We Understand You in Spanish- Duolingo | Stop Guessing What It Means

This message means your spoken answer was recognized, even if your pronunciation still has room to tighten up.

You’re doing a speaking task, you say the line, and the app flashes “We understand you.” That tiny sentence can feel odd because it’s not the feedback most of us expect. The good news: it’s not a warning, and it’s not a hidden score. It’s a simple signal that Duolingo’s speech recognition caught what you said well enough to move on.

This article breaks down what that message is telling you, what the closest Spanish equivalents are, and what to check when speaking tasks don’t behave. If you’re trying to sound clearer in Spanish, you’ll get a practical routine you can run in five minutes a day.

Why Duolingo says “We understand you”

Duolingo uses speech recognition during speaking exercises. You speak, the app listens, and it decides whether your audio matches the target phrase closely enough to accept the answer. When the match is good, some versions of the interface show a friendly confirmation like “We understand you.” Duolingo’s own write-ups on speaking exercises describe these prompts as short moments meant to train speaking from the start, not long assessments. Duolingo’s approach to speaking skills.

So what is it actually saying?

• “Your microphone audio came through.”
• “Your words mapped well enough to the expected sentence.”
• “No need to repeat; keep going.”

It does not mean you sounded native. It does not mean your grammar is perfect. It means the system could parse your speech.

We Understand You in Spanish- Duolingo: What Spanish line it points to

Duolingo’s message is in English, yet it’s tied to what you said in Spanish. If you want the cleanest Spanish version of “We understand you,” you need to pick the “you” that fits: informal vs formal, singular vs plural, and whether “you” is the direct object or indirect object in your sentence.

Here are the patterns you’ll see most in real Spanish:

• Te entendemos. “We understand you” (talking to one person, informal tú).
• Lo entendemos. “We understand it” or “We understand you” (formal usted can pair with lo in some contexts, and wording varies by region).
• Le entendemos. “We understand you” (often tied to usted; in some places it may sound stiff, and pronoun choice can vary).
• Los entendemos / Las entendemos. “We understand you all” (direct object, gendered, less common for people in many regions).
• Les entendemos. “We understand you all” (indirect object style, used in some varieties).

If you want a straight grammar note on object pronouns like lo, le, los, and les, the CVC explanation on direct and indirect object pronouns is a solid reference.

When you’re learning, you don’t need to master every regional pronoun rule on day one. You do need to know this: Spanish “you” changes shape fast. If you saw “We understand you” after speaking, treat it as a green light on audio recognition, not as a model sentence you must memorize.

When you’ll see this message, and when you won’t

You’re most likely to see it during tasks where Duolingo asks you to repeat a sentence, read a short line aloud, or respond in a short dialogue. The message may show up after a clean pass, and it may not show up at all if your app version uses a different confirmation style.

If you never see it, that’s fine. Speaking tasks still work the same way. What matters is whether Duolingo accepts your spoken answer, gives you a retry prompt, or fails to capture audio.

Three outcomes you can treat as signals

• Accepted right away: Your audio matched well enough.
• Asked to try again: Your speech was heard, yet it didn’t match closely enough.
• Instant fail or no listening indicator: The app may not be getting microphone audio, or it may be blocked by system settings.

How Duolingo decides it “understood” you

Duolingo doesn’t publish a public scoring rubric for each speaking item, and the product changes over time. Still, you can infer the practical target: clear syllables, a steady pace, and the right vowel sounds. Speech recognition often struggles with three things in Spanish: swallowed vowels, rushed linking between words, and English-style stress on the wrong syllable.

If you want a simple self-check, record yourself saying the line once, then compare it to the audio model. You’re listening for rhythm and vowel clarity, not perfection.

Fixes when Duolingo can’t hear you

When the app behaves like it can’t hear you, start with the boring stuff. It fixes most cases.

Check microphone permission first

On iPhone, you can review and change which apps can use the microphone inside Privacy & Security. Apple’s step-by-step page is the cleanest reference: Control access to hardware features on iPhone.

On Android, you can change app permissions from Settings, then Apps, then the app’s Permissions page. Google’s official guide walks through the taps: Change app permissions on your Android phone.

Then check these quick blockers

• Headphones with an inline mic can route audio in odd ways. Try one run without them.
• Bluetooth headsets can lag. Turn Bluetooth off for a test run.
• Another app using the mic can steal access. Close voice recorders, calls, and voice chat apps.
• On web, browser mic settings can block Duolingo. Try another browser you already trust.

If permissions look right and it still fails, a phone restart clears stuck audio routing more often than you’d expect.

Spanish speaking tips that make Duolingo accept you more often

Duolingo will accept more of your answers when you speak like Spanish, not like English with Spanish words sprinkled in. That sounds obvious, yet there are a few high-return habits that shift results fast.

Stretch vowels, not volume

Spanish vowels are clean and steady. English vowels often slide. When you say sí, keep it a pure “ee” sound. When you say no, keep it a pure “oh.” A louder voice doesn’t help if the vowel is drifting.

Hit the rhythm

Spanish rhythm tends to land evenly across syllables. Try tapping a finger lightly as you speak. One tap per syllable keeps you from rushing the middle of a sentence.

Use a half-beat pause at commas

If the sentence has a natural break, take a tiny pause. Duolingo’s recognition often improves when your sentence is chunked into sensible pieces.

Speak into the mic, not past it

Hold the phone so the mic is aimed toward your mouth. If you’re on a tablet, don’t cover the mic with your hand.

Common Spanish lines that sound close, yet change meaning

Duolingo speaking tasks can reject an answer that sounds close because one small sound flips the word. Spanish has pairs like pero and perro, or canto and cantó. If your tongue isn’t used to that contrast, recognition can wobble.

Work on the few patterns that cause most repeats:

• Single vs rolled r:caro vs carro.
• b/v softness: both often sound like a soft “b” between vowels.
• d at word end: in many accents it gets light, yet it’s still there.
• Stress marks:practico vs practicó can change the target word.

When you hit a repeat loop, slow down and over-articulate just for that item. After it accepts, return to a normal pace on the next exercise.

Spanish options for “We understand you” you’ll meet outside the app

Outside Duolingo, Spanish speakers use a range of lines that map to “We understand you,” and the choice can signal tone. Some are warm, some are formal, and some are about empathy more than comprehension.

Spanish line	Natural use	Notes on tone
Te entendemos.	Talking to one person you know well	Direct and friendly
Le entendemos.	Addressing one person with usted	Formal; varies by region
Los entendemos.	Speaking to a group (direct object)	Sounds bookish in some places
Les entendemos.	Speaking to a group (indirect object style)	Common in some varieties
Ya te entiendo.	“I get you now” after confusion	Casual, often said with a nod
Entiendo lo que dices.	“I understand what you’re saying”	Neutral, clear
Se entiende.	“It’s understandable” about a point	Detached; not aimed at a person
Te comprendo.	“I understand you” in an emotional sense	Can feel more personal

Pick one line based on who you’re speaking to. If you’re unsure, Entiendo and Entiendo lo que dices stay safe and natural.

Build a five-minute routine that improves your acceptance rate

You don’t need marathon sessions. You need small, repeatable reps that train your mouth. Here’s a routine that works even if you only do one lesson a day.

Minute 1: Shadow the model audio

Play Duolingo’s sentence audio and speak at the same time, half a beat behind. Match the rhythm, not the loudness.

Minutes 2–3: Repeat the hardest word three times

Pick the word that triggered the retry. Say it slowly three times, then say it once in the full sentence.

Minute 4: Record, then listen once

Use your phone’s voice recorder. Listen for one thing only: are your vowels clean? Fix that one thing, then stop.

Minute 5: One clean take

Say the full sentence once with a steady pace. Then move on. Chasing perfect takes can burn motivation.

What to do when Duolingo accepts you, yet you still feel unsure

It’s normal to feel like you’re guessing at first. Duolingo’s confirmation can feel thin because it’s not teaching you phonetics in detail. You can still get solid feedback by adding one extra check: test yourself on a new sentence that uses the same sound pattern.

Say you struggled with rr. After the lesson, say two short lines out loud:

• Quiero arroz.
• Quiero caro.

Even if you’re alone, your ear will start to catch the contrast once you practice it in pairs.

Quick troubleshooting map for speaking exercises

If speaking exercises are glitchy, this map helps you pick the next step without guessing.

What you see	Likely cause	What to try next
No mic icon or speaking tasks never appear	Speaking exercises toggled off or not available in that lesson path	Check Duolingo settings for speaking exercises; try another unit
Mic icon shows, yet it never “listens”	Microphone permission blocked	Enable mic permission for Duolingo in system settings
Instant “try again” on every prompt	Audio input too quiet or clipped	Move closer to mic, lower background noise, test without Bluetooth
Works on mobile, fails on web	Browser site permission blocked	Allow mic for the site, then refresh the page
Random fails after it worked earlier	Audio routing stuck	Force close Duolingo, restart the phone, try again
Only one phrase keeps failing	One sound pattern is tripping recognition	Slow down and over-articulate that word, then re-run the sentence
Acceptance feels inconsistent	Speed varies between takes	Use a steady pace and a small pause at natural breaks

Small habits that keep progress steady

Speaking progress can feel uneven because recognition is stricter on some words than others. Two habits smooth it out.

• Repeat accepted sentences once more. Don’t rush past the win. One extra rep locks the mouth movement in place.
• Read one short Spanish text aloud each week. A paragraph from a graded reader is enough. Reading aloud trains flow, not just isolated words.

If you keep seeing “We understand you,” treat it as a gentle sign you’re being heard. Your goal from there is simple: keep your vowels clean, keep your rhythm steady, and keep showing up.