First check your level against the CEFR descriptors, because finishing a course means different things in different languages: Duolingo says nine of its courses now run through B2. Then add what an app course can't fully supply on its own: plenty of longer reading at your level, deliberate vocabulary review, real-speed listening and regular speaking or writing.
What level does finishing Duolingo get you to?
It depends on the course and on when you finished it. In April 2026 Duolingo announced that most learners of English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean and Chinese could now study through CEFR level B2, which it equates with a Duolingo Score of 129. Before that, it says, most of those learners could only complete content up to A2, a Duolingo Score of 59. For other courses, check what level your course says it covers.
A 2021 study by Jiang and colleagues in the journal Foreign Language Annals measured what a beginner course achieves. It tested 225 adults in the United States who had finished the beginning-level Spanish or French course, using Duolingo as their only learning tool:
| Skill tested | Level reached (ACTFL scale) | Compared with |
|---|---|---|
| Reading | Intermediate Low | University students at the end of their fourth semester |
| Listening | Novice High | University students at the end of their fourth semester |
| Speaking and writing | Not tested in this study | – |
So a beginner course can take you a real distance, with reading ahead of listening. It also leaves two things unmeasured, speaking and writing, and those are the skills the B levels of the CEFR increasingly ask for.
How do you check where you really are?
The Council of Europe's global scale is the simplest yardstick. Read the descriptions below and pick the highest one that is true of you without stretching, then test it on real text.
| If you can… | Your level is likely | Where to start on Contos |
|---|---|---|
| Understand sentences and common expressions about family, shopping, your area and work, and handle simple routine exchanges | A2 | A2, with an occasional A1 chapter for speed |
| Follow the main points of clear standard language on familiar topics, and describe experiences and plans | B1 | B1, dropping to A2 if chapters feel like decoding |
| Understand the main ideas of complex text on concrete and abstract topics, and talk with native speakers without strain | B2 | B2 |
The Council of Europe also publishes a self-assessment grid that splits each level into listening, reading, speaking and writing, which helps if your skills are uneven, as they were for the learners in Jiang's study. For a quick practical check, read one free chapter at two levels and see which you can follow. Our guide to choosing a reading level explains how to judge it. If you are already around B1 and feel stuck, our page on the intermediate plateau is for you.
What should you add after Duolingo?
Duolingo itself now offers Stories and DuoRadio in its advanced content, so the question isn't what it lacks but what you need more of. Research points to four things:
- Longer reading, and lots of it. Paul Nation estimates that reading a novel with 98% of the words familiar takes 8,000–9,000 word families, far beyond any course. Text written for learners gets there with much less: one graded reader he analysed reached 98% with 3,000. Volume is what fills the gap; see extensive reading, and why stories help for why a plot makes that volume easier.
- Deliberate review of new words. Words picked up in reading fade fast unless they come back. Spaced repetition keeps them.
- Real-speed listening. The Duolingo learners in Jiang's study were further behind in listening than in reading. Podcasts, radio and video at your level help, and our page on reading or listening first explains why the two skills need separate practice.
- Speaking and writing. The CEFR's B1 and B2 descriptions involve producing connected text and explaining a viewpoint. A conversation partner, a tutor or a writing habit covers what an app's exercises can only start.
Where does Contos fit after Duolingo?
Contos covers the first of those four: serialized stories written at A1 to B2 in 17 languages, in chapters long enough to read as stories. In Spanish, the free chapters run from 146–221 words at A1 to 304–477 at B2. You tap any word for its meaning in your own language, save the ones you want as flashcards, and move up a level as your known words reach 500, 1,500 and 4,000.
Here is the kind of thing you would read at A2, where most of those Duolingo courses topped out before the 2026 expansion:
Lorena termina el café. "Voy a investigar", dice. Sube las escaleras. Necesita hablar con los vecinos.
You don't have to stop Duolingo to start: you can keep a short daily lesson and add a chapter on top. The first two chapters of every series are free on the web and on iPhone and iPad.
Try chapter 1 of an A2 series and see how far your Duolingo vocabulary takes you.
Read free in your browserFrequently asked questions
Is finishing Duolingo enough to be fluent?
Usually not on its own. Even its longest courses run to B2, the upper of the CEFR's two independent-user levels, and a published study of its beginner courses measured reading and listening only. Most people who call themselves fluent have also done a lot of real reading, listening and speaking.
Which Contos level should I start at after Duolingo?
If your course ended at A2 content, start at A2 and dip into B1 when it feels easy. If you worked through B1 or B2 content, try B1 first. Read one free chapter at each of two levels and keep the one you can follow without constant tapping.
Why is my listening behind my reading?
That was the pattern in Jiang and colleagues' study too: Intermediate Low for reading but Novice High for listening. Recognising words by ear is partly a separate skill from recognising them in print, and it needs practice at natural speed.
Is Contos a replacement for Duolingo?
It does a different job. Contos is a reading app: serialized stories at your level, tap-to-translate and flashcards. It has no audio and no speaking exercises, so it works best alongside other practice rather than instead of it.
Do I lose my Duolingo progress if I switch?
Your progress in Duolingo is separate from Contos, and nothing stops you using both. Contos starts you at the level you choose, so you don't redo beginner content you have already covered.