I tried learning Portuguese with Duolingo, in a couple of months I only managed to learn words, but no grammar. I fared better with Babel, which has more structured courses, but since there was no accountability, I wasn’t diligent and did not progress much. Finally, I enrolled in an evening class and in the span of 4 months my level went from “I barely know the basics” to A1.2
Also, as others mentioned, consuming content in said language and conversing (even online) helps a lot (that’s how I honed my English), having a pen pal is even better.
I 100% agree with your advice.
I tried learning Portuguese with Duolingo, in a couple of months I only managed to learn words, but no grammar. I fared better with Babel, which has more structured courses, but since there was no accountability, I wasn’t diligent and did not progress much. Finally, I enrolled in an evening class and in the span of 4 months my level went from “I barely know the basics” to A1.2
Also, as others mentioned, consuming content in said language and conversing (even online) helps a lot (that’s how I honed my English), having a pen pal is even better.