This viral Duolingo ad isn't real. The queer community wants it to be

A fake Duolingo ad that depicts two women falling in love has the online queer community wishing it was real.

The speculative ("spec") advertisement, titled "Un Poquito," showcases a lesbian couple's ability to meet, bond and ultimately fall in love through the help of language-learning app Duolingo. As of April 14, the spec ad had more than 1.3 million views on TikTok, with hundreds of users chiming in about its ability to convey a queer relationship authentically.

"This made me tear up (because) ... my girlfriend is Dominican and I am learning Spanish because of her … this representation is amazing," one TikTok user commented.

"Watched it and immediately ran to my (girlfriend) – she has like a 1,000+ day streak on Duolingo – we teared up together in the kitchen. This is so good," another said.

A speculative advertisement is an unpaid commercial created to build creatives' portfolios, in hopes to attract future clients. Director Hailey Brown, her team at San Francisco-based production company Pool Girl Studios, and Missouri-based writer Brandon Vanderstine, did not officially work with Duolingo to create "Un Poquito," but the brand did take notice.

In a comment made on the TikTok video on March 31, Duolingo commented, "cinema" with a tear-welling emoji.

Watch 'Un Poquito'

In "Un Poquito," Emily (Lollis) and Victoria (Megan Moore) cross paths at a park. Emily speaks English and Victoria, Spanish. Over the course of the spec, the women continue to meet, all while Emily learns how to speak Spanish at home, using Duolingo. By the end of the spec, Victoria introduces Emily to her mother (Vilma Macdonald), and Emily is able to speak comfortably in Spanish.

How the viral spec ad came together

The idea for "Un Poquito" came from Vanderstine, who told USA TODAY he wanted to create a spec for his portfolio that first presented a story, then an advertisement.

"I wanted to tell a love story and the more I got into it ... there was all this tenderness and very sweet, very feminine energy to everything I was putting together," he said. "I just realized, it made so much more sense being a queer story in this way."

Vanderstine had also just finished working with Brown on her independent feature film, "Don't," which also follows a lesbian couple. Vanderstine presented Brown with a storyboard for the spec and asked for her input on everything else – casting, wardrobe, production design.

"I encouraged her to rewrite scenes to feel more authentic, if needed," he said.

Reflecting on creating a piece of media that showcases authentic queer representation, Vanderstine said it was easy.

"All it took was taking a back seat and letting the team tell the story themselves," he explained. "Once I had the right team in place and empowered them to make creative decisions, I never had to think about it again."

'I've done that.'

When it came to pulling inspiration for the spec, Brown told USA TODAY there wasn't any, because she believes authentic queer representation doesn't exist in advertising.

"We don't really get to see (queer representation) a lot in advertisement," Brown said. "Companies think we can only talk about this around Pride ... and that's not the case."

Personally, Duolingo has played an important role in Brown's life, as it helped her learn how to speak more fluent Spanish with her wife Diana, who is Ecuadorian and Czech.

"I've spent my time on a language app trying to learn some of those so that I can even talk with her family," Brown said of the four languages her wife speaks. "If I saw our commercial, I wouldn't think, 'Oh my gosh, they're queer.' I would think, 'Oh my gosh, I've done that. I've used Duolingo for that.'"

Does Duolingo have plans to use 'Un Poquito'?

In a statement obtained by USA TODAY, Duolingo said it doesn't have plans to work with Brown or Vanderstine on a future advertisement, but the company is glad the spec is "sparking a conversation."

"We love when people are inspired by what’s possible through learning a language. This is a beautiful story," the statement said. "What stands out to us is that it captures something we hear from learners all the time: that Duolingo actually works."

At the end of the day, Brown said the "Un Poquito" team were more touched by the queer folks it has resonated with.

"It feels more reassuring and better to hear it from the audience itself," Brown said. "What (Duolingo) had come back with, we were all like, 'That's an extra layer of pat on the back, but the pat on the back was already kind of a hug from the audience.'"

Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Story idea? Email her at [email protected].