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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.

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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.

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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.

#5

Translate This Sentence

Screenshot of a humorous Duolingo meme showing a translation error with funny text.

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

Very important sentence. You never know when you gonna face the mafia boss.

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

When I was taking Serbian lessons on a similar app there was this phrase "Moje srce govorim jezikom ljubavi" (my heart speaks the language of love). Good to see so much peace and love in the Balkans ;)

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

Errr.... Sir? The war had ended a long time ago.... And didn't even last that long, compared to some other "developed" countries....

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#6

Breakdown In Norwegian

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

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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.

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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.

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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

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#15

Important Questions

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

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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?

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#19

It's Called Learning

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

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#21

Duolingo Bird In Real Life

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

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#23

Where Were You?!

Buff Duolingo owl humorously confronting user for inactivity.

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#25

Nobody Cares For Your English

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

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#28

A Real Threatening Aura

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

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#29

You Missed Your Lesson

Cartoon character humorously reminds about a missed Duolingo lesson.

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