Learning a new language is difficult. Which means you should use any tips and tricks at your disposal to make it easier. Duolingo already offers a fantastic way of learning a new language. But its new chatbots now add a friendly face to proceedings.

Duolingo is already extremely proficient at teaching you the words and structure of a new language. However, actually holding a conversation with a native speaker can still be a challenge. Duolingo's new chatbots are designed to help you get used to holding conversations in your new language of choice.

Once you have a basic grasp of the language you're learning, you can text back and forth to Duolingo's chatbots. The more you interact with them, the smarter they get. And if you get stuck for what to say, you can hit, "Help me reply" to trigger some suggestions.

Duolingo has given personalities to its chatbots, so you can befriend Renèe the Driver, Chef Roberto, and/or Officer Ada. Being bots, they have infinite patience, an inability to judge you for making mistakes, and all of the time in the world. Essentially, they're your new best friends.

Conversing With Chatbots

Explaining the thinking behind the new chatbots, Duolingo CEO and co-founder Luis von Ahn told TechCrunch:

“One of the main reasons people learn languages is to have conversations. Students master vocabulary and comprehension skills with Duolingo, but coming up with things to say in real­-life situations remains daunting. Bots offer a sophisticated and effective answer to that need."

Chatbots are currently only available in the Duolingo iOS app. They're also limited to people currently learning Spanish, French, or German. However, Duolingo promises to support other platforms (read, Android) and more languages in the future.

Have you ever used Duolingo to learn a new language? Will you be making use of Duolingo's new chatbots? Do you think chatbots are a positive addition to the overall Duolingo experience? Please let us know in the comments below!