If I could get all the isiZulu words I’m supposed to know out of my books and into my brain, I’d be fluent. Yet all my learning has been wasted because with little opportunity to practise, the words just fade away.

The cure should arrive soon, with Duolingo adding isiZulu and isiXhosa to its language app this year. Its lessons guide people from basic sentences to a more advanced level, with its animated green owl Duo popping up every day to nag you into practising.