I tried Duolingo for mandarin a couple of years ago. It gameifies learning which I know some like but not my style. At that time I found the mandarin content was quite limited compared with say Spanish. Once I ran out of mandarin lessons I left and really don’t have any desire to return. I much prefer using apps like ‘Du Chinese’ which for me are more efficient at building listening, reading and speaking skills. Thanks for posting the video of your experience. It’s quite interesting.
Maybe the fact that Chinese is only the 8th most popular language rather speaks to the fact that Chinese learners are more aware of Duo's shortcomings?
I'm a pretty new Chinese language learner. I've tried Hello Chinese, Duolingo, and now Super Chinese. I've only worked with Super for about a week, but so far it's my favorite. PS: i also work with a tutor twice a week. I just want something to supplement.
It would've been nice to hear your thoughts at the end! Interesting that even though you selected the "advanced" level and got everything right, by the end of the 15-min lesson it was still showing you beginner-level content.
Yeah I couldn't get the hardest level, even though I tried to. I said in the beginning I'm not a big fan of Duolingo, but after seeing some other UA-camrs due speedruns, I thought it would be a fun experiment to try it. In the end I still don't enjoy it - it feels more like a game than a way to really improve your language skills. I would say it's better than NOTHING, like if you can't get into the habit of using a more immersive and useful app - this app is kind of mindless entertainment, and maybe that's why it's so successful.
@ I’ve never had to use an app to learn Chinese, so it’s hard for me to say right now. Some others have mentioned apps they like in the comments. But if you’re interested in Chinese-specific learning apps, you can give me a list and I can try them all and make a video on it 😄
1. Duolingo Why It's Popular: Known for its gamified approach, Duolingo offers bite-sized lessons, achievements, and a mobile-friendly interface. Key Features: Streaks, leaderboards, and virtual currency for motivation Short, easy-to-digest exercises focusing on vocabulary and grammar Caveat: Suitable for beginners or casual learners; less robust for advanced reading and nuanced grammar. 2. HelloChinese Why It's Popular: Specifically designed for Mandarin learners with structured lessons that incorporate Pinyin, characters, and pronunciation practice. Key Features: Speech recognition for pronunciation feedback Exercises on tones, stroke order, and character writing Engaging mini-games for practicing listening and reading Caveat: Mostly covers beginner to intermediate levels, but extremely user-friendly. 3. ChineseSkill Why It's Popular: Similar in style to Duolingo but tailored more for Mandarin. Offers a range of lessons on vocabulary, grammar, and characters. Key Features: Reinforcement of grammar points through short quizzes Progress tracking and spaced repetition for vocabulary Caveat: Like Duolingo, best for beginners to low-intermediate learners. 4. Pleco Why It’s Popular: Primarily a dictionary app with robust features for Chinese language learning. While not a structured course, it’s widely considered essential for serious students of Mandarin. Key Features: Best-in-class dictionary with example sentences Optical character recognition (OCR) to look up words by camera Flashcards for personalized study Caveat: Not a lesson-based learning app per se, but an indispensable reference and vocabulary-building tool. 5. Memrise Why It’s Popular: Uses spaced repetition flashcards for vocabulary and includes community-created courses on Mandarin. Key Features: Audio, videos of native speakers, mnemonic devices Many free user-generated Chinese courses covering various levels Caveat: Lessons vary in quality depending on who created them. Best used alongside other resources for well-rounded learning. 6. LingoDeer Why It’s Popular: Known for its structured lessons and grammar explanations that are more in-depth than many other beginner apps. Key Features: Curriculum-like progression for Mandarin, focusing on reading, writing, listening, and grammar Exercises that reinforce tones, character recognition, and sentence structure Caveat: Paywall for advanced features, though the free content is still robust. 7. HSK Online / SuperTest Why It’s Popular: Tailored specifically for learners preparing for the HSK exam (the official Chinese proficiency test). Key Features: HSK-based vocabulary and mock tests Progress monitoring by HSK level Caveat: Most helpful for test prep rather than casual learning. Choosing the Right App Beginner Focus: Duolingo, HelloChinese, ChineseSkill, LingoDeer Intermediate / Advanced: Combining Pleco for vocabulary, Memrise for deeper vocab sets, and HSK-based apps for structured progression Self-Paced vs. Structured: Some apps (Duolingo, ChineseSkill) are more game-like, while others (LingoDeer, HelloChinese) have more lesson-like structures. No single app can cover all aspects of language learning (especially for advanced levels or nuanced grammar), so many learners use a combination of tools, often pairing a structured app with a comprehensive dictionary/reference app like Pleco.
I'm loving your videos on Mandarin! I'm just starting my Chinese learning journey, and I'm feeling pretty lost about where to begin. I'd love to watch a video on the best starting points. English isn't my first language either, but it was relatively simple to find the right direction. I primarily learned English by watching TV shows, reading books, and singing along to songs. I feel like I can't apply the same approach with Chinese.
After getting conversationally fluent in Spanish, I started learning Chinese and I've been studying it for only 2 weeks. But damn, I think I'm falling in love with the way Mandarin Chinese sounds. It's so incredible and expressive. And reading Chinese is so so difficult but it's a gorgeous written language, simplified and traditional both. I love it so much. I'm using a mix of Super Chinese, Duolingo for the Hanzi writing practice (it's really good!) and comprehensible input from TikTok and UA-cam.
You have a PhD in linguistics!! Wow you are my inspiration. I would like to find a program to study linguistics of ASL as i am really passionate about the deaf community as a teacher.
I tried but I don’t know how to do an actual speed run. All the lessons were really easy, so it wasn’t giving the effect I wanted, so I just used the first 20 minutes. I recorded 50 minutes but the rest were almost the same 😅
6:56 Yeah lol, the fact that Chinese doesn't have plural is pretty confusing for me as a Russian. If I say for example 我的腿很疼, does it mean both of my legs are hurt or only one?) Like how do I say it if I mean both, 我的腿都很疼? 我和朋友喝咖啡在食堂。- does this mean one friend or a few of 'em?) As for Chinese course on Duolingo, I like it a lot. Especially the speaking excercises and hanzi lessons. But the course is too short, it contains only 1000 hanzi, which is just around HSK3. I'd like it to go further to advanced level, I think it should be at least 2000 characters.
我的腿很疼 - my legs are hurt/in pain (legs as a whole set) 我的腿都很疼 - a bit awkward but it's understandable as both legs As for meeting a friend/friends, we usually say it like this: 我跟朋友在食堂喝咖啡。 - I would view this as one friend unless you mentioned meeting multiple people beforehand. You can also say something like 我跟一个朋友在食堂喝咖啡。（a bit unnatural but it would make it clear it's 1 person). 我跟一些朋友在食堂喝咖啡。OR 我跟几个朋友在食堂喝咖啡。- I would say this if I want to emphasize that I'm meeting multiple people. BUT in Chinese, if you don't really care if the listener doesn't know how many people, you can just say the very first sentence above. Thanks for watching!
Been using Duolingo. The pronunciations seem to change between different voices used, and their seems to be some ghost sounds at the end of words (sometimes last letter pronounced, other times last is missing).
@@julesytooshoesI suspect it's cos they used AI. They did advertise that they're using ai powered sets even for their super duo. Did you do the jump forward test though?
I was never interested in gamified learning, but a while back my sister got the family plan and asked if I wanted to be added to it, so I thought I might as well check it out. I did a speed run and finished it in a few hours. The entire thing is beginner level content!
If you say "anjing" to Indonesian, most people are laughing. Because in English it means "dog". I was laughing when you said 安静 in Chinese 😂😂😂 Btw i'm Indonesian
Duolingo Chinese (on the mobile app, not PC) got worse a few months ago when they forced us to learn to write characters in between listening and speaking lessons. I don't use it anymore because of that but I used to like it.
But that's great because many people don't learn to read and write hanzi, and as a result, they don't progress in the language or can't take the proficiency tests. By the end of Duolingo, you are expected to reach HSK3, but this will only be possible if you've practiced hanzi. The HSK itself will require you to do so!
I was about to stop using Duolingo, but then they introduced hanzi exercises and that was - and still is - really inspiring. I think Duolingo's hanzi section, where you practice writing separately from the other exercises, is better than the hanzi sections in other apps I've seen.
In school, do you remember your teachers ranting about STANDARIZED TESTS? Duolingo is not A STANDARDIZED TEST. Every student is expected to be there in order to learn, because he WANTS to learn. In a standardized test, the potential answers are supposed to be hard because someone is measuring how well the students have learned (in order to criticize the teachers). Non-standardized testing is completely different because only in a standarized test does the concept of correct and incorrect come into play. It's not LEARNED and NOT LEARNED YET. It's correct or incorrect. So in a normal quiz, you either do it really quickly, or it takes you an extra few minutes to look at all the answers and then choose the one that's obvious. You DON'T FORGET it because you remember how serious it was to get a good grade on the quiz, and the way you DETERMINED that it was the correct answer made you PROUD to be SMART.
Duolingo is more challenging for beginners when you reach the point where you are given the sentence in English and you have to type in the pinyin, without buttons showing the characters. In all fairness, it is designed for beginners and early intermediates, not for people who already speak Chinese! Also, you can opt to have the pinyin above the characters hidden, so you must be able to recognise them. I find it good for consolidating my knowledge.
Each language is unique, never seen panda in Arabic, Indonesian or French. I feel Duolingo is good for getting used to hearing the language and differentiating words and learning common words. Definitely can’t get fluent using Duolingo
I use Duolingo to learn Chinese been doing it for a year. I use UA-cam and few other things to learn it as well. I like it though the English translation is weird sometimes though 😂
You are amazing with korean i thought originally you were korean by birth! Lol. Jules, i had a question. How can i measure my level with any language to obtain at least a B2? For example i am currently living and teach in korea. How can i take a test to have my B2 level. In Korean. This is my long term end of year goal. For 2025!
@@sheeliekittie9298 hello, good question! B2 seems to be a part of the international language proficiency system but I don’t know if Korea follows it. In Korean is mainly using TOPIK. I think B2 would be around TOPIK 4, so that can be a goal for you :)
@julesytooshoes thank you! For this info. But how can i officially find and take the test? For testing my level for example? To receive my official B1 score.
I used Duolingo during the first 5-6 months of learning Chinese. I don't believe its the fastest way to learn, but to me it was much easier to use it for an hour a day (15 minutes here and there) then to sit down with a textbook. In total it wont take you farther than hsk3 and you should start inputting (listening and reading) much sooner than i did
I really enjoyed using Duolingo; it was a great way to start learning Mandarin. In just a few months, you can reach HSK2, and with a bit more study, HSK3. I also noticed it introduces some HSK4 words, as I recognized several when I began studying for HSK4! 🤗
I also tend to agree with you, I think having the 个 is more natural. But I don’t think not having it is wrong per se. Again, Duolingo is not the best for learning Chinese 😅😅😅
No child in the history of humanity learned their native language from an app or textbook. Children spend about a year passively listening before uttering their first word. They know about 7500 words and use about 1500 before they even start reading. Children have native proficiency and almost a full adult vocabulary before learning any formal grammar. So why do we think adults need to be taught differently?
Exactly! that's why I learn through watching tv in korean with korean subtitles, but I do use flashcards but children use them too, and the best thing I ever did to help me was write down all the words I know on a piece of paper, and review them everyday, and I only put in English, I keep the korean words in my head😊
There are basically two opposing ideas about this: one that says the same thing as you, and one that says adults have different brains and different life knowledge (aka having lived a full life), so they should use different learning methods. I don’t particularly have one preference or another…I think both sides raise good points. I think it’s best to combine methods from both sides, because adult learning is very heterogeneous (meaning every adult learns languages differently).
Because you are not a child, dude. What kind of logic is that? If you would have time to spend a whole year just listening to random words and not being able to say nothing, good for you, but we are adults, we have backgrounds and different experiences that helps us when it comes to learning languages or any other thing in life
It is not as weird as their method in Arabic. My native tongue is Egyptian Arabic, and the official language is Modern Standard Arabic in Egypt. I tried to use Duolingo to help my Egyptian Arabic student boost his knowledge on his own. I then check Arabic on Duolingo on my own and found out it is so terrible it felt disrespectful. First of all, unlike in Japanese they never use Arabic names, and also, they push stuff that go against the cultures found in the Arab world. Second is that they are not teaching MSA which is common link between all Arabs, and they mix dialects and MSA which is not the norm at all it sounds so terrible and is very terrible. Third is that they say words that don't even exist in Arabic at all. Fourth is that they didn't put in mind that MSA grammar is different from Dialect Grammars and so when I wrote some sentences in the common form used by me as a native Duolingo said it is wrong. In short, Duolingo is not good and not my own opinion only, but also other people share the same opinion. Anyways, it is up to everyone to decided what is good for them.
The original video was around 45 minutes long, which I thought was too long, so I cut out a lot. Unfortunately the weird stuff mostly got cut out. But I still think some of the sentences in the video are weird, like 我的手很脏。
You should have tried this course as an absolute beginner. This would be much more informative fo a new learner. Make some mistakes on purpose, use unusual word order, both in German and in Chinese. Can you recommend Chinese videos for absolute beginners like Peppa Pig, or better a Chinese series?
I joked around with Duolingo Chinese for about a month. It was interesting? I don't want to bad mouth it, but I prefer my way to learning languages. Duolingo is too slow.
I am very frustrated with duolingo right now. I have completed 253 days consecutively now. I cannot advance past module 3. I am not willing to pay money to do this program. I have found some errors in the Chinese words they use, like renshi instead of zhidao for to know something, and the English translations are pretty screwy at times. What I do like is that I can hit the microphone and listen to a sentence multiple times.
@@dottieshields5918 yeah, like I said in the beginning of the video, I’m not a huge fan of Duolingo 😅 I think it’s better to learn from an app that’s specialized in Chinese (or not from an app at all).
@@dottieshields5918 The only one I can recommend with no hesitation is Pleco - it's a dictionary but it has great features. You can bookmark any word or phrase/idiom and there are a lot of good example sentences for every entry.
Duolingo won't show "panda" when learning other languages; it draws the extra words from the other sentences it has for the language you're learning. It frequently teaches me this very weird sentence, "你见过会功夫的熊猫吗?" It will even offer "fu" by itself as an extra word sometimes! I find it strange that it doesn't offer extra words that are at least a little bit credible. Maybe that would make it too hard.
I tried their English lessons for French mother-tongue speakers once, and the sentences had “croissants” in them. You don’t get that in the Mandarin lessons, just pandas that can do Kung Fu! Makes perfect sense to me !! Owls with orange feet and green feathers - it gets you used to the unexpected.
I tried to speed run it but it had too many lessons with very similar (and easy) material, that I gave up after an hour. According to other people, it stops at around HSK3 level.
You chose highest level in the beginning, but because i understand 95%, that definitely not high level. Probably because doulingo is not meant to be harder than ~hsk3.
Resources list Babadum language picture games Drops word base Busuu quality lessons Lingo pie Netflix of language learning Lingo play language games worldwide duals Reverso dictionary translator
I tried Duolingo for mandarin a couple of years ago. It gameifies learning which I know some like but not my style. At that time I found the mandarin content was quite limited compared with say Spanish. Once I ran out of mandarin lessons I left and really don’t have any desire to return. I much prefer using apps like ‘Du Chinese’ which for me are more efficient at building listening, reading and speaking skills. Thanks for posting the video of your experience. It’s quite interesting.
Du Chinese is a great app i use it every day!
Maybe the fact that Chinese is only the 8th most popular language rather speaks to the fact that Chinese learners are more aware of Duo's shortcomings?
More people give up learning Chinese!
that's wild 💀
Dumb green bird.
I'm a pretty new Chinese language learner. I've tried Hello Chinese, Duolingo, and now Super Chinese. I've only worked with Super for about a week, but so far it's my favorite. PS: i also work with a tutor twice a week. I just want something to supplement.
小姐 is still used in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao, Singapore, Malaysia, etc. The meaning of prostitute is really only a mainland Chinese thing.
She suddenly left (semicolon) we don't know why. I think they don't require you to use punctuation, so that's why it looks weird.
Yeah with a semicolon it's completely normal
It would've been nice to hear your thoughts at the end! Interesting that even though you selected the "advanced" level and got everything right, by the end of the 15-min lesson it was still showing you beginner-level content.
Yeah I couldn't get the hardest level, even though I tried to. I said in the beginning I'm not a big fan of Duolingo, but after seeing some other UA-camrs due speedruns, I thought it would be a fun experiment to try it. In the end I still don't enjoy it - it feels more like a game than a way to really improve your language skills. I would say it's better than NOTHING, like if you can't get into the habit of using a more immersive and useful app - this app is kind of mindless entertainment, and maybe that's why it's so successful.
Soooooo what is the allegedly more “immersive and useful“ app???
@ I’ve never had to use an app to learn Chinese, so it’s hard for me to say right now. Some others have mentioned apps they like in the comments. But if you’re interested in Chinese-specific learning apps, you can give me a list and I can try them all and make a video on it 😄
@@julesytooshoes I just asked ChatGPT "What are the most popular Chinese language learning apps?" and it said. . . .
1. Duolingo
Why It's Popular: Known for its gamified approach, Duolingo offers bite-sized lessons, achievements, and a mobile-friendly interface.
Key Features:
Streaks, leaderboards, and virtual currency for motivation
Short, easy-to-digest exercises focusing on vocabulary and grammar
Caveat: Suitable for beginners or casual learners; less robust for advanced reading and nuanced grammar.
2. HelloChinese
Why It's Popular: Specifically designed for Mandarin learners with structured lessons that incorporate Pinyin, characters, and pronunciation practice.
Key Features:
Speech recognition for pronunciation feedback
Exercises on tones, stroke order, and character writing
Engaging mini-games for practicing listening and reading
Caveat: Mostly covers beginner to intermediate levels, but extremely user-friendly.
3. ChineseSkill
Why It's Popular: Similar in style to Duolingo but tailored more for Mandarin. Offers a range of lessons on vocabulary, grammar, and characters.
Key Features:
Reinforcement of grammar points through short quizzes
Progress tracking and spaced repetition for vocabulary
Caveat: Like Duolingo, best for beginners to low-intermediate learners.
4. Pleco
Why It’s Popular: Primarily a dictionary app with robust features for Chinese language learning. While not a structured course, it’s widely considered essential for serious students of Mandarin.
Key Features:
Best-in-class dictionary with example sentences
Optical character recognition (OCR) to look up words by camera
Flashcards for personalized study
Caveat: Not a lesson-based learning app per se, but an indispensable reference and vocabulary-building tool.
5. Memrise
Why It’s Popular: Uses spaced repetition flashcards for vocabulary and includes community-created courses on Mandarin.
Key Features:
Audio, videos of native speakers, mnemonic devices
Many free user-generated Chinese courses covering various levels
Caveat: Lessons vary in quality depending on who created them. Best used alongside other resources for well-rounded learning.
6. LingoDeer
Why It’s Popular: Known for its structured lessons and grammar explanations that are more in-depth than many other beginner apps.
Key Features:
Curriculum-like progression for Mandarin, focusing on reading, writing, listening, and grammar
Exercises that reinforce tones, character recognition, and sentence structure
Caveat: Paywall for advanced features, though the free content is still robust.
7. HSK Online / SuperTest
Why It’s Popular: Tailored specifically for learners preparing for the HSK exam (the official Chinese proficiency test).
Key Features:
HSK-based vocabulary and mock tests
Progress monitoring by HSK level
Caveat: Most helpful for test prep rather than casual learning.
Choosing the Right App
Beginner Focus: Duolingo, HelloChinese, ChineseSkill, LingoDeer
Intermediate / Advanced: Combining Pleco for vocabulary, Memrise for deeper vocab sets, and HSK-based apps for structured progression
Self-Paced vs. Structured: Some apps (Duolingo, ChineseSkill) are more game-like, while others (LingoDeer, HelloChinese) have more lesson-like structures.
No single app can cover all aspects of language learning (especially for advanced levels or nuanced grammar), so many learners use a combination of tools, often pairing a structured app with a comprehensive dictionary/reference app like Pleco.
Happy Holidays to you, and: Happy New Year, Jules!
I'm loving your videos on Mandarin! I'm just starting my Chinese learning journey, and I'm feeling pretty lost about where to begin. I'd love to watch a video on the best starting points. English isn't my first language either, but it was relatively simple to find the right direction. I primarily learned English by watching TV shows, reading books, and singing along to songs. I feel like I can't apply the same approach with Chinese.
After getting conversationally fluent in Spanish, I started learning Chinese and I've been studying it for only 2 weeks. But damn, I think I'm falling in love with the way Mandarin Chinese sounds. It's so incredible and expressive. And reading Chinese is so so difficult but it's a gorgeous written language, simplified and traditional both. I love it so much. I'm using a mix of Super Chinese, Duolingo for the Hanzi writing practice (it's really good!) and comprehensible input from TikTok and UA-cam.
Oh yes it can be. 😊 The idioms in particular are quite expressive too.
you can skip to the last chapter if you scroll down all the way and click on the last chapter and taking the chapter skip test
Which is what I did. 😅 Still quite okay for me.
this was fun.. do more
You have a PhD in linguistics!! Wow you are my inspiration. I would like to find a program to study linguistics of ASL as i am really passionate about the deaf community as a teacher.
9:49 I do French in duolingo and I guess panda is only for Chinese 😂
i was expecting an actual speedrun haha
I tried but I don’t know how to do an actual speed run. All the lessons were really easy, so it wasn’t giving the effect I wanted, so I just used the first 20 minutes. I recorded 50 minutes but the rest were almost the same 😅
6:56 Yeah lol, the fact that Chinese doesn't have plural is pretty confusing for me as a Russian.
If I say for example 我的腿很疼, does it mean both of my legs are hurt or only one?)
Like how do I say it if I mean both, 我的腿都很疼?
我和朋友喝咖啡在食堂。- does this mean one friend or a few of 'em?)
As for Chinese course on Duolingo, I like it a lot. Especially the speaking excercises and hanzi lessons.
But the course is too short, it contains only 1000 hanzi, which is just around HSK3.
I'd like it to go further to advanced level, I think it should be at least 2000 characters.
我的腿很疼 - my legs are hurt/in pain (legs as a whole set)
我的腿都很疼 - a bit awkward but it's understandable as both legs
As for meeting a friend/friends, we usually say it like this:
我跟朋友在食堂喝咖啡。 - I would view this as one friend unless you mentioned meeting multiple people beforehand. You can also say something like 我跟一个朋友在食堂喝咖啡。（a bit unnatural but it would make it clear it's 1 person).
我跟一些朋友在食堂喝咖啡。OR 我跟几个朋友在食堂喝咖啡。- I would say this if I want to emphasize that I'm meeting multiple people. BUT in Chinese, if you don't really care if the listener doesn't know how many people, you can just say the very first sentence above.
Thanks for watching!
@@julesytooshoes, oh, thank you for trying to clarify the topic for me a little bit, I'll try to keep this in mind! Happy 2025 to you!
Hi, China! How are you? From Russia- with love(from: Far East, Khabarovsk)!
Doing relatively well, thanks for asking :) Hope you are having good end of year celebrations :)
@@julesytooshoes Yes, Jules! Christmas in Russia- January 7th(by the way)!
At least for Japanese, they have panda as one of the first animals as well
Been trying to use Duolingo’s Chinese course, lately. It needs a LOT of work, but it doesn’t seem to be a priority for them
Been using Duolingo. The pronunciations seem to change between different voices used, and their seems to be some ghost sounds at the end of words (sometimes last letter pronounced, other times last is missing).
I also noticed the pronuniciation is a bit inconsistent! Seems like Duo is not prioritizing Chinese >__
@@julesytooshoesI suspect it's cos they used AI. They did advertise that they're using ai powered sets even for their super duo. Did you do the jump forward test though?
i used duolingo for beginer part, just to have image what chinese language looks like.
I was never interested in gamified learning, but a while back my sister got the family plan and asked if I wanted to be added to it, so I thought I might as well check it out. I did a speed run and finished it in a few hours. The entire thing is beginner level content!
NOUR HES NOT CUTE HES EVIL!!!😂
If you say "anjing" to Indonesian, most people are laughing. Because in English it means "dog". I was laughing when you said 安静 in Chinese 😂😂😂
Btw i'm Indonesian
Duolingo Chinese (on the mobile app, not PC) got worse a few months ago when they forced us to learn to write characters in between listening and speaking lessons. I don't use it anymore because of that but I used to like it.
But that's great because many people don't learn to read and write hanzi, and as a result, they don't progress in the language or can't take the proficiency tests. By the end of Duolingo, you are expected to reach HSK3, but this will only be possible if you've practiced hanzi. The HSK itself will require you to do so!
I was about to stop using Duolingo, but then they introduced hanzi exercises and that was - and still is - really inspiring. I think Duolingo's hanzi section, where you practice writing separately from the other exercises, is better than the hanzi sections in other apps I've seen.
In school, do you remember your teachers ranting about STANDARIZED TESTS? Duolingo is not A STANDARDIZED TEST. Every student is expected to be there in order to learn, because he WANTS to learn. In a standardized test, the potential answers are supposed to be hard because someone is measuring how well the students have learned (in order to criticize the teachers). Non-standardized testing is completely different because only in a standarized test does the concept of correct and incorrect come into play. It's not LEARNED and NOT LEARNED YET. It's correct or incorrect. So in a normal quiz, you either do it really quickly, or it takes you an extra few minutes to look at all the answers and then choose the one that's obvious. You DON'T FORGET it because you remember how serious it was to get a good grade on the quiz, and the way you DETERMINED that it was the correct answer made you PROUD to be SMART.
Cool, Jules, that: Half of Mortal Kombat characters- from: your country(from: China)?
Duolingo is more challenging for beginners when you reach the point where you are given the sentence in English and you have to type in the pinyin, without buttons showing the characters. In all fairness, it is designed for beginners and early intermediates, not for people who already speak Chinese! Also, you can opt to have the pinyin above the characters hidden, so you must be able to recognise them. I find it good for consolidating my knowledge.
Each language is unique, never seen panda in Arabic, Indonesian or French. I feel Duolingo is good for getting used to hearing the language and differentiating words and learning common words. Definitely can’t get fluent using Duolingo
I use Duolingo to learn Chinese been doing it for a year. I use UA-cam and few other things to learn it as well. I like it though the English translation is weird sometimes though 😂
You are amazing with korean i thought originally you were korean by birth! Lol. Jules, i had a question. How can i measure my level with any language to obtain at least a B2? For example i am currently living and teach in korea. How can i take a test to have my B2 level. In Korean. This is my long term end of year goal. For 2025!
@@sheeliekittie9298 hello, good question! B2 seems to be a part of the international language proficiency system but I don’t know if Korea follows it. In Korean is mainly using TOPIK. I think B2 would be around TOPIK 4, so that can be a goal for you :)
@julesytooshoes thank you! For this info. But how can i officially find and take the test? For testing my level for example? To receive my official B1 score.
I used Duolingo during the first 5-6 months of learning Chinese. I don't believe its the fastest way to learn, but to me it was much easier to use it for an hour a day (15 minutes here and there) then to sit down with a textbook. In total it wont take you farther than hsk3 and you should start inputting (listening and reading) much sooner than i did
I really enjoyed using Duolingo; it was a great way to start learning Mandarin. In just a few months, you can reach HSK2, and with a bit more study, HSK3. I also noticed it introduces some HSK4 words, as I recognized several when I began studying for HSK4! 🤗
I feel like a measure word 个 was missing in the last question, as in, 他忘了今天有个重要的会议
I also tend to agree with you, I think having the 个 is more natural. But I don’t think not having it is wrong per se. Again, Duolingo is not the best for learning Chinese 😅😅😅
@@julesytooshoeswhat is the best then?
I use duolingo for Chinese...I needed a break from. Finnish.😂
No child in the history of humanity learned their native language from an app or textbook. Children spend about a year passively listening before uttering their first word. They know about 7500 words and use about 1500 before they even start reading. Children have native proficiency and almost a full adult vocabulary before learning any formal grammar.
So why do we think adults need to be taught differently?
Exactly! that's why I learn through watching tv in korean with korean subtitles, but I do use flashcards but children use them too, and the best thing I ever did to help me was write down all the words I know on a piece of paper, and review them everyday, and I only put in English, I keep the korean words in my head😊
There are basically two opposing ideas about this: one that says the same thing as you, and one that says adults have different brains and different life knowledge (aka having lived a full life), so they should use different learning methods.
I don’t particularly have one preference or another…I think both sides raise good points. I think it’s best to combine methods from both sides, because adult learning is very heterogeneous (meaning every adult learns languages differently).
Because you are not a child, dude. What kind of logic is that? If you would have time to spend a whole year just listening to random words and not being able to say nothing, good for you, but we are adults, we have backgrounds and different experiences that helps us when it comes to learning languages or any other thing in life
It is not as weird as their method in Arabic. My native tongue is Egyptian Arabic, and the official language is Modern Standard Arabic in Egypt. I tried to use Duolingo to help my Egyptian Arabic student boost his knowledge on his own. I then check Arabic on Duolingo on my own and found out it is so terrible it felt disrespectful.
First of all, unlike in Japanese they never use Arabic names, and also, they push stuff that go against the cultures found in the Arab world. Second is that they are not teaching MSA which is common link between all Arabs, and they mix dialects and MSA which is not the norm at all it sounds so terrible and is very terrible. Third is that they say words that don't even exist in Arabic at all. Fourth is that they didn't put in mind that MSA grammar is different from Dialect Grammars and so when I wrote some sentences in the common form used by me as a native Duolingo said it is wrong.
In short, Duolingo is not good and not my own opinion only, but also other people share the same opinion. Anyways, it is up to everyone to decided what is good for them.
What did you mean by it gets weird?
The original video was around 45 minutes long, which I thought was too long, so I cut out a lot. Unfortunately the weird stuff mostly got cut out. But I still think some of the sentences in the video are weird, like 我的手很脏。
@@julesytooshoes but they are jajaja
@@julesytooshoes sure...
You should have tried this course as an absolute beginner. This would be much more informative fo a new learner. Make some mistakes on purpose, use unusual word order, both in German and in Chinese.
Can you recommend Chinese videos for absolute beginners like Peppa Pig, or better a Chinese series?
8:20 “was that Korean?” I had this in the background and suddenly turned my head to hearing that. I’m new here hello.
@@vminhope3040 hello! Yes, it is Korean, 잠깐만요. I speak Korean fluently and also teach it on this channel ☺️
@@julesytooshoesdid you try duolingo korean? seem outright awful to me
The aspect ratio though
Idk what happened in the editing process. My apologies 🥲
@ all is swell 👍
I think the sentence, "She suddenly left, we don't know why" is said without 'and' because there is a comma (,) separating the phrases.
I joked around with Duolingo Chinese for about a month. It was interesting? I don't want to bad mouth it, but I prefer my way to learning languages. Duolingo is too slow.
I am very frustrated with duolingo right now. I have completed 253 days consecutively now. I cannot advance past module 3. I am not willing to pay money to do this program. I have found some errors in the Chinese words they use, like renshi instead of zhidao for to know something, and the English translations are pretty screwy at times. What I do like is that I can hit the microphone and listen to a sentence multiple times.
@@dottieshields5918 yeah, like I said in the beginning of the video, I’m not a huge fan of Duolingo 😅 I think it’s better to learn from an app that’s specialized in Chinese (or not from an app at all).
@@julesytooshoes What apps do you recommend to learn Putonghua?
@@dottieshields5918 The only one I can recommend with no hesitation is Pleco - it's a dictionary but it has great features. You can bookmark any word or phrase/idiom and there are a lot of good example sentences for every entry.
@@julesytooshoes Thank you! 新年快乐！
Duolingo won't show "panda" when learning other languages; it draws the extra words from the other sentences it has for the language you're learning. It frequently teaches me this very weird sentence, "你见过会功夫的熊猫吗?" It will even offer "fu" by itself as an extra word sometimes! I find it strange that it doesn't offer extra words that are at least a little bit credible. Maybe that would make it too hard.
I tried their English lessons for French mother-tongue speakers once, and the sentences had “croissants” in them. You don’t get that in the Mandarin lessons, just pandas that can do Kung Fu! Makes perfect sense to me !! Owls with orange feet and green feathers - it gets you used to the unexpected.
you are so pretty.
This seems way too easy! Does it get any harder, or is Duolingo just for beginner or intermediate learners?
I tried to speed run it but it had too many lessons with very similar (and easy) material, that I gave up after an hour. According to other people, it stops at around HSK3 level.
Чи Манчу хэл медег уу?
我不会啊 😅
@ Би Хутад хэл мэдеггүй.
Does the message not get translated to your native language? It looks Manchu...I don't speak Manchu ;;
@@julesytooshoes It was Mongolian, you thought it was Manchu🤣
In Taiwan, 小姐does not have the other meaning, or at least it didn't 15 years ago.
You chose highest level in the beginning, but because i understand 95%, that definitely not high level. Probably because doulingo is not meant to be harder than ~hsk3.
Resources list
Babadum language picture games
Drops word base
Busuu quality lessons
Lingo pie Netflix of language learning
Lingo play language games worldwide duals
Reverso dictionary translator
duo is NOT cute. just search up bring my parents back and you'll see what i mean
왜 “잠깐만”라고 하세요? 혹시 한국어를 배우세요?
저는 한국에 살아요 ㅋㅋ 한국어를 배운지 13년 넘었거든요. 저 맨날 사람들이랑 한국어로 소통을 해요 ㅎㅎ
Youre legit just ripping off that korean guy
Learners, please ditch that owl fo good!
Nice speedrun, by the way 😁
chineseskill is better
I agree. It also lets you use traditional characters, which is something Duolingo doesn't offer for the Mandarin course
I showed my abc friend duolingo and he said “it’s worthless”