Is Duolingo enough to learn German after moving? It depends on your foundation. We share what Duolingo helped with, where it fell short, and why streaks aren’t the same as real progress.

Learning German didn’t start with fluency for us — it started with survival. This post reflects on the free tools that helped us stay afloat early on, why they mattered, and when they naturally reached their limits.

Moving to Germany was overwhelming, and learning German often took a back seat. This post reflects on how we approached the language early on—gently, imperfectly, and without adding more pressure to an already full life.