How Duolingo Leagues Made Learning Italian Feel Like a Showdown

Turns out, learning Italian is even better when you’re crushing strangers online

I’ve never considered myself a competitive person.

I don’t like video games because I can’t sit in one spot for too long unless I’m writing.

I don’t play board games either — partly because I didn’t grow up in a board-game-playing family and partly because I find the rules confusing.

I grew up in dance competitions and later debating in mock trials. Not to sound like a smug asshole, but I never considered myself to be “competitive” in these arenas because I always won.

Competition implies a fight to win — like my boyfriend slamming his fingers into the controller while trying to kill a robot-insect-alien that’s chasing him on the screen. But if I always won, then it wasn’t a competition, it was a performance.

I thought I was immune to the rush of competition — until Duolingo happened.

I’ve had a Duolingo account for twelve years. Back in college, I dabbled in Italian and French whenever…