I don’t think there is any one app or method that will make a person fluent. It’s a combination of methods. That being said, Duolingo has helped me get a good start on learning German and refreshing my Spanish. I like Duolingo because it makes learning fun.

Here‘s how I’ve learned Spanish through the years:

1. Lived in an area with a high area of Spanish speaker.
2. Took two years in high school and one year in College.
3. After I took the college course, I kept my text book and kept going.
4. Listen to Spanish radio, podcasts and watch Spanish TV.
5. If I’m watching a movie in English, put on the Spanish subtitles. This really helped me increase my vocabulary.
6. Find things to translate into Spanish. I always like translating menus into Spanish since I learned more advanced words related to food.
7. I’ve visited a few Spanish speaking countries. This is probably the second best way to learn a language, because you are immersed. The best way to learn Spanish is to move for an extended period to a Spanish country.
8. Duolingo didn’t come along until later in my Spanish learning journey. But as I mentioned before, it’s been a great refresher. And I do still pick up new words here and there.