With more than 40 million daily users and 97.6 million monthly users, it is the most downloaded application in the world to master a new language. Launched in 2011, Duolingo never ceases to seduce the bilingual aspirants, by its simple, fun and above all free interface. “Wealthy people can afford large schools and good teachers, but this is not the case for poor people. So I wanted to do something that would give the same skills to access education to everyone ”retraces Luis von Ahn, the co -creator of the learning platform for modern languages, in an interview for Konbini.
A gateway to learning a language
Everyone can get started, even without any base. “We have developed an application not for people gifted in languages, but for average peopleoverbid the entrepreneur of Guatemalan origin. The most difficult thing to do when you learn something in self -taught is to stay motivated. So we made the most fun application as possible. ” Duolingo’s success is indeed in the system of gamification. This educational approach is based on a fun and engaging learning experience for users.
Outside the beaten track of traditional education, Duolingo is surfing the fascination for screens in a digital society with a limited concentration time. “The interface is pleasant and it is entertaining, I particularly like the learning quiz”says Pierre, 33, who has been studying Danes on the application for almost two years. “The sessions are not long, so I am diligenttestifies Muriel, 57, who has been working on her English for five years. I can do the lessons when I want during the day, without constraint of schedules or places. ”
The application which has a mascot a green owl is practical, fun, but above all addictive. Between repeated notifications, encouragement, rewards and multiple games offered, everything is thought of so that users spend their time on the platform. A welcome attendance when you try to master a new language. “Even if you use it by scraps on the right to left during the day, it works because learning goes through rehearsalsays Julie Vidal, professor of French as a foreign language (FLE) at the University of Aix-Marseille and author of a thesis on the teaching of an online language. Mobile applications have very effective algorithms, which allow a frequency of high use and individualization of corrections. ”
An observation shared by Pierre, which feels a progression thanks to his regularity on Duolingo. “It helped me a lot for pronunciation, because I can repeat and listen tospecifies the one who lives today in Denmark. I have an average level, but I still understand a lot of things. ” This young dad turned to the lessons on phone after testing Swedish face -to -face lessons, too time -consuming.
All profiles are affected
Katerina, 31, used the application for six months to study Arabic. “I am not too worn on mobile apps, but I was moving a lot during this period so I could not get involved in a specific day”tells the thirty -something. For Muriel, it was shyness that pushed her to convert. “Learn a language with other people, it bothers me, I don’t feel comfortable”confesses the Toulousaine. On Duolingo, the profiles are heterogeneous and the reasons for being endless, of the future expatriate in Brazil who studies Portuguese to the young frame who refines his English, including teens of K-Pop fascinated by learning Korean. The calm country’s dialect is more and more popular among users, even if 50% of them still use the platform with a green owl to learn English.
“On this type of application, we learn alone, so you have to be very independent. This is for people who already have a learning technique or at least school habits. ”
If Duolingo seduces a large audience, it is because it offers a learning spectrum for all tastes. Forty languages are available, including imaginary idioms, such as Haut Valyrien spoken in the series Games of Thrones. “They are not necessarily young people, there are all the age classes on the appunderlines Julie Vidal. Many people use it to learn a local language before going on a trip, for example. For others, like parents in working life, it is also a way to reactivate the learning they have already had at school. There is always a project behind, even if it is also a hobby. ”
The importance of oral interaction
Despite the craze, there are however limits inherent in mobile applications like Duolingo. “It is possible to learn a language with an application. Studies show that we can learn the equivalent of five semesters at university using Duolingo ”defends Luis von Ahn. But the bell sound is different among users. “There are a lot of superfluous and gadgets, it makes me waste time”annoys Pierre.
Especially since learning online comes up against a major obstacle, that of distraction. Between notifications to Gogo, the temptation to scroller on social networks or permanent distractions, concentrating in front of a screen becomes a real test. A study published in May 2025 also stresses that 90% of learners abandon an online course before having completed the content. “On this type of application, we learn alone, so you have to be very independentdevelops Julie Vidal. This is for people who already have a learning technique or at least school habits. ”
“I progress, but I find it hard to speak because I do not practice. An application cannot be sufficient to learn a language, you have to chat with people. ”
The professor specializing in the study on online oral education points out above all the importance of interaction. “The main competence to acquire is communication. It is knowing how to position yourself in relation to the speaker who is opposite, when to speak and when, find the arguments, etc. ”she adds.
A pitfall that Muriel has been meeting since the start of his experience on Duolingo. “I progress, I understand better. But when I go abroad, I find it hard to speak because I do not practice. An application cannot be sufficient to learn a language, you have to chat with people ”, regrets the fifties. For Katerina, who tried to study Arabic on the platform, it is also a question of being dealing with a true teacher. “Language lessons allow you to focus on what interests us and go at our own paceanalyzes the young woman. We can also ask questions and thus progress more. ”
“It is a base that must be completed”
If the application has a paid version, which improves the experience of learners by offering in particular to interact more, it is still limited to a learning supplement. “The best framework for mastering a dialect is a combination of several experiences. But you can’t do it only with an application. It is a base that must be completed with a practice of oral interaction ”indicates Julie Vidal. In addition to the language classes, the professor thus evokes stays abroad or speaking groups to train.
“It’s more motivating to speak with someone in a long way or to be in a small groupnods Katerina. And also when you have specific hours and a place to go. ” The constraint, whether logistical or financial, indeed encourages people to invest, in addition to the human contact sought by many. “Students often aim to discover a culture, to have authentic interactions and even to live in the country for somecontinues Julie Vidal. Common sense, implicit, situations of daily life cannot be learned on a mobile application. ”
Under these conditions, hard to believe that Duolingo threatens traditional language courses. And yet, this fun online learning could well represent the future. Progress of artificial intelligence (AI) already revolutionize education and make algorithms of applications on telephone more and more formidable.
More personalized lessons, private coach, virtual avatars with whom to converse … the features could thus be endless. “Duolingo could ultimately offer oral interaction thanks to AI and allow much more complete learning”concedes Julie Vidal, who does not believe in a short -term revolution. Foreign language courses still have a bright future ahead of them, before the green owl took its flight perfectly.
