Learning a language with AI

To make progress in a language, you need to practise, a lot, without being afraid of making mistakes. That's exactly what AI allows: a conversation partner available at any hour, who never gets tired and never judges. It doesn't replace real conversations with people, but it gets you ready for them.

1. Conversation at your level

Tell it the language, your level and the topic. If you know your level on the European framework (from A1 for beginners to C2 for very advanced), say so; otherwise, describe what you can do.

"I want to practise Spanish. I'm a beginner, around A2 level: I can introduce myself and talk about my day. Let's have a conversation: you're a waiter in a café in Madrid, and I'm ordering. Use short, simple sentences. Only correct my mistakes at the end, so the conversation isn't interrupted."

Role-plays work really well: at the hotel, at the doctor's, a job interview, a chat with a neighbour. Pick the situations you'll actually face.

2. Corrections that help you improve

• Ask for the explanation, not just the corrected version: "For each mistake, explain the rule in one sentence."
• Look for them yourself first: "Tell me how many mistakes there are in each sentence, without correcting them; I'll try to find them."
• Spot your recurring mistakes: "What are the three mistakes I make most often? Give me a short exercise on each one."

3. Vocabulary in context

A list of isolated words is quickly forgotten. A word met in a sentence, a story or a situation sticks much better.

"Here are ten German words I want to remember. Write me a short B1-level story that uses all of them, then ask me questions about the story."

You can also ask it to adapt an article you're interested in to your level, or to explain the difference between two similar words. And the new words can go into your spaced review cards, as in the previous lesson.

4. Voice mode: speaking for real

Many assistants offer a voice mode: you speak, it answers out loud. It's ideal for speaking practice, where people get stuck most often. Two limits to know. First, the AI often understands what you meant even when your pronunciation is approximate, so it won't always point out your pronunciation errors. Second, nothing replaces listening to real speakers: films, series, podcasts, conversations.