Duolingo Stories
(DUO-S)
What are Duolingo Stories and how can they be used?
Duolingo STORIES are short, novice-or-intermediate-level dialogues with minimal narration. DUOLINGO STORIES WILL BE A CENTRAL FEATURE OF THE WORLD LANGUAGE TRAINING CLASS!
Each STORY is mostly dialogue with a little bit of narration. They almost always have quirky characters (read below), irony and often surprise endings.
If you hover your cursor (on a computer) or touch your finger (on a mobile device) on any word, the English translation will appear. If you tap the LISTEN icon you can hear the line of dialogue again. It will even slow down with multiple taps. Occasionally, they interrupt the dialogue for you to “fill in the blank” with multiple-choice options. Duolingo will also occasionally interrupt the dialogue for to have you put words in order or answer comprehension questions. At the end of each STORY you will be asked to MATCH English and Target Language words and phrases. Then, you’re done! You get XP points and the icon turns to a color on the screen.
Duolingo Stories can be a very valuable piece of your language acquisition pathway. Though the stories do get more complex as the unit numbers increase, they mostly operate at a Novice-High to Intermediate-High level. Even if your proficiencies are higher than that, you can work on fluency through these short dialogues.
Another advantage of the stories (besides providing a context to use language) is that these stories leave a lot of information open for INFERENCE. If you are still novice, you will mainly want to engage with the story as it is with the vocabulary that it offers. But as you get more proficient, you can do much more with the basic story. You can NARRATE it (summarize with direct or indirect quotes or paraphrase). You can create BACKSTORY and ANALYSIS of characters and events. You can SHIFT TENSES into the past tense or speak hypothetically about “what if” events. So, while a Novice-Mid learner may be able to engage with the basic story in the earlier Sections, even an Advanced learner can expand on the basic story with additional insight.
Learn to see each STORY as a potential PROMPT or list of prompts. The STAMP proficiency assessment deals in situational prompts for the majority of the test, Writing and Speaking. Learning to respond to prompts is great practice not only for STAMP, but to hardwire your brain to maintain the language acquisition gains you’ve made.
Each STORY is mostly dialogue with a little bit of narration. They almost always have quirky characters (read below), irony and often surprise endings.
If you hover your cursor (on a computer) or touch your finger (on a mobile device) on any word, the English translation will appear. If you tap the LISTEN icon you can hear the line of dialogue again. It will even slow down with multiple taps. Occasionally, they interrupt the dialogue for you to “fill in the blank” with multiple-choice options. Duolingo will also occasionally interrupt the dialogue for to have you put words in order or answer comprehension questions. At the end of each STORY you will be asked to MATCH English and Target Language words and phrases. Then, you’re done! You get XP points and the icon turns to a color on the screen.
Duolingo Stories can be a very valuable piece of your language acquisition pathway. Though the stories do get more complex as the unit numbers increase, they mostly operate at a Novice-High to Intermediate-High level. Even if your proficiencies are higher than that, you can work on fluency through these short dialogues.
Another advantage of the stories (besides providing a context to use language) is that these stories leave a lot of information open for INFERENCE. If you are still novice, you will mainly want to engage with the story as it is with the vocabulary that it offers. But as you get more proficient, you can do much more with the basic story. You can NARRATE it (summarize with direct or indirect quotes or paraphrase). You can create BACKSTORY and ANALYSIS of characters and events. You can SHIFT TENSES into the past tense or speak hypothetically about “what if” events. So, while a Novice-Mid learner may be able to engage with the basic story in the earlier Sections, even an Advanced learner can expand on the basic story with additional insight.
Learn to see each STORY as a potential PROMPT or list of prompts. The STAMP proficiency assessment deals in situational prompts for the majority of the test, Writing and Speaking. Learning to respond to prompts is great practice not only for STAMP, but to hardwire your brain to maintain the language acquisition gains you’ve made.
The stories get progressively more complex and demanding. The ACTFL ("American") proficiency LEVEL is indicated on the list on the DUO-S page of each TARGET LANGUAGE WEBSITE (Spanish, French, German, and each language on the LCT - less-commonly-taught languages. The list indicates both names (Novice-Intermediate-"Advanced Low") as well as the ACTFL proficiency numbers 2 through 5+.
The CEFR (or "European") proficiency LEVEL is indicated on the SECTIONS on the Duolingo website and mobile app. Different languages have anywhere from FOUR TO SEVEN SECTIONS. CEFR proficiency levels are : A1, A2, B1, B2.
These levels are for receptive (comprehension) skills only. What you do with the story from an expressive or productive standpoint depends on the learner and can range from Novice-Mid level work to Advanced.
The primary characters in each of the stories are also listed. There is a description of each character below (with abbreviation key). A "+"indicates other characters outside the cast of ten regular characters.
Duolingo does set up barriers to being able to access any or all of the stories randomly. The reasons vary from the pedagogical to the economic to the purely technical. As of January 2023, the only way to access the INTERACTIVE version (in which you can hear the characters speak and translate each word/phrase as well as get comprehension activities) is on the LIVE Duolingo website or app. You access the stories as you unlock each new level of the pathway!
Though Duolingo Stories are now embedded in the curved Learning Pathway in the updated version of Duolingo - January 2023 - the older Story Collection is still available on each of the P2P Target Language websites we use in this program in PDF format. (Spanish, French, German, LCT)
You can still randomly access a digital copy of the story's transcript in PDF. This of course will not be live and interactive as it is on the internet, but it does include a Target Language-English glossary at the end and will at least allow you to ENGAGE with the story without having to work your way along the pathway.
The CEFR (or "European") proficiency LEVEL is indicated on the SECTIONS on the Duolingo website and mobile app. Different languages have anywhere from FOUR TO SEVEN SECTIONS. CEFR proficiency levels are : A1, A2, B1, B2.
These levels are for receptive (comprehension) skills only. What you do with the story from an expressive or productive standpoint depends on the learner and can range from Novice-Mid level work to Advanced.
The primary characters in each of the stories are also listed. There is a description of each character below (with abbreviation key). A "+"indicates other characters outside the cast of ten regular characters.
Duolingo does set up barriers to being able to access any or all of the stories randomly. The reasons vary from the pedagogical to the economic to the purely technical. As of January 2023, the only way to access the INTERACTIVE version (in which you can hear the characters speak and translate each word/phrase as well as get comprehension activities) is on the LIVE Duolingo website or app. You access the stories as you unlock each new level of the pathway!
Though Duolingo Stories are now embedded in the curved Learning Pathway in the updated version of Duolingo - January 2023 - the older Story Collection is still available on each of the P2P Target Language websites we use in this program in PDF format. (Spanish, French, German, LCT)
You can still randomly access a digital copy of the story's transcript in PDF. This of course will not be live and interactive as it is on the internet, but it does include a Target Language-English glossary at the end and will at least allow you to ENGAGE with the story without having to work your way along the pathway.
The Process of Engagement
Do not simply "click through" and do the minimal engagement that Duolingo asks of you. Though they claim it may make you "fluent," you will really need to do "much more." BUT WHAT IS MUCH MORE??
The Process of Engagement:
1. SUMMARIZING - After engaging with the Story to the extent that Duolingo has you do, then try to SUMMARIZE the dialogue in a third-person narrative. This takes you beyond merely "comprehending" the story (a VERY IMPORTANT FIRST STEP!) to changing the structure to be more narrative monologue than conversational dialogue. This will absolutely help you with STAMP preparedness, which prompts you to narrate or describe with a monologue.
There are THREE WAYS to summarize: 1. ROLL PLAYING with direct quotes and narrative filler. 2. INDIRECT QUOTES with narrative filler. 3. PARAPHRASING.
Number 1 is easier and preferable for NOVICE learners. For example, if a character asks YOU in a character "What do you want to do with your money?" as a line in the story, the Roll Playing way of summarizing it would be "Character A asks: 'What do you want to do with your money?' " Just like an actor learning lines for a skit or play, all you have to do is memorize the dialogue verbatim. But... YOU are one of the characters! The only additional vocabulary is learning how to insert he/she says or asks and maybe some transition words such as "and then", "later" etc. Even summarizing stories this way has levels of complexity. A student could give a 25-word synopsis of the main plot points...or... write or speak a 100-word summary using direct quotes. It's no harder, just MORE.
Number 2 is more complex. It requires a more developed knowledge of verbs and pronouns, for starters, because they will change. For example, if a character asks another character "What do you want to do with your money?" as a line in the story, the INDIRECT QUOTE way of summarizing it would be "Character A asks her/him what she/he wants to do with her/his money. " Students will need to be well grounded in the BASICS, particularly verbs and pronouns - see practice Quizlets on each Target Language Websites! This way of summarizing definitely belongs in the crossover category of students transitioning from novice-to-intermediate.
Number 3 is the most complex. Paraphrasing involves using alternate vocabulary and sentence structures to re-tell the story. For example, if a character asks another character "What do you want to do with your money?" you could re-tell that exchange by saying "Character A wants to know what Character B is going to buy with what he or she earns at work." To take it up even another notch, tell it in the PAST TENSE: "Character A wanted to know what Character B was going to buy with what he or she earned at work." Obviously, being able to paraphrase requires the student to have a broader vocabulary and proficiency in restructuring sentences. Number 3 is definitely how students operating in the INTERMEDIATE levels should summarize.
2. PERSONALIZING - Using the Duolingo Story as a starting point or launch pad for writing about yourself or reality from your own experience and perspective is "personalizing." You can do this even as a novice. Learning how to "harvest" vocabulary such as everyday nouns and adjectives as well as common present-tense verbs is an accessible way for beginners to quarry the stories for personal material. For example, if a character asks another character "What do you want to do with your money?" as a line in the story, YOU could take that line and say or write: "My dad asks me 'What are you going to do with the money from your summer job?' " (Take it from there...)
Taking chunks of language, particularly more complex verb forms and idiomatic words and phrases, and applying them to your own life experience and perspective is a great, though more challenging way to engage with the Duolingo Story and prepare for top success in the STAMP. For example, if a character asks another character in one of the higher-level stories "What would you do with your money if you had more?" as a line in the story. This question moves beyond the simple-present-tense and ascends into the "conditional" and "subjunctive." You, the student, could take that and say or write, "If I had more money, I would... (fill in the blank with conditional verbs)."
3. CHANGING TIME FRAMES- While either summarizing or personalizing, if you shift what you write or say into the past tense from the present tense, you are definitely engaging in a very "Intermediate" skill area. This requires considerable study of the forms of verbs in the various past tenses. Once again, go to the BASICS, particularly verbs and pronouns - see practice Quizlets on each Target Language Website!
4. ANALYZING - After summarizing and personalizing the topics and themes of the Story, you could engage in analyzing themes, archetypes, plot, character and other elements which venture into a more psychological and literary fields. Doing this is definitely an Intermediate High or Advanced level way of engaging with the stories. We may do some of this in our 1:1 sessions and in our WhatsApp feedback threads. More abstract concepts such as "the value of working part time for your spending money" would be an example of this.
The Process of Engagement:
1. SUMMARIZING - After engaging with the Story to the extent that Duolingo has you do, then try to SUMMARIZE the dialogue in a third-person narrative. This takes you beyond merely "comprehending" the story (a VERY IMPORTANT FIRST STEP!) to changing the structure to be more narrative monologue than conversational dialogue. This will absolutely help you with STAMP preparedness, which prompts you to narrate or describe with a monologue.
There are THREE WAYS to summarize: 1. ROLL PLAYING with direct quotes and narrative filler. 2. INDIRECT QUOTES with narrative filler. 3. PARAPHRASING.
Number 1 is easier and preferable for NOVICE learners. For example, if a character asks YOU in a character "What do you want to do with your money?" as a line in the story, the Roll Playing way of summarizing it would be "Character A asks: 'What do you want to do with your money?' " Just like an actor learning lines for a skit or play, all you have to do is memorize the dialogue verbatim. But... YOU are one of the characters! The only additional vocabulary is learning how to insert he/she says or asks and maybe some transition words such as "and then", "later" etc. Even summarizing stories this way has levels of complexity. A student could give a 25-word synopsis of the main plot points...or... write or speak a 100-word summary using direct quotes. It's no harder, just MORE.
Number 2 is more complex. It requires a more developed knowledge of verbs and pronouns, for starters, because they will change. For example, if a character asks another character "What do you want to do with your money?" as a line in the story, the INDIRECT QUOTE way of summarizing it would be "Character A asks her/him what she/he wants to do with her/his money. " Students will need to be well grounded in the BASICS, particularly verbs and pronouns - see practice Quizlets on each Target Language Websites! This way of summarizing definitely belongs in the crossover category of students transitioning from novice-to-intermediate.
Number 3 is the most complex. Paraphrasing involves using alternate vocabulary and sentence structures to re-tell the story. For example, if a character asks another character "What do you want to do with your money?" you could re-tell that exchange by saying "Character A wants to know what Character B is going to buy with what he or she earns at work." To take it up even another notch, tell it in the PAST TENSE: "Character A wanted to know what Character B was going to buy with what he or she earned at work." Obviously, being able to paraphrase requires the student to have a broader vocabulary and proficiency in restructuring sentences. Number 3 is definitely how students operating in the INTERMEDIATE levels should summarize.
2. PERSONALIZING - Using the Duolingo Story as a starting point or launch pad for writing about yourself or reality from your own experience and perspective is "personalizing." You can do this even as a novice. Learning how to "harvest" vocabulary such as everyday nouns and adjectives as well as common present-tense verbs is an accessible way for beginners to quarry the stories for personal material. For example, if a character asks another character "What do you want to do with your money?" as a line in the story, YOU could take that line and say or write: "My dad asks me 'What are you going to do with the money from your summer job?' " (Take it from there...)
Taking chunks of language, particularly more complex verb forms and idiomatic words and phrases, and applying them to your own life experience and perspective is a great, though more challenging way to engage with the Duolingo Story and prepare for top success in the STAMP. For example, if a character asks another character in one of the higher-level stories "What would you do with your money if you had more?" as a line in the story. This question moves beyond the simple-present-tense and ascends into the "conditional" and "subjunctive." You, the student, could take that and say or write, "If I had more money, I would... (fill in the blank with conditional verbs)."
3. CHANGING TIME FRAMES- While either summarizing or personalizing, if you shift what you write or say into the past tense from the present tense, you are definitely engaging in a very "Intermediate" skill area. This requires considerable study of the forms of verbs in the various past tenses. Once again, go to the BASICS, particularly verbs and pronouns - see practice Quizlets on each Target Language Website!
4. ANALYZING - After summarizing and personalizing the topics and themes of the Story, you could engage in analyzing themes, archetypes, plot, character and other elements which venture into a more psychological and literary fields. Doing this is definitely an Intermediate High or Advanced level way of engaging with the stories. We may do some of this in our 1:1 sessions and in our WhatsApp feedback threads. More abstract concepts such as "the value of working part time for your spending money" would be an example of this.
Duolingo Stories - Recurrent Cast of Characters
In the past few years, Duolingo Stories have evolved from having random one-off characters to a recurring cast who seem to live in the same "neighborhood" in some unidentified city where the Target Language is spoken. These characters have developed some complexity and can provide source material for talking about personalities, emotions, reactions and motivations. These cartoon characters appear throughout the "Duolingo Universe" along the Learning Pathway and within Levels and Lessons (usually celebrating with you, dear learner, as you accomplish more and more).
Eddy - (Ed) A single dad who generally is not so lucky with women he tries to date. He is a bit immature, though he tries hard as a dad and wants the best for his son. He's shallow, but likable and sometimes a little naive.
Junior - (Jr) Eddy's eight-year-old son is in many ways a typical kid. He is smart and perceptive and much prefers playing video games to active play, though his favorite sport is manipulating adults around him.
Bea - (Be) Bea is a young woman and good friend of Lin. She is usually self-confident (more than Lin) except when she isn't. She interacts well with and shows a caring heart towards the other characters. She self-identifies as bisexual and is racially BIPOC. Like her friend Lin, she does not seem to be able to maintain a stable romantic relationship.
Lin - (Lin) Lin is a young woman and good friend of Bea. She often is indecisive and capricious as well as unassertive. She lives with her grandmother Lucy and and is very caring of her. Though she has had past relationships with other women, she does not ever seem to have a stable partner. Though ethnically East Asian, perhaps Chinese, she is thoroughly Western in her outlook.
Vikram - (Vi) Vikram is a middle-aged man and husband of Priti. He tends to be a bit "old-school" in his relationships with others and values in general. He can show a caring heart towards other characters but often gets frustrated with others and even himself. His traditional world view sometimes clashes with the world views of other characters. He seems to have immigrated from India or some nearby South Asian country. Vikram is meticulous, intelligent and multi-talented.
Priti - (Pr) Vikram's wife. Also a South Asian immigrant, she tends to have a more modern outlook than her husband, although at times he fails to listen to her or take her seriously. She is driven and ambitious, but has bouts of being an overextended workaholic.
Lucy - (Lu) Lin's Asian grandmother and apartment mate. Lucy is headstrong, confident and sometimes rather opinionated and bossy, except when she chooses to "play nice" and show compassion. She's a bit of a geriatric "wild woman," a "hoot" as they say. She is not above manipulating others to get what she wants or what she thinks they "want".
Oscar - (Os) He is a middle-aged (or older) art teacher with inflexible ideas about his opinions. Like Vikram, he can also be a bit "old school" and dense. He is a confirmed bachelor but good friends with all the other characters, especially Lucy.
Zari - (Za) Zari is a teenage girl and best friend of Lily. She is outgoing and vivacious, though also sometimes a bit naive and overly optimistic. She is most probably from an immigrant family from the Muslim world, but seems to be very Western. She wears a pink hijab, which may indicate that she is navigating the waters between cultures. She sometimes babysits for Junior. She likes boys but easily gets embarrassed around them.
Lily - (Lil) Lily is a teenage girl and best friend of Zari. She is introverted and artsy. She works hard at projecting a cynical, snarky personality, unconcerned with "what the world thinks." Her hair is "colorful." She seems to be more realistic and grounded than her friend Zari. She also likes boys but often finds them tedious and immature.
Eddy - (Ed) A single dad who generally is not so lucky with women he tries to date. He is a bit immature, though he tries hard as a dad and wants the best for his son. He's shallow, but likable and sometimes a little naive.
Junior - (Jr) Eddy's eight-year-old son is in many ways a typical kid. He is smart and perceptive and much prefers playing video games to active play, though his favorite sport is manipulating adults around him.
Bea - (Be) Bea is a young woman and good friend of Lin. She is usually self-confident (more than Lin) except when she isn't. She interacts well with and shows a caring heart towards the other characters. She self-identifies as bisexual and is racially BIPOC. Like her friend Lin, she does not seem to be able to maintain a stable romantic relationship.
Lin - (Lin) Lin is a young woman and good friend of Bea. She often is indecisive and capricious as well as unassertive. She lives with her grandmother Lucy and and is very caring of her. Though she has had past relationships with other women, she does not ever seem to have a stable partner. Though ethnically East Asian, perhaps Chinese, she is thoroughly Western in her outlook.
Vikram - (Vi) Vikram is a middle-aged man and husband of Priti. He tends to be a bit "old-school" in his relationships with others and values in general. He can show a caring heart towards other characters but often gets frustrated with others and even himself. His traditional world view sometimes clashes with the world views of other characters. He seems to have immigrated from India or some nearby South Asian country. Vikram is meticulous, intelligent and multi-talented.
Priti - (Pr) Vikram's wife. Also a South Asian immigrant, she tends to have a more modern outlook than her husband, although at times he fails to listen to her or take her seriously. She is driven and ambitious, but has bouts of being an overextended workaholic.
Lucy - (Lu) Lin's Asian grandmother and apartment mate. Lucy is headstrong, confident and sometimes rather opinionated and bossy, except when she chooses to "play nice" and show compassion. She's a bit of a geriatric "wild woman," a "hoot" as they say. She is not above manipulating others to get what she wants or what she thinks they "want".
Oscar - (Os) He is a middle-aged (or older) art teacher with inflexible ideas about his opinions. Like Vikram, he can also be a bit "old school" and dense. He is a confirmed bachelor but good friends with all the other characters, especially Lucy.
Zari - (Za) Zari is a teenage girl and best friend of Lily. She is outgoing and vivacious, though also sometimes a bit naive and overly optimistic. She is most probably from an immigrant family from the Muslim world, but seems to be very Western. She wears a pink hijab, which may indicate that she is navigating the waters between cultures. She sometimes babysits for Junior. She likes boys but easily gets embarrassed around them.
Lily - (Lil) Lily is a teenage girl and best friend of Zari. She is introverted and artsy. She works hard at projecting a cynical, snarky personality, unconcerned with "what the world thinks." Her hair is "colorful." She seems to be more realistic and grounded than her friend Zari. She also likes boys but often finds them tedious and immature.
DUO-S with Duolingo Learning Pathway - DUO-L
You may choose to use Duolingo as your only structured learning program. Most of the stories listed on this page can be found embedded in the Duolingo program as "live interactive" stories. (Sound and Translation within the story) Duolingo guides learners down an extensive pathway of 4-7 SECTIONS as of August, 2023, depending on the Target Language. Each larger SECTION is divided into UNITS which can be navigated by going through each "circular" set of lessons-embedded-in-levels. Though learners are given the opportunity to "Jump Ahead" at the beginning of each Unit or Section, IT IS NOT EASY! Beware! You must make less than FIVE MISTAKES to pass the "Jump Ahead" challenge and move on. Use the "Guidebooks" at the beginning of each of the Novice-to-Intermediate Units for explanation of grammar and vocabulary. The Stories are embedded in each of the units, often more than one.
If you are using another structured learning program such as Mango or Pimsleur, you will still be learning the Target Language. Or... you may use a combination of DUO-L with another program.
Although there are many Novice stories in Section 1 (Rookie) of each language in DUO-L, you may have difficulty managing the TIME to advance far enough to get to higher proficiency stories. In that case, you may use the "Legacy Stories" collected in PDF format on each of the Target Language Websites. Obviously the LIVE version of the stories is much more satisfying and, for novice learners who have not yet mastered the phonetics of pronunciation and sight-reading, the LIVE stories are much more helpful in getting your proficiency up. Intermediate (and even some high novice) learners with a "good ear" and good pronunciation can do just fine with the more advanced PDF legacy stories if there is not time during the semester to REACH that far by doing all the levels in every unit (a VERY TIME-CONSUMING, but worthwhile project).
If you are using another structured learning program such as Mango or Pimsleur, you will still be learning the Target Language. Or... you may use a combination of DUO-L with another program.
Although there are many Novice stories in Section 1 (Rookie) of each language in DUO-L, you may have difficulty managing the TIME to advance far enough to get to higher proficiency stories. In that case, you may use the "Legacy Stories" collected in PDF format on each of the Target Language Websites. Obviously the LIVE version of the stories is much more satisfying and, for novice learners who have not yet mastered the phonetics of pronunciation and sight-reading, the LIVE stories are much more helpful in getting your proficiency up. Intermediate (and even some high novice) learners with a "good ear" and good pronunciation can do just fine with the more advanced PDF legacy stories if there is not time during the semester to REACH that far by doing all the levels in every unit (a VERY TIME-CONSUMING, but worthwhile project).