Learning Danish with Duolingo

Last updated: 31st October 2023

Most language learners – from beginners to advanced – know the app Duolingo and its very characteristic green owl. That platform has gained popularity because it offers a convenient and interactive way to acquire new language skills. In this blog post, I'll try to look at the pros and cons of learning Danish with Duolingo – a language renowned for its unique phonetics and challenging grammar – and whether or not the app is effective when it comes to helping you master the Danish tongue.

Duolingo Danish

Compared to their actual population size, we can easily say that Nordic languages on Duolingo are quite popular among learners. Swedish and Norwegian are the top two contenders with 1.91 million and 1.47 million learners, respectively. Finnish takes third place among Nordic languages with 922,000 learners, and Danish lags behind with "only" 867,000 learners, making it the least popular among the four. But how come?

Image from duolingo.com/courses on 31st of October 2023

This disparity can be attributed to several factors, but my guess is that pronunciation plays the biggest role here. It's no secret that Danish is often considered to have a more complex pronunciation than its Swedish and Norwegian counterparts. While Duolingo's learn-as-you-go approach tends to work really well for many languages where the written and the spoken form are closer – or even more intuitive in many ways – Danish learners on Duolingo might be discouraged by the enormous discrepancy between the written word and how it is pronounced. If they aren't introduced to basic pronunciation rules, they might not hang in there for the long term.

Benefits of Learning Danish with Duolingo ✅

Accessibility and Convenience

One of the main benefits of Duolingo's app is how accessible it is – you can pick up your phone and do a Danish lesson wherever and whenever – and at your very own pace. Are you waiting for your coffee at the local cafe? Maybe you have some time to spare on your daily commute? Duolingo makes it easy to learn Danish on the go with its bite-sized lessons. It's worth mentioning that you can also access your lessons from the browser on your computer.

Gamification for Motivation

The app has been extremely successful when it comes to integrating gamification elements – and that really makes learning Danish on Duolingo a lot more engaging. You can set daily goals, get new badges, earn rewards by completing lessons, obtain streaks, compete with friends, and much more. Who doesn't like a little healthy competition to stay motivated?

Structured Learning

While Duolingo is known for its nonsense sentences, the curriculum is actually extremely well-structured, as it guides learners from basic phrases to more advanced grammar and vocabulary. Even the sentences that might not look like they make sense, will slowly teach your brain how to think more abstractly in the other language. learning experience.

Always Free – But You Can Go Premium

Since Duolingo is essentially free, it can potentially introduce Danish to a wide audience. However, you will be subject to ads. If you prefer an ad-free experience, you should rather by the premium subscription called Duolingo Plus. The premium version would also allow you to download lessons so you can access them offline. You'll never have to miss a Danish lesson again.

Varied Types of Exercises

Duolingo provides a variety of exercises, including listening, speaking, and writing, so you get a somewhat holistic approach to practicing your language skills.

Cons of Learning Danish with Duolingo ❌

Limited Conversation Practice

Duolingo can be super helpful when it comes to building vocabulary and a basic understanding of grammar, but it has a somewhat limited capacity to facilitate real-world conversations. Especially pronunciation can be challenging to master if you use nothing but this app and the situations presented might feel a bit too scripted.

Lack of Cultural Context

You can't learn a language in isolation. I repeat. You can't learn a language in isolation. With Duolingo, you'll get little to no understanding of Danish culture and the context in which certain sentences are used. Without exposure to real-life scenarios or Danish social context, you're missing out on something really important.

Too Much Translation, Too Little Construction

Many of the Danish exercises on Duolingo are focused on translating Danish into English or English into Danish, but the learners don't have to come up with or construct sentences from scratch. To become fully proficient in a language like Danish (or any other, for that matter), you'd have to rely less on this.

How Effective is Learning Danish with Duolingo?

Duolingo can without a doubt be an effective starting point for learning Danish. However, without a correct and thorough introduction to Danish pronunciation, new learners might feel easily discouraged to continue. The discrepancy between written and spoken Danish might simply be too big and overwhelming.

If people manage to overcome this, Duolingo can definitely provide a structured approach to vocabulary and essential grammar, but if you want to take your Danish to the next level, you'd need additional resources and real-world practice. If you look at online forums, many say they use Duolingo as a supplement to their Danish learning journey. If you have limited resources close to you, I do strongly recommend watching Danish movies, listening to Danish music, as well as reading Danish news or literature.

Conclusion

Learning Danish with Duolingo can be a great experience, but it's important to recognize the platform's limitations – especially when it comes to Danish pronunciation and cultural understanding. I truly recommend using the app together with other resources (and real-world practice if possible). As a lover of all things Danish myself, I always get super excited when I see people wanting to learn my mother tongue, so I truly appreciate your effort. God arbejdslyst – og held og lykke! 🇩🇰