How I learnt 2 new languages using Duolingo, Football & Youtube

I have always been fascinated by languages. Ever since I was 11, when I used to spend my days playing Counter Strike on European servers, I always wanted to know what my teammates (and enemies who didn't use team chat) were talking about. Most of them were French/Spanish/Dutch and a few Germans and Russians here and there. They sounded like they were having a lot of fun in voice chat as well. I wanted to join in and actually be part of the conversation rather than just saying "Je m'appelle Kevin, oui oui, baguette" and getting a few giggles out of them.

Fast forward to 2017.

I was watching Bayern Munich's Champions League match vs Paris Saint Germain, when suddenly the lights went out and all I could see were the dimly lit street lights outside. I quickly pulled out my phone, searched for (totally legal) streams online and ended up on a shady looking website streaming the match in German. The mobile data speed was so excruciatingly slow that I could only stream the audio to try and make out what was going on in an otherwise highly exhilarating match.

It's also quite important to point out that German commentators aren't exactly the most exciting to listen to, especially when you're used  to Premier League commentators or Phil 'Bundesliga' Bonney, the English counterpart during German league games.

I had no idea when or how the goals were scored because of the dreadful, monotonous commentary, coupled with the fact that I knew nothing of the language. And so I decided, "I'm gonna learn German"

Initial Hurdles

Learning German felt like a monumental task during the first few days. The words felt so alien, unlike French (which I learnt as a secondary language during middle school) whose words bear some semblance to English. I tried completing a few lessons per day on Duolingo for the first few weeks, until I reached a point where I couldn't even recollect the words I learnt the day before. This was back when I had to prepare for my grade 12 finals and engineering entrance exams. So I gave up. I didn't even last 2 months.

Regained motivation

Fast forward to late 2019.

During my third semester in college, I took up French as one of my elective courses. I installed Duolingo again to brush up my basics. I also started listening to their podcasts on Spotify. I found it incredibly difficult to keep up with the pace with which they spoke. So I could only image how fast native French speakers were. With my curiosity piqued, I headed over to Youtube to see the truth for myself. One video lead to another, and I stumbled upon on a really interesting channel named 'Easy French', which then lead me to 'Easy German'.

Learning mediums

This is exactly what I had needed. Real life conversations with native speakers regarding all topics one could ever think of. While others in my dorm binge watched their favorite shows on Netflix, I watched random people talk about what they ate for breakfast on Youtube.

And it was actually working. Despite not being able to understand most of what they spoke, I was able to pick up the important words and phrases to put the pieces together and figure out what they were saying (the subtitles also helped out a lot, but I tried not reading them).

I also started listening to simple French and German songs, mostly indie pop. I would memorize entire songs every 2-3 days. I then tried out rap, but that was a bit of a stretch. I even deliberately started watching football matches in French and German to get a better grasp of the language. And trust me, German football commentary doesn't sound half as boring when you can make out what they're saying.

I binge watched Netflix's "Dark" a really thrilling German show revolving around time travel. Shows like "Dix pour cent",  "Le Bureau des Légendes" and "Lupin" were fun to watch as well. Oh yeah, I watched Amélie too (with subs of course). For beginners, I'd highly suggest "Les Grandes Grandes Vacances", a charming animated series set in WWII.

I actually stuck to my habit of completing at least 1 lesson per day on Duolingo. After I completed a 30 day streak, I felt a sense of accomplishment and challenged myself to go even further: A whole year of Duolingo.

Also, 2020 happened. I don't think I need to explain any further. The pandemic gave me the perfect opportunity to stick to daily habits and spend quality time advancing my skills.

Sticking to the plan

This time, it didn't even feel like a burden to keep the streak alive. Yeah, I may have used a streak freeze for a day or two, but it was only on those days right before exams, or when life had too much going on, or when I unfortunately fell asleep before seeing Duo's haunting notifications everyone's now aware of. I kinda got used to the grind. I regularly updated my achievements (100 day streak, 150 and so on..) on Twitter as a means to remind myself how far I've come. Whenever I used a streak freeze, I made sure I completed enough lessons the next day to make up for the lost gems. The Duolingo comment section/forum was extremely helpful as well. Every time I had difficulty understanding something I would just post a new comment and someone was always there to clarify my doubts. Duolingo stories also played a huge part. They were fun, interactive and didn't take much time (~5 mins) to complete.

The Results

And so here I am, in October 2021. I completed my 600 day streak a few days ago, and I'm proud to say I understand French and German (spoken by native speakers!). I never thought I could do this without actually staying in France/Germany. But I do have to point out that although my reading and listening skills have improved exponentially, my speaking skills haven't kept up with the same pace. To truly become fluent in any language, you need to practice every day, by conversing with native speakers, or signing up for online courses where you can interact with your teachers and fellow students. Or better yet, speak to random people through online games.

While you're at it, go ahead and follow me on Duolingo! 🦉