What to do after Duolingo when you want to talk to someone
Take one topic you already know from practice and ask a person about their own life. The exercise ends with the answer you expected; the useful part of a call starts with the answer you didn’t.
Practice getting unstuck in a live turnBuild a two-turn exchange
If you’ve practiced food vocabulary, say what you like cooking and ask what they make when they’re short on time. Prepare “What do you put in it?” as a follow-up. Learn how to ask for one detail again. You don’t need to predict the rest of the conversation.
Repeat the topic with a small change
After the call, note what stopped you: the other person’s speed, a missing word or trouble forming the follow-up. Before the next call, practice that specific moment out loud, then ask the same kind of question about a different meal. If the gap is understanding rather than speaking, ask for a shorter answer to start.