I think I've pretty much said all this before, in previous editions of the language log.

But 1,000 days of Duolingo deserve a bit of a recap and a celebration, I think...

Especially when you think what kind of days they've been... This streak would have started in August 2019, when we were fresh back from Baku, and coronavirus was just the thing that gave you a cold...

Anyway, for what they're worth, these are my thoughts on the Little Green Owl:

1. I think Duolingo comes in for a lot of undeserved flak. It's not a silver bullet, but any language input is better than no language input, and Duolingo is ideal for bite-sized chunks when you can't find time for more.

2. Streaks are motivating, I think. They aid with the do-a-little-something-every-day approach. But the League Tables get you doing things for the wrong reasons, in my opinion, and are therefore best opted out of.

3. It's best not to become competitive, because it is definitely NOT a good idea to do too much DL in a day. If you have spare language time, use it to hoover up lots of comprehensible input (in either listening or reading modes).

4. If you already speak another language or two, plug them into Duolingo as your mother tongue, and use them to learn/practise a further language. This works even if you don't speak that primary language particularly well. I've picked up a lot of Turkish, for example, by using it to "learn" Russian, which I know better than Turkish (if you're following me).



5. If you're fed up with the annoying hearts business, swap between the app and the web version, which in any case has lots of advantages (such as a "review the lesson" function).

6. I still think a physical notebook (to be used only sparingly) would be a good accompaniment to my DL efforts. I haven't acquired one yet. But as soon as I'm home, and don't have to lug it around, I will.

7. Don't forget Clozemaster. Not nearly as graphically attractive as Duolingo, but still a very respectable app, I think. And, while the offerings on Memrise can be a bit variable, it's also useful for the little-bit-every-day thing when you're otherwise busy.