Duolingo Esperanto: is it enough, and what to do next

No, Duolingo alone is not enough to learn Esperanto, but it is a good way to start. The English course has 69 units and about 2,400 vocabulary items, can be used free of charge and builds a daily habit. It stays at the lowest CEFR level (A1), explains little grammar and never puts you in a conversation. This page lists what the course contains, where it ends and what to add. Everything we suggest is free.

#What does the Duolingo Esperanto course contain?

Most numbers below come from the unofficial tracker Duolingo Data, which records the course structure; Duolingo itself publishes little about its courses. They were checked on 7 October 2026.

We found no time estimate from Duolingo. Counting lessons gives a rough idea: one unit a day would finish it in about ten weeks, one a week in about sixteen months.

#Is the Duolingo Esperanto course still available?

Yes, the course for English speakers is still listed. The tracker's data of 30 September 2026 shows it as a normal course, and its last update was in July 2025. We found no announcement from Duolingo that it is being withdrawn.

The versions for Spanish, Portuguese and French speakers are less visible. A petition started by TEJO, the world Esperanto youth organisation, on 1 June 2023 said that they were hidden from the course menu, that their creators had received notices that they would be closed, and that together they had attracted over 350,000 users. The tracker still lists all three on 30 September 2026, but shows them in grey, the colour it uses for courses that are old or not fully available. We found no public reply from Duolingo.

#What is Duolingo good for?

• A daily habit. Short lessons make it easy to touch Esperanto every day, and frequent short contact helps you keep going.
• A first vocabulary. With 2,385 items, the course shows far more words than a 12-lesson course can. You meet common roots many times.
• A low-risk start. It costs nothing to begin and needs no commitment. In a small 2025 interview study, several learners said they were already studying another language on Duolingo and tried Esperanto because it was popular there.

#Where does it fall short?

• Little explicit grammar. In 2025 Federico Gobbo and Iris Marijke Koelewijn of the University of Amsterdam interviewed 12 people aged 16 or over who had used the course. The large majority called it attractive for starting but not enough, because it does not explain the grammar openly and the learner only writes and listens, never speaks. The sample is small and not representative, as the authors say themselves, but the pattern is clear enough to take seriously.
• No conversation. Esperanto is a language to use with people. The interviewees said the course trains writing and listening, not speaking.
• Little connected reading. Duolingo Stories, its feature of short story-like texts, does not exist for Esperanto (September 2026), so you get less practice with whole paragraphs.
• A low ceiling. A1 means very simple everyday phrases. Duolingo does not publish how many learners finish the course.

#Duolingo and our Saluton course side by side

The two do not compete: Duolingo drills many words, the course explains the system that makes them easy. You can run both side by side.

#What to learn next

#1. Learn the grammar once, in one place

All of Esperanto grammar rests on 16 short rules. Learn them, then add the accusative and the verb endings. Look at how little you must memorise: La hundo de mia amiko kuris en la parkon. – "My friend's dog ran into the park." The -n on parkon shows movement into the park. The free 12-lesson course teaches these points step by step, with exercises that check themselves.

#2. Learn how words are built

The reason a small vocabulary goes far is word-building. From one root you get a family: san·a – "healthy", mal·san·a – "ill", mal·san·ul·o – "sick person", mal·san·ul·ej·o – "hospital". The course's unit list does include affixes, but seeing the whole system on one page makes new words guessable. Read word building, then the prefixes and suffixes.

#3. Read real texts

Try the seven sample texts, from a beginner dialogue to Zamenhof's 1887 Lord's Prayer. For any word you cannot parse, use the dictionary: it shows the word's root, ending and meaning.

#4. Speak and listen

Learn the 20 most useful phrases, then find people: free resources lists conversation sessions, podcasts, online groups and events. Esperanto speakers also host travellers for free – see Pasporta Servo. To set a realistic goal, read how long it takes.

#A simple weekly plan

A suggestion, not a tested method:

1. Every day: ten minutes with our flashcards for the 1,000 most common words, or one Duolingo lesson.
2. Twice a week: one lesson of the free course – 30 to 45 minutes.
3. Once a week: read one sample text, then retell it aloud.
4. Once a month: a first conversation, even a short one.

#Common questions

#Is Duolingo good for learning Esperanto?

It is good for building a habit and a first vocabulary, and weak at explaining grammar and at speaking practice. Use it as a warm-up and add a course that explains the rules.

#How long is the Duolingo Esperanto course?

The English course has 69 units and 1,318 lessons, about 19 lessons per unit (Duolingo Data, July 2025). We found no time estimate from Duolingo. At one unit a day it takes roughly ten weeks.

#What level of Esperanto do you reach with Duolingo?

The tracker lists the course at CEFR A1, the lowest level. That means very simple everyday phrases, not a free conversation.

#Is Duolingo Esperanto free?

You can use the course for free, and Duolingo also sells an optional paid plan. Our Saluton course is free.

#What should I do after finishing Duolingo Esperanto?

Learn the 16 rules, work through the free course, read the sample texts, and start talking to people.

#Sources

• Duolingo: Esperanto course
• Duolingo Data: Esperanto from English, 69 units (course data last edited July 2025, retrieved 7 October 2026)
• Duolingo Data: course list (compiled 30 September 2026) and learner counts (snapshot of 5 October 2026)
• Vikipedio: Duolingo (course dates)
• Doctor Dada: 9,600 people have started learning Esperanto in two days (launch, 2015)
• Libera Folio: Kie estas la Duolinganoj? (31 March 2020)
• Change.org: For the Duolingo Esperanto courses (TEJO petition, 1 June 2023)
• F. Gobbo and I. M. Koelewijn, Ĉu Duolingo sufiĉas?, Esperanto 1398(2), February 2025