Learning the German Language with Duolingo In-depth Guide 2024 (Is it Free?)

Duolingo is one of the most popular language-learning platforms where you can learn popular as well as non-popular languages freely. It is a platform that allows you to boost your language knowledge while sitting at home. If you are a person who wants to learn the German language through Duolingo but is not sure whether you should use it or not, then here we will guide you more about learning the German language with Duolingo. 

Quick Takeaways

• There are different units in the Duolingo German course. Each unit contains separate lessons, and when you finish them, you progress to the next one.
• If you’re studying German, you’ll get two extra features: Stories and Match Madness.
• Other features that you get in this course include gems, leagues, friends,  etc. 
• The app offers you both free and paid versions of it.
• If you are a beginner on a tight budget, you can take German on Duolingo.
• If you are searching for great fluency and advanced knowledge of the subject then you should not consider using Duolingo.

However, you must read till the end so that you get a better understanding of whether you should learn German with Duolingo or not.

How is the German course designed on Duolingo?

As a user of Duolingo, you must be aware that all the courses are structured in a similar manner. However, if you are a new user of it then you must want to know how the course works. If we talk about the new update, then the courses run in a specific manner which was earlier known as Duolingo tree. Whether we talk about Spanish, French, Japanese, etc, all the courses follow the particular Duolingo tree. The path that you will follow will include a lot of different units. 

Each of the units includes different topics skills etc that will help to boost up your language knowledge just like Greek language. Each of the skills includes different lessons that help you to improve your knowledge. When you complete a particular skill, it helps you to get the legendary levels that will help you unlock the crown. All the lessons on this platform are short and you can also download these Duolingo lessons offline. 

The units are designed in a manner that you can learn from the beginning level to the advanced level. There are a total of 114 units in German course. Every time you complete the lesson you will be unlocking the other lessons. However, if you are a Duolingo Plus member then you can also skip the units you think are easy to complete.

What are some of the exercises that you get in the German course?

Following are some of the exercises that you will be getting when you are learning German with Duolingo-

• Speak this sentence
• Mark the correct meaning
• Picture flashcards 
• Tap the pairs (standard and audio)
• Complete the translation 
• Tap what you hear
• Select the missing word 
• Sentence shuffle Translation 
• Fill in the blanks

Is learning German with Duolingo worth it?

Learning a new language like German helps in getting new jobs or increases the chances of getting selected for a reputed University. If you are using Duolingo to learn German you must want to know if you should use this website or not. According to the official website of Duolingo, you can become a learner at an intermediate level. Therefore if you are thinking of taking up a course that can help you to get the advanced level then this app is not for you.

However, if you are a new beginner and have just started learning German then this is a great platform for you. This app has both free and paid versions and therefore can be taken by any person. Further, we have discussed the benefits and drawbacks of learning German with Duolingo.

What are the benefits of learning the German language with Duolingo?

The following are the benefits of learning German with Duolingo-

• If you are a person who has just started learning the language then this platform is for you.
• As it is a platform that has a free version, you can give it a try especially if you are on a tight budget.
• All the content on this platform is easy to understand.
• This platform follows the game fight approach and thus you will find a lot of fun exercises along. You will also see funny statements during your exercises to make you more engaged with the content.
• When you are not able to take up the lesson or are unable to go online then Duolingo Owl will motivate you to learn the lesson.

What are the disadvantages of learning the German language with Duolingo?

The following are the drawbacks of learning the German language with Duolingo-

• There is a heart system in which you get five lives. Whenever you make a mistake while practising you will lose your life.
• If you are a person who has already completed the beginner level then you may not find this platform to be worth it.
• Further, we will be discussing the things that you will be getting in the course in detail for your better understanding.

Does the German course have any special features?

As an English speaker, you can learn around 40 different languages. However, an important point that you must remember is that not all the courses are created equally on the platform. Many courses have various special features like stories, match madness, AI-powered features (which are only available for Spanish and French courses) and timed challenges. Unfortunately, Germans do not have all these special features. The two main special features that you will find in the German course are the Duolingo stories and match madness.

1. Duolingo stories

are another feature that is designed to improve the reading listening and speaking skills of the learner. They are entirely in German and most of the stories are in long format. The stories are designed in a manner that the learners of all levels can easily complete them and find them a normal lesson. All you need to do is to answer a question that depicts your understanding of the story. It is one of the greatest measures that will help you to understand the lessons in a detailed manner.

2. Match madness

Match madness is one of the main time challenges that you will be getting on this platform. This challenge is basically an interesting way of matching the pairs. In this challenge, you will have to match the German words with the English meanings for a particular duration of time. The time will start being short with each of the rounds you take part in. There are lot of vocabulary used in the German language on Duolingo.

What are the other features of the German course of Duolingo?

Following are the common features that you get in the German course-

1. XP

Whenever you take up a new lesson or a challenge you get experience points or XP. These are the points that are awarded to you whenever you do a single activity. From some exercises, you may get more XP and from others, you may get less. Even when you take part in Duolingo leagues you will have to maintain your XP score so that you get on the top of the league. There are many features like XP ramp-up challenge or XP boosters that will help you to easily earn the experience points. 

2. Leagues

Duolingo leagues are competitions that will happen weekly to help you maintain your XP points. Additionally, when you are able to pass the league you are also eligible to get the Duolingo gems. There are a total of 10 different leagues starting from bronze to the diamond. If you are not able to pass the league you will be thrown back at the previous league. Therefore if you do not want to go back and want to proceed then you will need to maintain the XP score on the platform.

3. Gems

Duolingo gems are nothing but the currency of the Duolingo platform which you can use to unlock new lessons or buy boosters. You can get these gems by performing different activities like taking part in challenges or leagues. You can also get gems by following a person or making up a new friend. These gems can be used to unlock a legendary level or to buy the streak freeze.

4. Duolingo Plus

Duolingo Plus (presently Super Duolingo) is the subscription plan that you get on the platform. There are generally two types of subscription plans: individual and family plans. The cost of the subscription plan will depend upon whether you are taking an individual or a family plan. It will also depend upon the area where you are living and the duration of the subscription plan. The main advantage of taking the subscription is the removal of unnecessary ads and providing you with unlimited health.

5. Friends

Duolingo is a platform that not only helps you to learn the language but also helps you in making up new friends. A person becomes a friend of you when you both are following each other. The reason why you should be having friends is that you get eligible to take part in a friend quest. When you follow up with people the chances of completing the course is increased by five times. Additionally when you follow the first three friends then you are able to unlock a crown. 

6. Streak score

The streak score is the number of days taken by you to complete a lesson. If you have taken 10 days to complete lessons then your streak score will be 10. When you are reached at this streak score of 365 days then you will be unlocking some exciting features like streak society or the VIP status.

7. Heart system

When you are using Duolingo you will be getting a heart system in which you will only be getting five chances to take part in a lesson or take part in the practice. If you are not having a heart you cannot go to the next lesson. When you will lose all five hearts you will have to wait for four hours to refill the hearts. It takes 4 hours to refill a single heart. However, the best part is that you can do a lot of practice over using the gems to refill them. The best hack on Duolingo is when you are using Duolingo on the desktop version, you will be getting unlimited health. 

8. Duolingo events

Events are an additional feature that helps you to improve in the language you are learning. They are the best way of practising communication skills with other people around the world. In these events, you will be on the video call with other people and all you need to do is communicate in the targeted language. Basically, Duolingo events provide you with extra support in learning the lessons. When you complete these events you are able to get 250 gems.  However, currently, this feature is not available.

9. Duolingo happy hour

Duolingo happy hour is basically and is where you can earn extra XP. When you are completing a single lesson in the Happy hour then you will be getting 5 extra XP for it. Now, suppose on completing a lesson you get 10XP. When you take up it during the Happy hours then you will be earning a 15 XP score. It can be a perfect way of earning more XP scores especially when you are using an XP booster during the happy hour.

Conclusion

Duolingo is a platform where you can learn any language while being at home. On this platform, you will find a lot of different courses like Japanese, Italian, German, etc. When you are learning German with Duolingo, you will find that there are a lot of lessons under different units. You will need to follow all the units to completely learn the language. However, when you are using Duolingo to learn the language, you must remember that you cannot get to the advanced level. While learning this language you will also see a lot of different features like a health system, Duolingo gems, XP score, etc.

FAQs