingo Spanish? ›

Additionally, the concept of “learning Spanish” can vary depending on your goals, as fluency can take years of practice and immersion. Duolingo estimates that it takes approximately 34 hours to complete the Spanish course for English speakers, which includes 140 lessons and covers basic grammar and vocabulary.

Which version of Spanish does Duolingo teach? ›

With respect to pronunciation, vocabulary choices and pronouns/verb forms, it teaches a Latin American variety of Spanish (closest to Mexican, Cuban or Venezuelan), but also accepts other forms (for example, words typical of Spain, or Argentinian voseo verb forms).

Is Duolingo good for speaking fluently? ›

Even with some of the well-developed courses, Duolingo may not be enough to completely teach a language to fluency. As mentioned earlier, Duolingo is great for getting a base in a language—but don't expect to get to advanced fluency on Duolingo alone.

Can you fully learn a language through Duolingo? ›

If you want to just learn basics of a language and dabble casually, Duolingo is completely fine on its own. If you're determined to master a language though, you should only use Duolingo to get you started and take an actual language program or practice with a native speaker to bring you the rest of the way.

How long does it take to reach fluency in Spanish? ›

According to an FSI study, i.e. the Foreign Service Institute, it should take a new learner approximately 600 classroom hours to achieve conversational fluency in Spanish. They also suggest an approximate 1:1 ratio between the time spent independently studying Spanish and the time spent in a classroom.

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