“Linguistic Gold Provided By Duolingo”: 40 Of The Funniest And Most Unexpected Prompts Found On The App

You would think these sentences are glitches. Results of the program code going rogue. But even though the team at Duolingo are serious about learning, that doesn't mean they don't have fun while they're at it.

"You've probably seen us get pretty silly on social media and especially on April Fools' Day, and maybe you've encountered our quirky sense of humor in your own lessons, too," they wrote in a 2021 blog post.

"In 2020, some of our goofiest sentences suddenly took on new meaning in the context of a global pandemic, and in December 2020, Duolingo learners nominated their favorite sentences to be in the running for the Most 2020 Phrase."

It was no surprise that many of the contenders were true oddballs, such as "Today I will gaze into the distance and cry as well."

But in the end, the winner was clear: "I am eating bread and crying on the floor" was voted by learners as the Most 2020 Phrase on Duolingo, and to celebrate, the company created a limited-edition tote bag in the perfect size for carrying loaves and tissues.

But what's really going on with these quirky sentences is that Duolingo believe they provide actual learning value.

"At Duolingo, we know that the best learning happens when you're engaged and excited about what you're studying. After all, there are a lot of demands on your attention!" they said.

"That's why we want our courses to include all different kinds of language: the expressions and phrases that you'll memorize (mucho gusto, qué tal) as well as useful patterns that you'll see all over the language (like verb endings). Finding silly and surprising sentences in a lesson keeps you on your toes and engaged in your learning."

"Quirky sentences also ... work as a grammatical 'anchor,' helping you remember key examples of essential grammar concepts. Right there, hidden in plain sight in sentences about horses, apples, and mothers-in-law, are verb conjugations, word order rules, and vocabulary that can be swapped in and out to make even more sentences than just the silly one you see."

Learning from these sentences apparently helps you remember the grammar for next time you need it, even if you're laughing (or rolling your eyes) through the lesson.

When the staff at Duolingo write lessons, they always start by thinking about what you'll want to be able to do with the language (a "learning objective").

"Our first goal is to create a learning experience that will allow you to practice the kinds of conversation that you'll have in everyday life," they explained. "Next we plan out the words and grammar that will get you communicating, and then we start having a little fun. Our teams of talented writers and language teaching experts write hundreds of sentences, following a slew of constraints that you can read more about here."

"As our writers and language experts develop lessons, they work on balancing really useful phrases that you can use immediately, like ¿Cómo se llama tu hijo? 'What is your son's name?' with the quirky and fun sentences that stick in your memory."

"We want our content to be as full of personality as we are! Our writers' first priority is always the lesson's learning objective, but after that, they are encouraged to develop humorous, interesting content, with some quirks mixed in."

And it appears to be working. According to a study of 225 Duolingo learners from the U.S. who had reached the end of Unit 5 (the beginner-level section of the course), they performed as well on reading and listening tests as students who had completed four semesters of university language instruction.

Another study looked at 340 learners from across the globe who had reached the end of Unit 7 (just halfway through the intermediate material of their course) and found that they completed reading and listening tests just as well as students who had gone through five semesters of university language instruction.

So kudos to silly sentences!