Finished Duolingo in Spanish? Here are 2 Options to Continue

Summary: Duolingo can save you around 16.5 hours a month by taking care of different tasks like sourcing input, organizing tasks and mapping out a plan. After finishing Duolingo, many people find themselves overwhelmed by the lack of guidance in their language journey and the amount of tasks they suddenly face. In this article, you will learn 2 ways to replicate a Duolingo-like system for intermediate Spanish learners.

It took me 6 years of studying Spanish to become an interpreter. So whenever people told me that they were using Duolingo, I would roll my eyes and think As if this is ever going to work.

But!

Two years ago, I was planning a trip to Türkiye when it struck me that I literally don’t know anything about the Turkish language. So I got curious, downloaded Duolingo, and soon found myself getting sucked deeper and deeper into the universe of agglutinated words, reversed sentence order and weird logic.

Duolingo got me hooked. I could easily achieve a multiple-month streak without missing a single day. And I was actually sad when I finished the course.

But what makes Duolingo so addictive and popular? Glad you asked!

It’s not about the things it gives you (actually, most of its content is really far from reality). It’s about what it takes from you.

Let me explain.

  • Sourcing Input: If Duolingo was a person, he’d go to the farmers’ market for you, get you all the ingredients you need, chop them, cook them and serve them to you in three courses. You’d only have to chew and digest. That sounds trivial, but imagine all of the steps you’d have to go through if you had to source your own language input:
    Open your browser.
    Think about what you want (and need) to learn today.
    Find texts, audios or videos to fit your needs and level.
    Choose an activity.
    Questioning whether you’re doing is enough and effective.
    Doubting whether you really want to learn Spanish at all.
    When what you actually want to do is just consume input and study it.

    You’d easily loose 30 minutes every single day just to source input. If we assume that you study every working day for one month, that would amount up to 10 hours a month.

  • Mapping out a Plan: When I set off onto my Turkish journey, I had no idea was Turkish was, how much I would have to learn, where I stood and how far I still had to go. But luckily, Duolingo knows where to go and carries the map for you, so your only job is to move your legs and enjoy the journey.

  • Scheduling Tasks: By creating chunks of input and reminding you every day not to loose you streak, Duolingo makes sure that you’re getting some regular practice. If you did that yourself, you’d have to create your own exercises and spread them out in your calendar, which would take you probably another 20-30 minutes per day (all of this in addition to the actual practicing part). And 20 minutes per working day means around 6.5 hours a month.

  • Corrections & Rewards: Unless you’re working with a teacher, there’s not really feedback when you’re self-studying. With it’s instant corrections, Duolingo gets you into a loop of Tangible Progress –> Gratification –> Motivation –> Consistency.

In short: Duolingo is a simple system that cuts out all the fluff and saves you at least 16.5 hours a month.

Of course, Duolingo doesn’t teach a language. BUT: It gets you into the habit of language learning and gives you a lovely overview of what’s about to come.

(It gives you what I call stage 1 of skill-building. I wrote an article about the different stages, which you will find here).

But what happens post-Duolingo?

Many people quit Spanish after Duolingo for various reasons:

  • They don’t have a clear path anymore
  • They’re overwhelmed by all the additional time it takes to do the tasks Duolingo takes from you
  • They’re lacking accountability and a systematic approach

So, is this the end of Duolingo also the end of your Spanish journey?

No. You have 2 options to replicate the Duolingo system at an intermediate level.

2 Ways To Replicate The Duolingo System At An Intermediate Level (But Better)

Option 1: Draft Your DIY System

This option is for people who have 16.5 spare hours a month in addition to the actual study time (maybe because you’re working part-time, or you’re on a holiday from Uni).

If you’re such a person, congrats! Here’s how you can customize your own Duolingo-like system for intermediate Spanish:

1. Set SMART Goals And Draft Your Roadmap

SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-Bound. So, instead of striving to “get better in Spanish in 2024”, set goals like “Have a 30-minute conversation about my job within the next 2 months”.

Then create a list with all the components you need to achieve these goals. In the best case, a system where you can note down your progress.

Pro tip: Create a list with your SMART goal and then work your way backwards. Ask yourself:
What do I want to achieve and when?
Which components do I need to do so? Which kind of vocabulary, grammar and sentence structures?
Create a visual overview of everything you need.
Then tick off whatever you have learned.
That way, you’ll always know where you’re heading, where you stand and how far you still have to go.

2. Find Input For Your Needs

When sourcing input, I follow one simple principle: From the inside out.

Start with what’s most relevant to your life and then work your way outwards.

If travelling gets your juices flowing, read travel blogs.
Write about your last adventure.
Describe it in as much detail as you can.
Try to find words for how you felt and gradually dig deeper.
Then move on to another topic.
Use pages like El Pais, Vice, Wordpackers, Youtube or Podcasts as input.

Or download my ultimate guide for Spanish resources here for FREE.

Remember: You don’t read cake recipes if you want make BBQ. So don’t read news about monetary policy if you actually want to talk about your challenges as a freelancer last year.

Engaging with compelling, relevant material is important because lowers the entry bar to study. And on top of that, you’ll see progress quicker, because the topic you care about are usually also the topics you talk about with others.

Pro Tip: If you consume audios or videos, narrow down to one Spanish accent first. If you can’t decide which Latin American accent you’d like to go for, go for Mexican Spanish. You’ll get the most resources and one of the clearest accents.
If you’re still unsure, read my Guide To Latin American Accents here.

3. Create A Pool Of High and Low Energy Activities And Schedule Them

I wanted to write a text in Turkish everyday, but guess what? Writing and speaking takes a lot of energy. And as a grown-up person with a job, responsibilities, a life and goals outside of language learning, emotions and a mental health to take care of, it’s just not possible to do high-concentration work every day. The good news: You don’t have to.

Instead, create a pool of different high-energy tasks, such as writing or speaking, and low-energy tasks, such as listening to a podcast, and schedule them into your calendar.

Pro Tip: One of my low-energy tasks is simply taking a break.

Option 2: Delegate and Save 16.5 Hours

Option 2 for people who don’t have spare 16.5 spare hours a month.

But before you get too excited: There’s no shortcut in language learning. YOU will have to do the thinking for YOUR brain to create new pathways. That takes time and energy.

Problem: Time and energy are limited. If we pour them into 10 different buckets, we won’t go anywhere.

The good news: Although nobody can do the thinking part for you, there IS a way to cut out the fluff and save you 16.5 hours.

If you sign up for the waiting list of Story and Language Lab, the online Spanish community I’m currently building, you will get:

A Language Profile

A plan to define your goals and needs and a roadmap with the steps that will take you there

Learning Material and Smart Tasks

  • Weekly learning material based on the group’s interests and adapted to different levels. Designed for an immersive learning experience using the power of stories.
  • Writing and speaking challenges matching the weekly texts and designed to address your vocabulary, grammar and conversation needs

Bonus Material

  • Bonus: Access to a 200-page grammar hub
  • A chat function to practice your everyday Spanish

Curios?

Visit Story and Language Lab for more information or sign up here to be the first the be notified once the community launches!