imma have to check out ella sometime, seems pretty alright. i like the gamey streak thing in duo but i find the complaints of it taking it very slowly to progress to be valid. i do feel its helped but i kinda want to take things more seriously

ive even thought of like, taking a college class just to have some accountability and structure but i live remotely so it would all be online anyways

[–] MinisterOfNoms@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I have been doing online private lessons through iTalki for Spanish learning and it's really helped me to go beyond just Duolingo - it's some conversation once a week plus some short writing exercises and I find that's just enough to make it lock into my brain as a 'usable' skill. I would highly recommend something similar if you're able.

[–] RomeCallen@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

iTalki

i think imma check this out fo real. i think it would be a great help to have that dedicated time to actually speak to someone who knows what they are talking about instead of the youtube, spotify and duo void

thanks for the suggestion!

how long have you been doing the tutor? is it expensive?

[–] MinisterOfNoms@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I started during the pandemic in 2020 and have been doing weekly since then, and it's taken my language level from "I can vaguely guess what this text says" to "I can understand native Spanish speakers well and mostly make myself understood, although my grammar isn't perfect" (so probably from about A1-2 to B2). The lessons seem to average out at about $20USD an hour (and I do an hour a week), although there are cheaper teachers on the service in the range of as well (just did a quick search and I'm seeing some in the $10-15USD range as well).

I definitely use it as a supplement to Duolingo and other resources - I haven't abandoned those completely - but the interactivity seems to make it stick in a way that other formats don't.

[–] RomeCallen@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

thats super reasonable

thanks for the heads up. ive got it in my language learning bookmark and will be diving in soon. its pretty much exactly what i asked for