Last Updated:
Unacademy CEO Gaurav Munjal shared his personal experience with the language learning app Duolingo, and pointed out its limitations.
Gaurav Munjal, co-founder and CEO of Unacademy, was learning Spanish on Duolingo. (Image: X/@gauravmunjal and @duolingo)
Unacademy CEO Gaurav Munjal, like most of us, downloaded the Duolingo app to learn Spanish. Despite completing a 100-day streak on the platform, Munjal revealed that he still couldn’t speak or write the language. He went on to highlight a few shortcomings of the app and took the opportunity to discuss his newly launched language-learning platform.
In a series of posts on X (formerly known as Twitter), Munjal said, “A few months ago I achieved a streak of 100 days on Duolingo for Spanish. But I still couldn’t speak or write even a few sentences in Spanish.”
He explained that his inability to speak or write the language prompted him to launch his own app.“This is the reason we decided to build Airlearn. A Language Learning Product that actually helps you learn the Language instead of being a status symbol for a virtual reward which is the Streak,” he added.
A Language Learning Product that actually helps you learn the Language instead of being a status symbol for a virtual reward which is the Streak.— Gaurav Munjal (@gauravmunjal) November 28, 2024
Munjal pointed out that Duolingo doesn’t teach the basics of grammar, which he believes is one of the main reasons why people fail to learn the language, even after maintaining a streak.
Read| Sacked Unacademy Teacher Stands Firm on ‘Vote for Educated Leaders’ Remark | Controversy Explained
The co-founder of Unacademy further said, “The first problem with Duolingo is the oversimplification of the problem statement. Duolingo does not teach you basic concepts of grammar. It just makes you do the exercises with the hope that you’ll learn them on your own.”
The first problem with Duolingo is the over simplification of the problem statement. Duolingo does not teach you basic concepts of grammar. It just makes you do the exercises with the hope that you’ll learn them on your own.— Gaurav Munjal (@gauravmunjal) November 28, 2024
He even shared screenshots from his app Airlean, where the focus is on teaching the basic concepts of the language first. “Airlearn not only teaches you the grammar concepts, it teaches you about the culture of the people who speak the language you’re trying to learn,” he further said.
We believe that AI will change personalised tutoring. But it won’t be just about gamification or make you do exercises. It will be about teaching you like a Tutor sitting in front of you will teach. And that’s the design principle we follow while building Airlearn.— Gaurav Munjal (@gauravmunjal) November 28, 2024
Munjal further shared user reviews. One user praised Airlearn and suggested it should be entirely free. They highlighted the app’s unique selling point, explaining grammar rules and language culture before users dive into learning the language itself.
Also Read| Unacademy CEO Picks $400 Burberry T-shirt For ‘No Appraisal’ Announcement Meeting
Another user, who had been using Duolingo for a long time, mentioned that they found Airlearn to be a better option.
Earlier this month, Munjal shared that users on his app Airlearn have completed over one million lessons in October. He further shared that the majority of the users on his app are from the United States, with most of them learning Spanish or French.
