Learning on Her Terms: How One Woman Found Her Voice in Spanish with LingoLooper

After cycling through language apps and self-doubt, one learner has finally found a way to practice speaking Spanish that fits her life—and her learning style.

She had used Duolingo on and off since October 2023. But while it taught her "lots of odd words," it didn’t prepare her for real conversations. "You can't understand anything when someone actually says something," she explains. Speaking to real people felt daunting: "I was so afraid of getting it wrong."

She considered platforms like iTalki, but the need to book and commit to full sessions just didn’t match her schedule. "What if you only want to do a quick chat?"

Enter LingoLooper. She started using the app a few weeks ago, and everything shifted.

What made the difference? Flexibility and immediacy. "Because the app is so easy to load up, and once you start, you don’t have to be tied in for 20 minutes. During the day, I might get 2, 3, 4 opportunities to do a loop."

This bite-sized structure gave her room to breathe—and reflect. "Because I’m doing lots of little conversations, the mind has time."

Instead of one-size-fits-all lessons, she could choose a variety of avatars and scenarios. Starting a new loop helped her practice essentials like greetings and names. Revisiting familiar avatars led to deeper conversations, like ordering food or talking about her day.

One conversation stood out. An avatar asked what she was painting. She replied, "a landscape." While she appreciated being able to bookmark words, she wished she could also revisit full sentences. "Sometimes I want to repeat the same conversation right after."

The recent bookmarks feature? "The best thing that’s happened to the app since I downloaded it. I spend a lot of time going through and bookmarking or crossing things off."

She’s preparing for a trip to Spain on June 11, and for the first time, she feels ready to speak. "Now I can see the patterns. I feel better talking. I love that I get to say what I want to say. The app even remembers dishes I already mentioned."

Compared to apps like Lingopie, which she also tried, LingoLooper’s focus on actually speaking stood out. "With us, you actually have to start speaking it."

For her, the combination of autonomy, supportive avatars, and conversational repetition has made all the difference. "Now I feel like I’m finally getting it. And I don’t have to be afraid of getting it wrong."

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