‘Don’t lose your streak!’: 20 Duolingo memes for learning languages and escaping notifications

Giuliana Tiscioni • Writer

Aug 13, 2026 6:00 AM EDT

Learning a new language can be an adventure… Especially if the green owl doesn't let you go.

Many of us have had that language-learning bug bite us at some point in our lives. Perhaps we read that learning a new language is good for our brains, or maybe we have family and friends living abroad, or perhaps we just have some free time and want to use it in a fun and productive way. Wanting to travel is also a good motivation for learning a language. Maybe we dream about ordering a Pain au chocolat in Paris, speaking perfect French. Or perhaps we want to be able to read Chinese. No matter what our goal is, if we want to learn a language, we most likely started using Duolingo at some point.

It's definitely a good place to start! It can give you a general idea of how a language works, especially if you've never had access to hearing or reading that language before. Private classes are not always easy to find, and many of us don't have much time on our hands to sit for hours and study grammar rules. An app on our phone is easier to handle, and we can learn while keeping the feeling that we are simply playing; that's the fun part!

With Duolingo, we've all had that same experience: the green bird won't let us forget for one second that we need ot practice to get fluent. Whether we are on the subway on our way to work, sitting on the couch at home, or at a rock concert, the notifications will flood our phones and remind us to do a lesson. It can be a little bit annoying at times; that's for sure. But it is also true that if we want to get better at something, practice is the only way! We won't be perfect, because that doesn't exist; no one speaks a language perfectly, not even natives. But we sure will improve and feel ten times more confident in our skills for communicating with others! So yes, Duolingo can get a little bit annoying sometimes, but it is for our own good. If we practice, we'll reach our goals faster.

This meme list is for all people learning with the owl. The notifications will never stop coming; we might as well laugh about it.