How long does it take to learn Norwegian on Duolingo

Some calculations have claimed that completing every module Duolingo has to offer can take you just under 400 hours!! And that’s if you use the app for 15 minutes per day.

Completing a language on Duolingo can be a time-consuming endeavor. The Norwegian course on Duolingo is very complete, and so also takes a longer time to finish.

If you do the math here, you’ll find that those 15 minutes per day add up to a few days if you aim to complete every lesson. Actually, we’re talking about years here. Over 4 years to be exact!

If you’re using, or contemplating using Duolingo to learn Norwegian, you’ve probably asked yourself, “Can Duolingo make you fluent in Norwegian?”. The short answer here is….wait for it….no.

Duolingo can be a great starting tool when you begin your language learning journey. The app is easy to use, well organized and teaches you the basics of the grammar rules along with a lot of helpful vocabulary. We have personally used the app for both Spanish and Italian and found it immensely helpful in gaining a good basic grasp of the languages.

Sure, the app is fun and easy to use. The gamification aspect can keep you coming back for more. And anyone who has ever been able to build a respectable streak, knows that missing a day can feel catastrophic! Personally, I was up to over 800 days in a row in Duolingo (humble brag), but one day I forgot to do a lesson and lost it all. Going back to the app seemed pretty useless after that point.

For most of us, the use of Duolingo will become routine after a while. And rather than focusing on learning the language, you’ll be focused on keeping your streak alive, or earning XP instead of retaining and learning how to use the language in real life.

Duolingo is a good, organized and well structured app. It will help you gain the basic knowledge of the language’s structure and give you plenty of opportunities to get familiar with it.

But let’s take a look at how it’s set up.

• There are 111 units in the Norwegian course
• Each unit has around 10-15 sections
• You’ll translate from Norwegian to English
• And from English to Norwegian
• There are typing tasks
• Listening tasks
• Speaking tasks
• Drag & drop tasks
• Choose the right answer tasks

Progressing in the app is locked behind tests, meaning you can’t jump ahead without having proven you know the language from the previous levels. This means that you can’t jump forward to a level you’re not currently equipped for.

So all in all, this seems to be a pretty comprehensive app. We didn’t mention the XP and rewards system designed to keep players coming back for more, but rest assured it’s all in there.

What is missing however, and what is a key component of language learning is the conversational aspect. This is what we specialize in, and what ultimately separates the learners from the fluent speakers.

It is for sure possible to get to a basic level of proficiency through Duolingo, but fluency requires a much greater level of independence and flow than Duolingo is able to get you to. You will need to be able to make use of a language in non-rigid way in order to call yourself fluent. And I’m sorry to say Duolingo just can’t get you all the way there.

Using a language in conversation, making small differences and understanding how native speakers change and deviate from grammatical rules is only possible through conversations with others.

This is why we in Norwegian Community focus on the conversational aspect of learning Norwegian. We can take you through real-life scenarios that only having conversations with other speakers, both native and learners, can expose you to. Experts agree that this is needed for you to reach fluency.

Alright, so if you’ve decided you want to use Duolingo as a jumping off point in learning Norwegian, the next question you’ll ask is what type of Norwegian it teaches? Duolingo only teaches the Bokmål version of Norwegian.  

Norwegian is a simple enough language to learn, that’s why we in Norwegian Community say we can get you to fluency within three months if you work it our way. But Norway actually has two official languages. Bokmål and Nynorsk.

That may be all you need, as it is the more spoken of the two, and what you will most likely come across more often in Norway. Besides, though the two are technically different languages, they are similar enough that knowing one will help you get by with the other.

However, if you move to, or are planning on visiting an area of Norway where Nynorsk is more common, having hade exposure to it will absolutely come in handy. And again, this is why studies show that having natural conversations with others can help you get the much-needed exposure needed to get to this point in your language learning.

Additionally, it’s worth noting that you’ll need to know English fairly well to learn Norwegian on Duolingo. It uses Norwegian to English, and English to Norwegian translation for all the exercises, so for non-English speakers it becomes pretty complicated.

So, you need to ask yourself. How would you rather like to spend your time. How quickly would you like to reach proficiency? For most of us who have ever wanted to learn a new language, the answer here is a resounding “AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, PLEASE!”. And Duolingo can get you part of the way there, but eventually you’ll reach a diminishing return on the time invested.

This is when you need something else to help you reach fluency. Knowing the basic grammar and vocabulary Duolingo can offer will absolutely help you in our conversation classes. But the conversations themselves will help you get the rest of the way.

If you’ve read this article up to this point, some eyebrows should be raised by this question. “I thought you said you can’t reach fluency with Duolingo”. That’s right! Points to you for reading this far!

We’ve established you’ll need YEARS in order to complete one full course in Duolingo. And chances are you need to spend even longer making sure you actually remember the contents of the course, and not just complete lessons each day without remembering it.

In Norwegian Community we believe you don’t need more than months in order for you to become fluent in Norwegian. Through our conversation classes you’ll be forced to think on your feet, and actually use the language instead of tapping on your phone screen. This will also ensure that you retain the information much better, as having actually used the language in a natural setting makes a deeper imprint in your mind, and therefore makes it easier to recall.

So how long does it take with us? It all varies of course. How much time you spend with us, how many classes you sign up for in a week and how eager you are will all have plenty to say here. But we like to say 3 months is all you need. The rest is up to you.

Though Norway is a fairly small country with relativley few people, the language is a surprisingly popular one to learn. An estimated 2.85 million people are learning Norwegian through Duolingo. That’s just bellow Turkish and right above Danish (take that Denmark!).

It can be motivating feeling like you are part of a language learning community. But the other than leaderboards, XP races, and the ability to compare your progress with other learners, the app does not allow you to communicate with others in your chosen language. You can join forums and discuss various topics, but having conversations becomes a tad more tricky.