What is it: A free online service that has "gamified" language learning, while simultaneously incorporating all the principles of optimal learning, to get you learning a language quickly and with alot of fun.
http://www.duolingo.com
It was actually presented at TED, because if you do the extra translation exercises, you can also simultaneously help translate the web. That part isnt so well developed yet though, and the programmed exercises are complete without the web translation part.
Anyway Im LOVING this now. Been doing Spanish for a week, between 10 - 40mins a day. Its nothing like hard work and your brain really seems to effortlessly "get" the language.
Im sure its not perfect and you wont be fluent after 3 months of it. But it feels like it's giving me a solid base. I've been doing Spanish now for a week, and most of the present-tense verb conjugations have sunk in, as have questions, possessives and other basics, along with a couple hundred words of vocab.
The exercises are mix of listening, production (english --> target language) and comprehension, and the practice sessions used spaced repetition to determine which words you most need to practice to embed them further into your memory.. it really is genius.
What's amazing is how FUN it is... you gotta try it. they have really "gamified" it well, and it's free.
Currently they have Spanish, German and French. I think they're gonna be adding Portuguese and Mandarin sometime soon.
For me this is the shaping up to be a great tool for really absorbing a base of grammar and vocab. Check it out!
http://www.duolingo.com
It was actually presented at TED, because if you do the extra translation exercises, you can also simultaneously help translate the web. That part isnt so well developed yet though, and the programmed exercises are complete without the web translation part.
Anyway Im LOVING this now. Been doing Spanish for a week, between 10 - 40mins a day. Its nothing like hard work and your brain really seems to effortlessly "get" the language.
Im sure its not perfect and you wont be fluent after 3 months of it. But it feels like it's giving me a solid base. I've been doing Spanish now for a week, and most of the present-tense verb conjugations have sunk in, as have questions, possessives and other basics, along with a couple hundred words of vocab.
The exercises are mix of listening, production (english --> target language) and comprehension, and the practice sessions used spaced repetition to determine which words you most need to practice to embed them further into your memory.. it really is genius.
What's amazing is how FUN it is... you gotta try it. they have really "gamified" it well, and it's free.
Currently they have Spanish, German and French. I think they're gonna be adding Portuguese and Mandarin sometime soon.
For me this is the shaping up to be a great tool for really absorbing a base of grammar and vocab. Check it out!