I've been on Duolingo for almost two years and I've been learning German since October 1st last year - so for 14 months now. And the more I use Duolingo, the more I realize that such language apps were made for me. Of all the language learning tasks I set to myself at the beginning of the day, doing my Duolingo exercises is the only one I do with enjoyment and for the fun of it and that is why often in the end of the day it is the only one I have actually done. All the other stuff I try to accomplish - practice words on Anki (I try this pretty systematically), do written grammar exercises (my grammar textbook is still almost untouched), write a diary in German (nope, abandoned on the 6th day), read a book (a paragraph a day, at most), I do reluctantly and as a chore.
So, I was enjoying Duolingo even before they updated it, but the new concept they introduced feels even better. Now you follow a path, alternate between different themes, do a lot of full sentence translations from German to English and vice versa and in my opinion this approach makes you optimize the time spent on Duolingo in memorizing and learning, rather than drilling the same topic ad nauseam. Before, I used to take a week and even 10 days to pass a lesson, while now I am striding along at a pace of at least two lessons a week, and not at the expense of learning. The fact, that, a bit coincidentally, just before the update I added Anki flashcards to my language routine definitely helps. I really feel I am making a progress.
So, as a counterbalance to all the moaning and complaining - a good word and a praise from me :) Way to go, Duolingo!
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