ADVERTISEMENT

Duolingo is a language-learning platform that includes a website, an app, and a sociopathic owl mascot that specializes in threatening users to continue their courses. From passive-aggressive notifications after a period of inactivity to visiting your bedroom while you're asleep, it knows no limits. As the owl became more and more confident in its wicked ways, some of the 300 million Duolingo users started creating memes to tell about the times it came hunting for them. That's right, it doesn't matter if they're learning conjunctions or idioms, the owl is always watching. Waiting. And if they haven't completed their daily task by midnight, it's a bloody nightmare. Continue scrolling and enjoy some of the funniest Duolingo memes from Twitter, Instagram and pretty much any other corner of the internet!

#1

Intruder Alert

Duolingo meme showing notifications: forgot Spanish lesson warning and a simultaneous ADT intruder alert.

Report

The Duolingo project was started in 2009 in Pittsburgh by Carnegie Mellon University professor Luis von Ahn (creator of reCAPTCHA) and his graduate student Severin Hacker. Initially, Luis Von Ahn wanted to create a program that would both teach its users a foreign language and have them translate simple phrases in documents, though the translation feature has since been removed.

#3

You Know What Happens Know

Duolingo notification humorously paired with a missile alert, playing on language lesson reminders.

Report

The project was originally sponsored by Luis von Ahn's MacArthur fellowship and a National Science Foundation grant. Additional funding came from an investment Union Square Ventures and actor Ashton Kutcher's firm, A-Grade Investments.

#6

Breakdown In Norwegian

Duolingo meme with humorous Norwegian phrase, "I am eating bread and crying on the floor."

williamstafford Report

ADVERTISEMENT

Duolingo started its private beta on November 30, 2011, and more than 300,000 users joined the waiting list. On June 19, 2012, Duolingo launched for the general public. Due to popular interest, it has received many investments including a $20 million Series C round of investment led by Kleiner Caufield & Byers and a $45 million Series D round of investment led by Google Capital. Currently, Duolingo employs 95 people, of whom many had been working for Google.

#7

You Missed Your Spanish Lesson

Comic of a brain reminding someone they missed a Duolingo lesson, featuring the Duolingo owl holding a knife.

Report

#8

Coming Soon

Duolingo owl meme with ominous threat about knowing the French word for potato, followed by a blurred gun image.

Report

Add photo comments
POST
Dryft Cat
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The top was actually their April fools joke! https://forum.duolingo.com/comment/31539312

Madison King
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

These memes are so stuck in my mind, I didn't sleep at all for one night until like 6 AM...at daybreak.

Madison King
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I DONT SPEAK EITHER OF THOSE!!!! My mom speaks French though, ask her. My little cousin speaks German, ask her.

Avi
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

No I refuse to say it in German *My friends wondering why I haven't been online for days*

Khamarian Bingham
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

this Duolingo thing is stupid... *Window breaks* Duo: ¡Joder que acabas de decir!

CalorieCat 98
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

German? Oh yeah i can speak that, and also, Ich habe einen Speer, kann ihn benutzen und habe keine Angst vor dir.

CalorieCat 98
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

German? Oh hell yeah, i can speak that and also, Ich habe einen Speer, kann ihn benutzen und habe keine Angst vor dir.

the Lemon Queen
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

this somehow freaked me out so bad I screeched bpth "Pomme de Terre" and "Kartoffel" at my laptop. It was the middle of the night XD

Sophia Cai
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

am i the only one who's really happy for having seen the original post

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT

All language-learning features in Duolingo are free of charge, but it uses periodic advertising in both its mobile and web browser applications. Users can get rid of it by paying a subscription fee.

#9

Meirl

Funny Duolingo meme depicting conversation misunderstanding with native speakers from a TV show scene.

ambervalentina Report

Add photo comments
POST
Rakan Rakan
Community Member
4 months ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Duollingo: you forgot your lesson you now what will ha_ wait what Are you eating

View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT
#15

Important Questions

Duolingo meme with humorous sentence translation, asking profound questions like "Who am I?"

valeriecodes Report

Add photo comments
POST
PandaLover
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Where am I? What is the meaning of life? Why are you not doing your duolingo lessons every day?

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT
See Also on Bored Panda
#19

It's Called Learning

Duolingo meme with humorous text about downloading languages into the brain and slow buffering.

Report

#21

Duolingo Bird In Real Life

Duolingo meme: Black crow with knife, text reads "beg for your life in Spanish."

ghoulcabin Report

#23

Where Were You?!

Buff Duolingo owl humorously confronting user for inactivity.

Report

#25

Nobody Cares For Your English

Duolingo meme parody with app mascot; top text censored, bottom text in Spanish translation.

Report

ADVERTISEMENT
See Also on Bored Panda
#28

A Real Threatening Aura

Two people running in a hallway, with text about Duolingo memes and daily language lesson reminders.

FloofKing Report

#29

You Missed Your Lesson

Cartoon character humorously reminds about a missed Duolingo lesson.

Report