I’ve really enjoyed Duolingo and I think it generally does a decent job exposing you to vocabulary words and grammar, but one thing I’ve found problematic is that, with recent updates, there is so much repetition I feel like I’m just memorizing what certain sentences and phrases look like as opposed to “hearing” and understanding them. This has made me further realize that, while I can generally read the language I am learning, I am abysmal at going from spoken word to understanding. Does anyone have some good tips on how to get more exposure to spoken word in the language you are learning or otherwise supplementing your Duolingo experience?
I treat Duolingo as supplement. I mainly read grammar books (academics and learner’s) and do stupid practices with colleagues with same interests. Alongside Duolingo, for immersion I also consume media of target language and English videos with subtitles of the target language.
I wish I could meet Spanish people irl, but my country is really in the opposite of the spanish speaking world.