Practise speaking with Duolingo’s AI conversation partner

Duolingo’s Video Call gives a language learner an AI character to speak with. Lily starts the exchange, but the learner can steer it and ask her to repeat or slow down.[1]

A useful goal is small: explain something familiar, listen to the reply and add a question of your own. This is a documentation-based guide with an original practice exercise, not an account of calls we tested.

Check the call available in your account

Look for the Video Call camera icon on the learning path or in the Practice Hub. The feature began within Duolingo Max. In its 5 August 2026 shareholder letter, Duolingo said most new Super subscribers also had access, while expansion to existing Super subscribers was expected later in the year. Check the offer displayed for your account before changing plans.[1][4]

Duolingo’s product highlights page lists Android calls for English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese and Korean. It also documents Push-To-Talk, feedback after calls and longer conversations for advanced learners.[3]

Give the exchange a job

For an illustrative exercise, describe growing herbs on a balcony. Say what you grow, where you keep it and how you use it. Then ask Lily about a related preference. Choose a subject you already understand, so you can concentrate on finding the words.

Duolingo’s design account explains how this is structured. Instructions specify language level and conversational purpose; a separate step prepares the opening question. During the call, further checks can prompt rephrasing or let the learner lead. A programme signals when to end the exchange.[2]

Afterwards, choose one sentence you wanted to say more clearly. Use the available feedback to revisit it, then try expressing the same thought without reading. The next call can use a different familiar subject; the aim is to make another attempt, not memorise a complete script.[3]

What the learning evidence shows

A Duolingo-authored June 2025 report randomly assigned 658 Japanese speakers studying early-intermediate English course content. The analysis retained 263 Video Call users and 304 controls who met usage requirements and completed testing. Over 30 days, the requirements were at least two calls daily or one regular lesson daily. The adjusted analysis estimated a two-point advantage in Versant speaking scores for the call condition, on a 10–90 scale.[5][6]

The result concerns that regular-use group: attrition was 20.1% with calls and 7.6% in control, and call users spent more total time learning, although the model accounted for time. The groups reported similar willingness to communicate afterwards; speaking confidence was not measured before the intervention. The study supports a bounded speaking benefit, rather than a general promise of confidence or fluency.[5][6]

For your own practice, notice what you can now say unaided. Being able to explain why you grow mint, clarify a misunderstood word and ask a follow-up gives the next real conversation somewhere to begin.

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