Learning French with Duolingo In-depth Guide 2023

French is one of the most learned languages in the current world. If you are also thinking of learning it, you must have heard about Duolingo. Duolingo is a platform where you can learn different languages like French. However, you must know how learning French with Duolingo works and if it is really worth it or not. Thus here we will guide you about learning French with Duolingo in detail.

Quick Takeaways

• The French course follows a path with many units in it. To go on to the next unit, you must finish each of these units’ several lessons.
• You can access additional features like Duolingo stories, audio lessons and Podcasts.
• You may acquire a lot of features on the platform, such as gems, leagues, buddies, etc.
• If you’re a newbie with a tight budget, you can learn French on Duolingo. On the other hand, if fluency is your first priority, you might not think about it.

However, we still recommend you read till the end so that you do not miss any of the crucial facts related to learning French with Duolingo.

How is the French course designed on Duolingo?

Just like Spanish, Dutch, Russian, and other languages, French courses again follow a particular path which is also known as the Duolingo tree. This Duolingo tree has various units which include different lessons. These lessons involve various activities which help you to learn various parts of the language like grammar, vocabulary, etc. At present, there are 20-30 lessons in each unit which are 15-20 minutes long and you will also find a lot of funny statements in the lessons that will help you to stay engaged.

Thus you can conclude that it will help you a lot in learning the French language. When you complete the lesson or take part in any of the activities of the course, your Duolingo streak will increase by 1. As a member of Duolingo, you must also know that these courses were initially created as a part of the voluntary program Duolingo Incubator. You can also complete this course by watching it offline.

What are the different activities that are available for learning French with Duolingo?

There are different challenges that you have taken on the platform. Following are the different activities that you will be performing on Duolingo if you have taken French courses-

1. Practising listening

In this activity, you will have to hear the words of the native speaker of the targeted language. After that y you might be asked to complete a statement using a word or phrase from a list based on it.

2. Pairing

In it, you will be asked to match ten words properly. Of these 10 words, five will be in English and five will be in French. You will have to match these words based on their meaning.

3. Speaking training

After hearing a word or sentence said by a native speaker, you will have to repeat it so that Duolingo’s voice recognition programme may check your pronunciation. It is the best exercise to get fluent in the target language.

4. Fill in the blanks

In this exercise, you may see different Duolingo characters on your screen with different statements. You will have to complete these statements according to your own knowledge.

5. Writing the whole sentence

You may have a whole sentence written in French or English language and you will need to translate it. If the sentence is in French, you need to convert it into English and vice versa. 

6. Take part in the mock discussion

In this activity, you may have to choose the right option out of the given list of the words that are prompted on the screen. You will have to select the right meaning of a given word from the list of words on the screen.

What are the problems faced by beginners with French pronunciation with Duolingo?

The biggest problem that you may face is that there is not much gap between the two words and the pronunciation is too fast. If you are not satisfied with the course, you can delete that course. However, the following are the three main problems that you may face with French pronunciation –

1. French R

It is obvious that not many languages use this sound. The back of your tongue, and not your throat, presses against your soft palate to create this sound. You can learn to recognise that the French R is actually not a particularly strong sound when you listen to French speakers.

2. Nasal Vowels

Again something that is not commonly found in other languages. These vowels are the ones which you speak through your nose. They are not available in English languages. Following are the Nasla vowels in the French language-

in, on, an, en, un

3. Liaisons

As most of you are well aware of the textbook French you may not have the knowledge of it. Also if you are a beginner or someone who does not have much exposure to listening to the French language, you may not have the knowledge of them.

What are the special features of learning French with Duolingo?

Following are the different features that you get for learning French with Duolingo-

1. Duolingo french stories

The stories on this platform will help you to in boosting up your reading, listening and writing skills in the French language. All these French stories are generally for a few minutes. There are 288 stories currently available for the French language in Duolingo. These stories are designed in such a manner that they are available for users from all levels. 

2. Audio Lessons

In it, you will see different people talking about different French aspects. With the help of this activity, you will be able to get a lot of new vocabulary. You may also need to repeat what you have heard in the lesson. It will not only help you to boost up your speaking skills in the French language but also your listening skills.

3. Duolingo Podcasts

Duolingo Podcasts are a great way of practising communication skills. Although they are similar to audio lessons, in the podcasts you will not have to repeat the wording of it. If you are someone who already has knowledge of the basics of the language, you must listen to these podcasts.

What are the other features that you get while learning French with Duolingo?

Following are the features that you get while learning French with Duolingo-

1. XP score

You will begin gaining XP once you begin participating in and finishing lessons. Every task you do on the platform will provide you with XP points. The majority of your XP points will come from finishing the lectures. However, you can also get 40 XP from various timed challenges like the XP ramp-up challenge.

2. League

League is a weekly tournament in which 29 other people and you will be paired up at random. You can earn Gems through these leagues, which you can then use to unlock new lessons. These leagues also help you to maintain your Duolingo streak and help increase the XP score. Along with these leagues, you can take part in the legendary levels which will help you to get the crowns.

3. Gems

As discussed above gems are used to unlock new lessons on the platform. They are like a virtual currency on Duolingo by which you can purchase different things like a streak freeze. These gems are in blue colour and are available on the app. However, if you are using a desktop browser, you will see lingots which are blue in colour.

4. Friends

As Duolingo is a social experience you can make new friends on the platform. You also have the option to follow each other on this platform. With the help of this feature, you will also gain XP points. When you follow others your chances of completing the lessons will increase by 5 times. When you will be getting friends on the platform, you will be able to take friends quest.

5. Duolingo Plus

Duolingo Plus is the subscription plan that you get on Duolingo. It helps you to get some new features and remove some of the annoying ones. There are generally two types of subscription plans – Individual and Family plan. The features you get on both the subscriptions are same and the only difference between both is that you can share the family pack with 5 other people.

6. Streak score

When you will complete the lessons or perform an activity on the platform you will review a streak score of 1. These streaks will help you to know how much have you been active on Duolingo and how much you have already completed the course. When making a streak score of 365, you will also be able to unlock some additional benefits on Duolingo and you will get VIP Status and streak society.

How much does the French course cost on Duolingo?

When you are thinking of studying French on Duolingo, you do not need to spend a single penny on it. All the content in the course is free of cost and you can easily access it. However, if you want to enjoy the premium version, then you will need to buy it. The cost of it will depend upon which plan, the duration of the plan and where you are living. 

How does Duolingo teach French grammar?

Grammar is the basics of any language. Thus it should be taught with the help of everyday situations and also how to apply it. However, when you go on the lesson of the course you do not get much grammatical knowledge. In fact, you will get almost zero knowledge of it. Further, you will also get the words that are new to you and barely know their meaning.

However, by tapping on these words you will see their meaning of them. You may find some grammar tips before each lesson. On the opposite, to it, Duolingo must involve deep lessons based on basic grammar so that the grammatical roots of the learner must be cleared. 

What level can you get for French with Duolingo?

If you are thinking of learning the French language on Duolingo, you are expected to get A1 or A2 CEFR level. It means that you can only get a beginner or elementary level of the French language. You will get them only if you complete the lessons with full motivation and thus you must not lose them. Further, it also depicts that you will not be getting much knowledge of the French language until you become fluent in French. You will be unlocking the achievements and chests after every level.

Is Duolingo Good For learning French?

Duolingo is a platform on which you can learn different languages like Spanish, Japanese and French. If you are also interested in learning the French language, you might be not sure about if it is right to use Duolingo for learning it or not. Let us see it in two different ways – beginners and advanced levels.

As we discussed above that there are not many deep classes in French grammar you may not find it very helpful. So if you are a beginner you may think of using this platform for learning the French language. On the other hand, if you already have a basic knowledge of the language and want to advance your language knowledge, this platform may not be for you. We have further explained the advantages and disadvantages of learning the French language on the platform.

What are the benefits of learning French with Duolingo?

Following are the benefits of the French course with Duolingo 

• If you are a beginner, the French courses on Duolingo will help you in learning the basic of the language.
• If you are tight on the budget, you must choose a French course at Duolingo. As it is absolutely free and you do not have to spend even a single penny.
• Being a beginner you need to find the best platform for learning the French language. If you are using this platform as a fresher, you will get to learn the very basics of the French language.
• One of the best parts of learning French over other languages on Duolingo is that this course has got a lot of updates over time. Thus you get a lot of content for this course.

• The stories, podcasts and audio lessons help you to improve your French language learning.
• When you are learning the French language on Duolingo, you will go through various activities which are like a fun game. You will have activities like filling in the blanks, matching the words, etc which you will be enjoying.
• As you will start getting reminders from the Duolingo owl for completing the lessons, it is super motivating to use the platform. This owl is also the app icon for Duolingo.

What are the disadvantages of learning French with Duolingo?

The following are the disadvantages of learning French with Duolingo-

• You do not get much of the content if you already completed the beginner level. Therefore you must think of some Duolingo alternatives that will help you to learn the advanced level.
• If you are on the free version you will only get 5 hearts which acts like your life on the platform. So if you make a mistake you will lose one heart.
• As we discussed above there is not much for an advanced-level person to get fluent in the language. Though there are audio lessons which are designed to help you in improving your communication skills. Still, they are not much help.

Conclusion

French is one of the most learned foreign languages. You may also want to learn it and eventually landed on the platform known as Duolingo. The French course on Duolingo follows a path which is also known as Duolingo Tree. In this tree, you will have various units and each of the units have different lessons which have various activities. You can find different activities like filling in the blanks, taking part in mock discussions, etc.

When a person is studying French there are three main things that you may find problems in- French R, Nasal Vowels, and Liaisons. Thus there must be more classes on these problems. Also, you will get three main features for it – stories, audio lessons, and podcasts. You can only get fluent in the language at the A1 and A2 levels. There are many other features like XP, streak scores, leagues, etc. If you are a beginner then only you must choose it as you will not get much content and will also not be able to pay even a small fee. 

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