I. LOVE. DUOLINGO.

(This is technically Thing 18 but we are allowed to not go in order.)

You guys.  I am SO HOOKED on an app called Duolingo.  I've been playing around with it for about 2 weeks now.  Nathan and I are both obsessed and competing with each other.  What does this app do?

It teaches us Spanish.

Sounds boring, right?  WRONG.

Duolingo is like the Rosetta Stone of the mobile world.  Rosetta Stone is this computer software you can buy for a million dollars that effectively teaches you whatever language you want to learn.  It's expensive because it works.  Duolingo works, too, and is free. 

You can use this app on your phone, tablet, or computer to learn up to five languages, so far: Spanish, French, German, Italian, and Portuguese.  There are also several other languages currently in the works.

Duolingo teaches you languages through games--matching, fill-in-the-blank, translation work, and speaking (using your phone's microphone--these exercises are optional.)

 

Once you've mastered a certain skill set it will turn gold and shiny--but if you don't practice those words for a while (or if you struggled with many of the words prior to mastery) the game will suggest strengthening some of the words you struggled with to boost your memory.

I've learned so much in the past couple weeks, even though a lot of the basic stuff is review for me.  I feel like I've solidified a lot of my previous Spanish knowledge, so this app is good for all levels.  If you don't want to start from the beginning like I did, you can take shortcuts to get to the level you want to be at.

Bottom line: INSTALL THIS APP.