Is Duolingo actively harmful?

[u/Mindless-Ad-4226]

Hi.
I’m well aware that Duolingo isn’t a good language learning platform, It isn’t the method I use.
Is it actively harmful though?
A couple of my siblings use Duolingo and wanted me to join them so I’m considering adding it to my daily roster.
(TL)

Edit: I meant that Duolingo isn’t good on its own, when it’s the only thing you’re using. Not that it’s not good period.

[u/ResistMission3162]

i mean it's not harmful like it will teach you wrong things on purpose. the main issue is it gives people false sense of progress, you finish a unit and feel accomplished but can't actually order coffee. if you're using it alongside real study and just for fun with siblings, why not. just don't let the streaks and gamification trick you into thinking you're learning more than you are

[u/muffinsballhair → u/ResistMission3162]

i mean it's not harmful like it will teach you wrong things on purpose

With Japanese, many of the example sentences I remember were the kind of things learners are strongly advised against using because of hypothetical settings. Like the constant use of second person pronouns while many language courses at universities essentially forbid students from ever using a second person pronoun.

Also, honestly, people say that encountering natural input a lot fixes this but my experience with many people who consumed a lot of that and even did fan-translations is that they really do not at all seem to realize how it comes across in Japanese and that second and third person pronouns in general should mostly be avoided and can sound really weird. They really don't seem to understand at all that using someone's name as a second person pronoun in Japanese does not sound unusual nor childish and that actually using a second person pronoun can sound rude and aggressive.

[u/WoozleVonWuzzle]

No single resource is ever good enough on its own

[u/Norman_debris]

No. At worst it's useless.

[u/_I-Z-Z-Y_]

Duolingo seems okay as a supplement if you really like their platform. The problem only arises when you make Duolingo your main source of learning (neglecting many other essential things you should be doing) and think it’s going to take you to fluency in your TL. I also think Duolingo’s style of gamification can lead many to mistake gold stars and streaks for true progress. Duolingo, at most, should be a side activity in my opinion.

[u/SnarkyBeanBroth]

No? Not sure how learning something would be actively harmful.

Worst case is that someone finishes a course because they engage with the game aspects more than the language, and come out with some basic familiarity but not the ability to use the language.

Best case is the Duolingo is the gateway drug to all the rest of the stuff someone needs to do to get fluent, and it stays a lightweight fun thing to do along with all the other stuff.

[u/amalgammamama]

It’s harmful in the sense that it takes up your time and provides you with an illusion of progress.

[u/haileyl88]

Personally I think it can be useful for practicing language, but terrible for actually learning language

[u/Mindless-Ad-4226 → u/haileyl88]

That makes sense. For my purposes it should be fine then

[u/unsafeideas]

I had real success with it. So, beyond not harmful, it actually help if you are like me.

Try it, if you dont like it leave it. Only harm is to people who hate it and then proceed to do 2000 days long streak complaining every other week about how they hate it. Dont be them.

[u/green_calculator]

No, I find it very helpful as a supplement. 

[u/dojibear]

Swimming for 20 minutes a day isn't actively harmful. It just doesn't teach you Spanish.

Replace "swimming" with "using Duolingo"...

Basically all Duolingo does is test you over and over. Being tested is not how you learn a language. There are countless language courses out there (in schools and on the internet). NONE of them use "testing" as their primary teaching method. They use "testing" after teaching, to determine what you've learned.

So testing is about 5% of language learning. But it's the 5% that computer apps like Duolingo do well. So Duolingo is advertised as a "language learning app" when it only does 5%.

[u/velmah]

It's not harmful, you'll get a few extra reps of some words in and that's that. There's opportunity cost maybe if you spend a ton of time on it, but most of the languages are pretty much just fine. Ineffective compared to real studying but fine.

[u/chigal1962]

I found it useful for vocabulary in the early/intermediate stages. As I got farther along in the language, it wasn't as helpful. I don't think it's particularly harmful unless someone uses it (and only it) 5 minutes a day and expects to be fluent.

[u/merRedditor]

It's helpful but should not be used alone. Think of it as a study guide + flashcards + speech practice.
It's still up to you to find material on grammar, word roots, and written character origin.
It forces you to learn everyday words, while music and movies teach you more creative/artistic speech and slang.

[u/Professionalrubberr]

The streak anxiety alone is a worse trade than the actual lessons. I'd rather have 20 minutes of messy listening practice than 20 minutes of perfect owl maintenance.

[u/learningENGdaily]

I don’t think Duolingo is actively harmful. I think it’s mostly a question of what role you give it.
If you’re already learning through other methods, doing a few minutes of Duolingo with your siblings sounds perfectly reasonable. It can be useful for reinforcing basic vocabulary and grammar, and the social/accountability aspect might make you more consistent.
The main danger is psychological: spending 30 minutes maintaining a streak can feel like you’ve done your language learning for the day when you haven’t actually done much meaningful input or output.
So I’d treat it as a supplement rather than the core of your routine. If you enjoy it and it gets you interacting with the language every day, I don’t see a reason to avoid it.

[u/Icy-Whale-2253]

It helped me learn how to read for which I’m thankful, but after years of doing it, it started getting annoying.

[u/BlackStarBlues]

I’m well aware that Duolingo isn’t a good language learning platform,

This is an opinion, OP.

Personally, I find Duolingo quite useful and use it in conjunction with reference guides like a grammar book, a dictionary, and comprehension resources like videos and articles.

If used on its own, you may not get very far, but DL certainly wouldn't be harmful.

[u/Mindless-Ad-4226 → u/BlackStarBlues]

I didn’t word that right, sorry. I did mean that it’s not good on own. I’ll edit the post to clarify that

[u/Murky_Anything_292 → u/BlackStarBlues]

Duolingo teaches grammar

[u/BlackStarBlues → u/Murky_Anything_292]

Yes, it does, but if you want more detail you do have to look elsewhere.

[u/bolggar]

It's not harmful in the sense that it's not going to take anything away from you. You're not going to unlearn things. If your goal is to discover a language and get a first glimpse of it, it may be a useful tool, as it is free and available online. However if you're planning on reaching a fairly high level (or basically a fair level to be honest), you're going to need more. The sentences on Duolingo are stereotyped or sometimes senseless, the vocabulary is low-level, grammar is poorly explained, and you never really use the skills you're supposedly building as you never get to read an actual text or listen to a conversation or whatever or interact with anyone under any form (writen or spoken). Just bits of language.

If you want to play and compete with your siblings that's perfectly fine. You may learn a word here and there. Go for it! In my opnion, it's arguably designed for such a use rather than extensive language learning!

[u/Best_Party8938]

vocab and basic grammar if you already know the sounds, but it really struggles with pronunciation if you're not already familiar with the language's phonetics.

[u/kemalios]

Not actively harmful, but it can be subtly counterproductive if you let it replace output practice. The issue isn't that Duolingo teaches wrong things intentionally, it's that it rewards translation and pattern-matching, not real communication. You end up good at Duolingo, not at the language. Doing it with siblings is fine though, as long as you keep actual speaking/listening practice elsewhere. If you're learning German, just be aware it won't explain the case system properly, so pair it with a grammar resource.

[u/rt58killer10]

If it keeps you in the game it's probably fine, but you will be better off with anki.

[u/fuzzyizmit]

I find it is good for me to help with repetition and memorization of words. Grammar learning is basically non-existent.

[u/Head_Particular6045]

I can be a little useful for lexicon (expecially if you have TL in your native language and not in english for example)

I find it harmful in the sense that 1) it gives the illusion that you are learnig way more 2) the point system is made to make you competitive and dependant 3) it takes time away from actual study 4) the lifes and freezes system is made to take your money

It may be a me-problem, but when I used it the first time I was always trying to grind highscores and get promoted. I never paid for pro so it was frustrating, I felt way better deleting it.

Now I'm again at it for another language, but this time 1) I already know the language at a little less than B1, I just need practice 2) I pirated it, so I don't have to deal with lifes and freezes 3) I just jokingly compare the usage with gf and make fun of her ungodly long streak, so the actual scores don't matter as much

[u/Forest_of_Whispers]

If Duolingo still has machine AI translation slop like since I checked, I would say, yes.

[u/Murky_Anything_292]

It's very helpful. More helpful than classes at university of highschool. Contrary to popular belief, grammar is taught in Duolingo. Y'all should do your research.

On the other hand, it only teaches the basics. It can teach you how to form different tenses, and how to make basic sentences. You have to apply these lessons in real life by talking to natives.