Fan of… Duolingo

It’s been a while since I’ve joined in with Jez’s Fan Of… One day I’ll get around to doing one on Scrivener (writing software), but that’s going to be a heck of a post. So, instead, I thought I’d share my love of the Duolingo app.

Duolingo is a free language learning app—there is a paid version to remove ads—that can help you learn 30+ languages. Of those languages, there are several that have been tagged as endangered in the recent past. One of those is Scottish Gaelic (Gaidhlig)—not to be confused with the separate language of Scots.

I’ve always wanted to learn Gaelic. I knew some from when I used to watch Padraig Post and Donnie Murdo—the Gaelic versions of Postman Pat and Danger Mouse.

Anyway, back to the point. I wanted to learn at a pace that suited me, not have to get two buses to get to classes, and something that took me beyond learning the names of things.

About six months ago, someone had a petition to get Duolingo to add Gaelic to the app. I signed the petition and signed up to get updates. Last week, I got an email telling me the course was available.

I can’t believe how good this app is. In one week, I’ve learned 184 new words of Gaelic. I’ve now added Chinese into the mix as I’ve missed learning that language.

If you love learning languages, check out Duolingo in the App Store or on Android. (No affiliate links)

Tha Duolingo sgoinneil! (Duolingo is brilliant!)