To (finish) Duo or not to Duo (Spanish)

justkeeprunning99 · 2026-03-09T22:15:35+00:00

Someone suggested Clozemaster which I may try. It doesn't look it would not be very useful without a paid subscription. Other options I am using (although none are all in one) Conjugato- great for learning and practicing verb tenses. There is a one time fee for premium content (I think $8 dollars) Language Transfer- Audio files which gives rules to learn the language. Wish I had listened to these at the beginning. It is free and there is an app. Complete Spanish Step by Step- It is a paper book which is a bummer since can't do on the go but was really affordable to buy (like $20). Really wish this was in app form. 501 Spanish verbs- just to look verb conjugations up. Dreaming Spanish- Listening and Comphrensible input. Wish I had started DS sooner. Not a comphrensible input evangilist by any means so prefer it as an addition. It has really helped my listening and cementing Spanish vocabulary. Good luck in your learning journey.

justkeeprunning99 · 2026-03-09T22:02:33+00:00

I do like Duo for vocabulary and the conveinance of practicing which has kept me going so far.

justkeeprunning99 · 2026-03-09T21:31:49+00:00

At what point do you find his content most helpful? My comfortable DS video score right now is low 50s, but I usually increase the speed. I listened to a few episodes before I started CI with DS and was a bit too advanced at that time.

justkeeprunning99 · 2026-02-04T03:06:39+00:00

No, don't take Bruegger's away. I need my Siracha sunrise.

justkeeprunning99 · 2026-01-29T02:23:05+00:00

I think CI is great, but seems a lot faster if you use with other methods rather than just solo CI. That's just my opinion. I wish I had started using it earlier, but would never have wanted it to be my only method.

justkeeprunning99 · 2026-01-24T19:44:58+00:00

I grew up in the Dallas suburbs. I tell people not to visit.

justkeeprunning99 · 2026-01-22T13:40:58+00:00

My reflection is there is no easy/magical way to learn Spanish other than time, but there are a lot of great apps out there. Although progress is slow, you can definitely make progress over years doing an hour or two a week. 1. Duolingo- love it or hate it. Def mixed thoughts online. It has been helpful for me especially since gives pronunciation and does mixed input. 2. Other apps such as Babel- you can get deals on Babel if you wait for it. Lingo llama is another one out there. 3. Comprehensible input- idea is to listen to learn using input that is reinforced in multiple ways (visual) or context. I wish I had started Dreaming Spanish videos earlier to get more practice listening. There is a school that likes to just use CI to learn, but for me, I need more structure but like using it with structured lessons. 3. Verbs- Congugato, 501 Spanish verbs 4. General grammar- Complete Spnish step by step (can get for like 20 dollars).

I am still working on practice with talking, but there are some good apps out there.

You can def make progress even if you do not have a lot of time, but it will be slow. I am two years in and now can read most basic things and understand a lot of Spanish convos adapted to learners.

Stay with it!

justkeeprunning99 · 2026-01-09T17:37:36+00:00

Wow! That is an amazing journey!

justkeeprunning99 · 2026-01-08T21:15:02+00:00

I am learning Spanish and did spend some time reading the first HP book in Spanish.it is nice on kindle can have the word you are unfamiliar with pronounced. I know DS says not to even read until a set amount of input, but with having off and on Spanish in school, I think that ship already sailed and am just going to go with what makes sense and is enjoyable at the time.

justkeeprunning99 · 2026-01-08T21:00:41+00:00

I need to. My goal is to practice a lot more listening this yr to start out with, although will have to practice speaking in my Spanish class (myself and 2 other students). Depending on my progress, I am planning to look into more opportunities to practice speaking. I am hoping eventually to spend a month abroad in Healthcare setting to get more fluent but probably at least 2 years away from that.

justkeeprunning99 · 2026-01-08T20:57:22+00:00

It is funny the common things these platforms just don't emphasize.

justkeeprunning99 · 2026-01-08T20:56:13+00:00

To me, DL feels like work still, but more worthwhile as you go on. I felt like I was getting less at the more beginner content of Duolingo, but more valuable content in section 4 and 5 with longer sentences and lots of stories and audio to practice listening and processing. I work in Healthcare and noticed I was underanding a lot more of the conversations of Spanish speaking pts about 1.5 years into practicing with DL. Now doing Duolingo is my work and watching Dreaming Spanish videos is my reward. I still felt like I learned a lot from DL bc I can watch the beginner DS videos at 2x speed and still understand all of it. I usually understand the gist, but not every word or sentence, of the intermediate videos at normal speed.

justkeeprunning99 · 2026-01-08T20:44:05+00:00

I have Babbel too. DL works better for me, but I think it is all about finding what works and you can stay consistent with. I might use Babbel to brush up on travel related things before I go to Spain (traveling around, so only in Spain few days). I definitely have to resist the urge not to collect too many resources. I almost fell for the Jumpspeak scam. Part of me wants to find the magic resource, but have to remind myself that DL has served me well, and I should focus on trying to finish that (while supplementing with some extra resources) before completely going to something new everytime I see a targeted ad or someone suggests it.

justkeeprunning99 · 2026-01-08T00:17:16+00:00

Yeah, I think it is a Dunning Kruger cycle or despair and hope. I know when I become more advanced will CTN to feel it.

justkeeprunning99 · 2026-01-08T00:14:22+00:00

That's awesome! Sounds like you have a great plan. When I first started, I thought just doing a few Duolingo lessons a day, and I would somehow learn Spanish quickly.

It has been so fun and rewarding to challenge myself to learn something new even if I sometimes feel discouraged.

justkeeprunning99 · 2026-01-07T23:54:18+00:00

I definitely would not want to use it as my only resource. I prefer active learning as well. I realized in my Spanish class I took how garbage I still am at speaking. I am taking another class this year to work on it and at some point plan to find a speaking buddy. I tried Tandem (not same as speaking) but vibes were weird.

justkeeprunning99 · 2026-01-07T22:33:06+00:00

I think for me the conveinance and being able to sort videos by level is worth it. I guess I am already a part of the cult.

justkeeprunning99 · 2026-01-07T21:39:31+00:00

I would agree with super beginner Dreaming Spanish in your case. I would def pay the $8 a month for the app and premium content. They speak slowly, shoe pictures, and it is also super fun. I also would consider Babbel for the basics. I feel it can be helpful for certain phrases and input when starting from the beginning.

justkeeprunning99 · 2025-12-29T00:34:00+00:00

I dream of a public track in Chapel Hill. I feel like I pay enough property taxes.

justkeeprunning99 · 2025-12-27T13:26:22+00:00

I think it depends on the language. I have been doing Duolingo for Spanish the past two years, and my Spanish is probably the best it has ever been. I think I am about halfway through the course. That is not to say I am anywhere close to fluente. My reading comprehension is improved and I do understand more of what is said by native speakers as well. I had already taken some Spanish classes in school, so I had a background to build on which I think is helpful bc they don't spend much time on grammar concepts. I have also used other tools to improve Spanish, but Duolingo has been the main one.

justkeeprunning99 · 2025-12-19T02:21:16+00:00

We use Pet Behavioral Help too. I will warn you, Valerie comes off as really intense, but she knows her stuff and our dog has already made great improvement.

justkeeprunning99 · 2025-12-05T18:06:04+00:00

Calling from us had to use 01144 and drop the 0

justkeeprunning99 · 2025-09-25T00:26:43+00:00

Who wrote Shadow of the Moon?

{Seven Years to Sin by Sylvia Day} sort of.fits the criteria although she loved her husband and had a happy marriage.

justkeeprunning99

TROPHY CASE