Duolingo is a popular platform in the world of language learning. On it, you can learn any language freely without paying anything. There are a lot of languages available on the platform especially for English speakers. One such language available on the platform is Dutch. Thus here we will help you to know more about learning the Dutch language on Duolingo and help you to know if is Duolingo good to learn Dutch language.
Quick Takeaways
The Dutch course on Duolingo is created in a manner in which you follow a specific learning path which was earlier known as the Duolingo tree.
The course has a lot of different units which further have different lessons that help to focus on a single skill in the course.
Currently, there are 6 units and 6 checkpoints (in the early Duolingo tree).
There are various exercises that you get in the course – Tap the pairs, Tap what you hear, Speak this sentence, etc.
There are different special features like Audio lessons, podcasts, etc. However, when you learn Dutch you will not get any special features except for Duolingo stories and that too unofficial platform known as Duostories.
There are many common features that you get with the course- Duolingo league, gems, friends, etc.
If you are a beginner you must try using Duolingo to learn the Dutch language to get the basic knowledge.
On the other hand, if you already know the basics and want higher-level knowledge, Duolingo may not be helpful for you.
However, you must read till the end so that you do not miss any of the important facts that are related to learning the Dutch language with Duolingo.
Is Duolingo good to learn Dutch?
Whenever you are learning a new language it is very important to know if or not it is a worthy platform for you. So if you are using Duolingo to learn the Dutch language you must know how worth it is for learning the language. As Duolingo is afree tool which is useful to start from if you are on a tight budget. Further, if you are a fresher you must use this platform as it will help you to develop the basic knowledge of the course.
On the other hand, if you already have some basic knowledge and want to get to an advanced level then you may not find it useful. You may also lose your motivation while learning it, thus you must try to stay away from the distractions while learning the lesson. One of the reasons is you may start losing interest in the course. If that is the case, you can remove the course from Duolingo. To help you know better about it we have discussed the benefits and drawbacks of learning the Dutch language on Duolingo.
What are the benefits of learning Dutch with Duolingo?
The following are the benefits of learning Dutch with Duolingo –
If you are a beginner, using Duolingo to learn a new language is the perfect choice. The lessons are created in such a manner that you can easily develop your knowledge for learning the language. You will also see a lot of funny statements that will help you to easily develop your skills in the language.
If you are tight on the budget, then using Duolingo should be your choice. It is because all the courses on the platform are free to take up.
The stories and the events will help you to get more practice in your communication skills.
As the platform is a game-based learning platform you will be getting engaged on the platform.
What are the disadvantages of learning Dutch with Duolingo?
The following are the drawbacks of learning Dutch with Duolingo –
You will not get any special features like other courses for learning the Dutch language.
If you are a user who uses Duolingo on mobile, you only get 5 lives. It means that you can only make 5 mistakes while taking up the course.
If you are looking to learn a language above the A2 level, you will not be able to get that from the platform.
Dutch course is very short when compared to other courses. There are only six units for the Dutch course which means there are also very few lesson levels in the course. Thus try to use some of the alternatives with Duolingo for getting more knowledge.
Although further, we have discussed in detail learning the Dutch language on the Duolingo platform.
How is the Dutch course designed on Duolingo?
When you are taking up any of the courses, like Italian, Portuguese, Japanese, etc, you will see that they follow a particular way which is known as a new learning path. Earlier this path was known as the Duolingo tree. Learning Dutch also follows the same format as Duolingo. In this tree or the path, you will see the different number of units having different lessons. These lessons help you to develop the basic knowledge of the language you are learning. Each unit will help you to learn a specific skill and they were created in the Duolingo incubator.
When you go through the lessons, you will be able to get perfect in the language. Further, you will also get different features like XP, stories, legendary levels, etc, which we will be discussing here later. However, you must always remember that as the new learning path is the current update, you may still be on the Duolingo tree.
What are the different activities that are available for learning Dutch with Duolingo?
Whether you are taking a fictional language – High Valyrian or a popular language – Russian, Portuguese, and French, you will be getting almost similar exercises for all the courses. Thus, we have mentioned some of the exercises that you will be getting in most of the courses-
Complete the translation
Translation
Sentence shuffle
Mark the correct meaning
Select the missing word
Picture flashcards
Tap the pairs
Tap what you hear
Speak this sentence
Are there any special features for learning Dutch with Duolingo?
If we talk about other courses like Spanish, there are a lot of different special features that you get with the course. Some of the special features that you get for other courses are – Duolingo stories, Podcasts, and Audio Lessons. All these features help you more in learning the language deeply. However, if you are thinking of learning Dutch on Duolingo you will not get these special features.
But there is a one plus point over here which is that you can access the Dutch stories unofficially. Although we will understand how can you get them. But let us first understand what Duolingo stories are. Duolingo stories are the ones that you get in between your units. These stories are generally of shorter duration for 10-15 minutes.
In these stories, you will get two different Duolingo characters talking in their native voice. Further, they are designed in such a manner that it will help you to develop your communication skills like listening and reading. Earlier it also helped to test your speaking skills. Now that you know what is Duolingo’s story, let us find out how can you get them unofficially.
How to get the Dutch stories?
As we discussed, there are no stories in the Dutch course, but you can still get them through an unofficial platform called Duostories. Duostories is basically a community project which converts all the stories available for different courses in different languages. If you are an English speaker and are learning the Dutch language, you will be able to get 36 Dutch stories for yourself.
Further, if we talk about other stories, there are around 875 stories that are converted into 42 different languages available on Duolingo. Also, you will not have to spend a single penny for the Dutch stories and thus is definitely worth using.
What are the other features that you get while learning Dutch with Duolingo?
Below we have discussed the other features that are available for learning the Dutch language with Duolingo-
1. XP Score
Whatever you will do in Duolingo it will help you gain XP (experience points). Earlier XP was a factor that help to determine your progress of you in the course. However, with time it is now only a factor that helps to determine your position in the league. You can easily gain extra XP with the help of Duolingo happy hours or XP boosts. If you are taking part in Timed challenges like the Ramp Up challenge you will be earning more XP in less time. When you complete some of the challenges, you will be unlocking Duolingo’s achievements.
2. Duolingo Leagues
Duolingo leagues are the weekly competition where 30 random people compete with each other. When you are taking part in the league, you will have to go through 10 different levels. These leagues generally start on Monday evening and end on Sunday evening. These leagues also help you to get gems which are useful for unlocking new status icons or unlocking new lessons.
3. Heart system
When you are using Duolingo, you will see the heart system. In this system, you get 5 lives or hearts which represents the number of times you can make the mistake. Without this heart, you can not take up a new lesson and thus if you lose all five lives you will have to wait for refilling them.
It took four hours to refill them and if you want to refill them earlier you can take up a lot of practice or use gems for it. Further, it is also important to note that you will not be getting any heart system on the desktop version. Thus if you want to unlimited health you can always use the desktop version.
4. Duolingo gems
Duolingo gems are the official currency that you can use on the platform to purchase different boosters like streak freeze or unlock new lessons. When you are using Duolingo on mobile you will see it as gems in red colour. On the other hand, you will see them as lingots if you are using the desktop and are in Blue colour. Further to unlock the legendary levels you will again need to use these gems and thus they are an important part of Duolingo.
5. Adding Friends
When you use Duolingo you will find a lot of other people learning a similar language to yours. As Duolingo is a social experience, you can follow a lot of different people on it. When you follow the friends on the platform they will be in your following list under your friends tab. Further, if they follow you back they will be on your friends list. Having friends on the platform is important as they will help you in unlocking your friends quest.
6. Duolingo Plus
Although Duolingo is a free tool to use, still it offers a free membership which is known as Duolingo Plus or Super Duolingo. There are generally two types of subscription plans – individual and Family packs. With the help of it, you get unlimited hearts and get rid of ads. Further, it also helps you get some additional features like quizzes which help you to practice your language more.
7. Duolingo events
Events are basically an extra feature to get more perfect in the chosen language. They are the best way of practising communication skills with the other people on the platform learning your language. In it, you will be in a video call with other users with whom you can communicate in your targeted language. They are basically extra support that you get outside your regular lessons. On completing these events you can earn the highest number of gems i.e. 250 gems which are too good.
8. Streak score
The number of days that you take up in a row that you take up for completing a single lesson is known as the streak score. So if you are taking up 7 days in a row to complete a lesson, the streak score becomes 7. Once you make a streak score of 365 days you will be able to unlock the streak society and get VIP status. In the streak society, you get three free streak freeze that helps you to freeze the streak if you are unable to go on the platform.
9. Duolingo happy hour
Duolingo happy hour is the hour in which you can earn some extra XP. When you complete a lesson in the happy hour you get 5 extra XP for it. So if generally, you are getting 10 XP for completing a lesson, you will be earning 15 XP for it. On the other side, if you are getting 15 XP for completing the lesson (5 extra for completing the lesson without making any errors), you will be earning 20 XP. Further, if you have used XP boost in the Happy hour, it will help you to double the XP i.e. 30 and 40 XP.
What level can you get learning Dutch with Duolingo?
Taking up the course on Duolingo means that you are getting the knowledge of the language at a level which is at A1 and A2 level. When you are on the platform you will be not getting advanced-level knowledge. However, with time you will be getting the course at the B2 level on the platform.
Conclusion
When you are using Duolingo you do not need to pay a penny for getting the course. It means that learning g Dutch is also free on the platform. When you take the course, it is divided into different units which further have a lot of different lessons. Each unit focuses on a single skill which helps to develop the language skills. Each lesson has different types of exercises like tapping the pairs, translations, etc. Duolingo also provides some additional special features for some of the courses. But there are no special features for Dutch. Although there is an unofficial platform known as Duostories.
With the help of this platform, you will be able to get stories from different languages in Dutch. There are different features that you will get on Duolingo for different courses like XP Score, Duolingo leagues, Duolingo events, etc. Further, if you are a newbie, you must use this platform as it will help you to get the basic of the language. On the other hand, if you already have the basic knowledge and are looking for advanced knowledge you may not find this platform worthy to use.
FAQs
How many people learn Dutch on Duolingo?
The number of users for every language is different. Currently, there are 5.40 million people learning the Dutch language in Duolingo.
How much does the Dutch course cost on Duolingo?
Duolingo is a platform that helps you to learn the course for free. Thus they do not cost you any penny for taking up the course. However, you can also take up the subscription plan which will help you to get rid of unnecessary features like adds and adding extra features like quizzes.
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