The short version
- Apps are good for building a habit, learning words and getting used to how Spanish works.
- They don't train the part that matters most in a conversation: finding the words yourself and saying them out loud, quickly, to a real person.
- Keep the app if you enjoy it, and add a few minutes of speaking out loud after each lesson.
Is Duolingo enough to speak Spanish? The short answer is no, not on its own. That isn't really a criticism of Duolingo. No app can do all of it, in the same way that watching football won't make you a footballer.
I studied Spanish for years with teachers, apps and books before I moved to Spain. I knew a lot of words, and I still couldn't hold a normal conversation when I got here. The apps hadn't failed. They'd done what they do. I just needed something else as well.
So this post isn't about whether to delete your app. It's about what apps are good for, what they leave out, and what to add.
What apps are good at
Let's be fair to them first. Apps like Duolingo do several things well, and some of those things are hard to get anywhere else.
- They make starting easy. Five minutes on your phone is much less scary than a class.
- They build a daily habit. Streaks and reminders get a lot of people practising every day, which matters.
- They give you a lot of words. Especially early on, you pick up vocabulary quickly.
- They get you used to how Spanish works. Word order, verb endings and gender start to feel normal.
- They train recognition. You get good at understanding written Spanish and short bits of audio.
If an app got you to the point where Spanish feels familiar, that's useful. You're not starting from zero, and that helps with everything that comes next.
What apps can't do for your speaking
Speaking in a conversation asks you to do something different. You have to find the words yourself, put them together and say them out loud, while someone waits. Most app exercises ask you to recognise, choose or rebuild a sentence that's already been given to you.
| What apps mostly train | What a conversation needs | |
|---|---|---|
| Finding words | Picking from options or rebuilding a given sentence | Pulling words from memory with no help |
| Time | As long as you like | A second or two |
| Topics | Whatever the lesson is about | What this person wants to talk about |
| Speaking | Short sentences, if at all | Longer answers, questions, reactions |
| Surprises | Very few | Constantly |
That gap is the reason so many people who use apps every day still go blank when someone speaks to them. There's more on this in why you understand Spanish but can't speak it.
The other thing apps can't give you is a topic you'll actually talk about. A lesson might teach you El pato bebe agua. Nobody at the school gate will ask you about ducks. They'll ask about your weekend, your job and why you moved here.
Duolingo's Spanish course for English speakers leans towards Latin American Spanish. That's fine, and people in Spain will understand you. But if you live in Spain or are moving here, expect some differences. The main one is vosotros (you, plural, informal), which people in Spain use all the time and which you may not have practised much in the app.
The streak trap
Streaks are good at getting you to open the app. The risk is that keeping the streak becomes the goal, rather than learning.
You'll probably recognise some of these: doing the easiest lesson to save the streak, tapping through quickly just before midnight, or repeating old lessons because they're safe. None of those are bad in themselves. The problem is when that's all the Spanish you do.
A long streak can make you feel like you're practising speaking when you're not. If your streak is long but you still go blank in real conversations, that's a sign to change what you do each day, not to do more of the same.
A useful question to ask yourself: after today's lesson, could I say something new out loud, in my own words? If the answer is usually no, add the step below.
How to turn your app lesson into speaking practice
You don't need to give up the app. You need to add a short bit of speaking to it. Here's a simple way to do that every day.
Do your normal lesson
Same as always. Five or ten minutes is plenty.
Close the app and say three sentences about yourself
Take two or three words or structures from the lesson and use them to say something true about your own life. Out loud. If the lesson was about food, say what you had for lunch. If it was about the past, say what you did yesterday.
- Me gusta el pescado.I like fish.
- Me gusta el pescado, pero no lo cocino mucho.I like fish, but I don't cook it much.
- Me gusta el pescado, pero no lo cocino mucho porque luego toda la casa huele a pescado.I like fish, but I don't cook it much because afterwards the whole place smells of fish.
Ask one question back
Turn it around: ¿Y a ti te gusta el pescado? Asking is part of speaking, and it's the part apps give you least practice at.
Once a week, pick a real topic
Choose one conversation you'll actually have, like your job or your weekend, and practise it out loud for the week. The app keeps your habit going. The topic gets you ready to talk.
Before you close the app each day, say three sentences out loud that the app didn't give you. They must be true about your life, and they must use something from today's lesson. It takes about a minute. After a couple of weeks you'll notice that the words from your lessons start turning up when you speak, not just when you tap.
What to add alongside an app
If you want to speak, the app is a starting point. These are the things that fill the gap.
| Add this | What it trains | How long |
|---|---|---|
| Speaking out loud about real topics | Finding words and saying them | 5 to 10 minutes a day |
| Flashcards for one conversation at a time | Having the right words ready | 5 minutes a day |
| Recording yourself | Hearing where you hesitate | A minute or two, a few times a week |
| Real conversations | Surprises, speed, listening | Whenever you can, even short ones |
If you want a simple structure, this 15-minute daily routine splits the time into words, sentences and conversation. You could do your app lesson first and then the routine. Flashcards are a big part of it, and there's a guide to making them work for speaking in how to use flashcards to actually speak Spanish.
So, keep it or drop it?
That depends on what it's doing for you.
Keep it if you enjoy it, if it's the thing that gets you to do some Spanish every day, and if you add some speaking on top. An app plus ten minutes out loud is a good combination.
Cut back if the app has become the only Spanish you do and you've stopped improving at speaking. You might get more from five minutes on the app and ten minutes speaking than from fifteen minutes on the app.
Drop it if it's started to feel like a chore that you do for the streak. Your time will go further on speaking practice.
Common mistakes
Treating the streak as proof you can speak.
Judge your progress by what you can say out loud, not by the number of days.
Only doing the app, then wondering why conversations go badly.
Add a few minutes of speaking out loud after each lesson.
Learning whatever the app decides.
Choose the conversations you'll really have and practise those too.
Waiting to finish the course before you start speaking.
Start speaking now with the words you have.
Recap
- Apps are good for habits, vocabulary and getting used to Spanish.
- They don't train finding words and saying them out loud under pressure.
- Watch out for protecting the streak instead of learning.
- After each lesson, say three true sentences out loud and ask one question.
- Add one real conversation topic a week.
If you'd like the speaking part planned for you, 100 Spanish Conversations gives you a real conversation topic each week, with the words, structures and practice to say it out loud. Keep your app if you like it. Then come and try your sentences in the community on Skool.
Leeroy studied Spanish for years before moving to Spain and finding he couldn't hold a conversation. He built Basically Spanish around the method that fixed it. Questions? leeroy@basicallyspanish.com