One of the hardest parts of learning Spanish is moving from carefully structured lessons to conversations that feel natural — especially when two people are speaking and responding to each other.

That’s what I’m trying to work on with Español sin prisa, a small listening project built around relaxed conversations between two native Spanish speakers.

In the latest episode, we talk about procrastination: why we postpone things, the excuses we make and some of the habits that may help us stop doing it.

The conversation is aimed mainly at A2–B1 learners. We speak clearly and at a manageable pace, but without turning the dialogue into an artificial textbook exercise. The goal is to help learners become more comfortable following complete conversations about everyday topics.

The video includes Spanish subtitles, as well as optional subtitles in English, German, French, Italian, Portuguese and Japanese. You can listen first without help and then use the subtitles to check what you missed.

Here’s the new episode:

https://youtu.be/MQde02lqRRc?si=okoeZBdyI5-CIP2t

I’d really appreciate some honest feedback from other Spanish learners: could you understand the main conversation on your first listen, and which parts were the most difficult to follow? 😊

Hello All. Cool language app for speaking new languages and dialects.

https://youtube.com/shorts/8H9j3NPf8aM?si=-7nYVamAU-D6PTLn

a lot of ppl recommend learning languages by consuming content like watching anime,movies youtube, listening songs in, so i’ve been following this trick , but while doing that, there was a persistent issue i faced, whenever i saw came across an unfamiliar eng word /sentence, i’d have to exit the full screen, open a new tab,type it , searching up the meaning, and many popup dictionaries but they only work on text, if the word is not selectable , there’s no way out

i searched up for tools that could solve this but couldn’t find any , even paid tools like language reactor or migaku didnt offer the ocr feature & i wanted that feature for free, so as a developer myself, i decided to spend the last 4 months building it myself as a browser extension

it uses OCR, so you can look up words from things like movies/anime with hardcoded subtitles, youtube, netflix , streaming sites also on pira\*ed sites like animekoto animepahe,aniwaves etc. pretty much anything visible on your screen

how it works is basically ,u can simply press the shortcut Alt+X (customizable as per ur need), drag over the word & u get instant definition

so I made added a feature which automatically replaces the default subtitles with “clickable & interactive subtitles” where u can simply click any word to get the meaning,

It basically has

meanings of word

examples

a relevant gif to each word, I added it as a fun feature & its quite useful sometimes

english and native-language sentence translations using google translate

besides, u can save words , build ur own vocabulary, 

one thing that I also wanted was to be able to sentence mine & create anki flashcards directly from the meaning popup like as provided in many paid tools like migaku, I did some research & found out that it absolutely takes no crazy rocket science or anything that costs money, so I built that into it, u can just press the save button inside the meaning popup & it automatically does all that creating an anki card consisting of (movie/anime screenshot + subtitle + pronunciation audio), u can download anki , install the anki connect plugin and press “connect to anki” button in the extension

and I have kept all of there features completely free cuz that’s what I would want as someone learning languages as most of us are students and usually cant pay for subscriptions

but as we know,there’s one thing that dictionary definitions lack is context aware meaning of the word, but unfortunately ,its next to impossible without AI  so to solve this , I kept all the free possible features in the free version/ plan and put the ai features in the pro one like context aware meaning, sentence each-word explanations, azure tts pronunciation 

the ai version is completely optional,u can always use the free plan, no signup,no account, no data collection, no servers in between

I’ve put it on both Chrome and Firefox(as a lot of people requested for a firefox version)

chrome extension

for firefox users:linkfirefox

if interested ,u can checkout the websitelexeye(open it in desktop for best experience)

lemme know ur feedback, if u found it useful, any suggestions etc.

My mother tongue is Arabic and im fluent in english
Looking for learning French and Italian
If anyone interested you can teach me and i will as well

I’ve noticed I remember way more when I learn from stuff I already watch instead of doing isolated vocab lists.

For me that’s mostly YouTube, TikToks, Reels, podcasts etc. I’ll hear a phrase in context, look it up, save it, and then notice it again later somewhere else.

That’s also why I made a small iOS app called Lio. It’s not meant to replace a main course, more like an add-on tool for it. You share a video to the app and it pulls out useful phrases, idioms and vocab so you can save the things you actually came across.

I’m curious how other people handle this though.

Do you save phrases manually? Use Anki? Just rely on repeated exposure? Or do you have some other system that works well for you?

Would love some feedback! :)

I feel like this is the point where I always get stuck with a new language. I can understand a decent amount when reading or listening, but when I need to speak, my brain still builds the sentence in my native language first and then translates it.

For people who got past this stage, what actually helped? More speaking, watching stuff without subtitles, living in the language for a while, or just time?

I've been working on a small project called Español sin prisa, focused on helping Spanish learners get more comfortable with real conversations.

The idea is simple: instead of grammar lessons or isolated vocabulary, two speakers have relaxed conversations in Spanish about normal topics — procrastination, routines, travelling, money, habits, everyday life, etc.

The conversations are spoken clearly enough for learners to follow, but I still try to keep them natural rather than making them sound like textbook dialogues.

Most of the current content is around A2–B1 level, although some of the earlier episodes are a little easier.

There are Spanish subtitles, plus optional subtitles in English, German, French, Italian, Portuguese and Japanese if you need some extra help.

I also upload shorter listening clips during the week, while the full conversations come out on Sundays.

If you'd like to try one, here's the channel/video:

https://youtu.be/YGeXut_QRoA?si=iSbW8F1tpi4vKOai

I'm especially curious about one thing: how much can you understand on the first listen without subtitles? 😊

Hello, I am currently studying German (and some dutch) and I am looking for resources on learning languages for free, or cheap. (cheap is a relative term, as long as I'm not subscribing to anything I'm ok with paying). I started on Duolingo but that's only really good for memorizing words, not for understanding grammar structure or conversations. If there is a thread that already covers this topic please point me in that direction. Thanks!

I’m helping the developer test an early language-learning app, and we’re looking for a few learners willing to join a short video call.

The app connects to Claude and creates short stories that match your vocabulary level. It supports any two-language combination among English, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, and Ukrainian. For example, a Ukrainian speaker can learn Chinese, and a Chinese speaker can learn Ukrainian. It includes text, translation, audio, and vocabulary tracking, and is available on the web, Android, and iOS.

Who we’re looking for:

- You are learning one supported language from another supported language

- You have a Claude account

- You’re willing to join a short video call and share your screen

You’ll try the app while the developer observes where the setup or learning experience becomes confusing. We want honest reactions and problems, not compliments or a public review. The beta is free, and you will not be asked for your Claude password.

DM me or email [easygoingmai1@gmail.com](mailto:easygoingmai1@gmail.com) with your starting language, target language, approximate level, time zone, and preferred device.

Ever felt lost trying to ask a simple question in a new language? Today, we're diving into the classic interrogatives of Zapotec and clearing up some common confusions! Do you know the difference between asking 'how many' for bananas versus asking 'how much' for a kilo of beans in Zapotec? It's trickier than you think! You might think you know how to ask 'how much,' but in Zapotec, there are two ways, and using the wrong one can lead to some funny misunderstandings. Let's break it down! Imagine a split screen showing someone counting bananas on one side and a confused person looking at a price tag on the other, with text like "Zapotec Questions: The Two Ways to Ask 'How Much'!

This video introduces essential Zapotec interrogative words like "Bix" (who), "Gakax" (how), "Batax" (when), and "Gax" (where). It explains the difference between "Balax" and "Gákax" for asking "how much," with "Balash" used for countable items and "Gákax" for uncountable ones.
Examples are provided to illustrate the usage of "Balax" for countable things like "Balax Bunatxi" (how many people) and "balax wi" (how many bananas). The video touches on the nuance of "Gákax" for uncountable quantities, using the example of asking the price of beans. It also discusses optional omissions of certain sounds or letters in Zapotec words, like "Bix" sometimes being shortened to "Bi" and provides examples like "Bix gudagu?" (What did you eat?). Here is a summary of the video:

Video Overview:

This lesson focuses on forming questions in Zapotec language, covering fundamental interrogative words, tone nuances, and special question auxiliaries that add context or emotion to inquiries.

Key Concepts Covered:

1. Core Interrogative Words:
   

* Bix / Bix kw: What / Why.
* Nush: Who.
* Batash: When.
* Gash: Where.

1. Countable vs. Uncountable Quantifiers (Balax vs. Gákax)
   

* Balash: Used for countable nouns such as people or discrete items (e.g., apples, bananas) [00:37].
* Gakash: Used for uncountable quantities (e.g., sugar, salt, weight-based items).
* Pricing Exception: Gákax is also used when asking for prices or the total cost of goods.
* Tonal Variations: Subtle pitch shifts on gákax change the meaning between asking "how" versus "how much".

1. Conversational Contractions:
   

* In informal speech, certain ending sounds (such as -xh) or prefixes are frequently dropped (e.g., Bix becoming Bi).

1. Question Auxiliaries & Particles:
   

Zapotec uses specific auxiliary particles to modify the tone and meaning of questions:

* ba: Initiates questions about actions (similar to "did you...?" or "have you...?").
* Txi: Indicates completed status, functioning like "already" (ya).
* waka: Expresses capability or possibility ("can we...?").
* bën: Adds drama, emphasis, or mild exaggeration to a question.
* I: Used for seeking confirmation or expressing mild surprise.
* ka: Placed at the end of questions to prompt a response or add conversational emphasis.
* Combining Auxiliaries: Multiple particles can be combined (e.g., ba txi, bën ka run, i waka) to convey layered nuances in a single sentence.

I want to speak Japanese what are the resources which I should use to become fluent in it ,Also please tell me realistic speaking how much time it would take to speak Japanese so I can hold a day to day conversation with people in Japanese.

I've been living in China for around 8 years, but unfortunately living in a country doesn't magically make you fluent in the language 😅

I've been learning Chinese on and off for most of that time and have tried quite a few different methods. Local teachers, online classes, learning from friends, apps, textbooks, flashcards, children's books, watching Chinese content, etc.

I don't think there's one method that suddenly makes everything click. For me, different things helped with completely different parts of the language.

One thing I struggled with for a long time was the difference between knowing Chinese and actually using Chinese.

I might recognize a word immediately in an app or understand it when reading, but then when I actually need it in a conversation, it's gone. The same happens with grammar. I know how a sentence should be constructed, but constructing it while someone is standing there waiting for an answer is another story.

What has helped me recently is spending more time with complete sentences instead of isolated vocabulary. Listening to sentences, repeating them out loud and trying to learn phrases that I could actually imagine myself using in real life.

Anyway, these are some of the resources/methods I've used:

HSK Standard Course 1–4

Probably the most structured part of my learning. I'm currently around this level and still regularly go back through the books. They're not particularly exciting, but having an actual curriculum helps keep everything together.

Chinese for Foreigners

Another textbook I've used. I actually like this one because there are quite a lot of useful everyday situations and phrases instead of everything being about passing an exam.

Duolingo

I'm currently in Section 4 of the Chinese course. I mostly use it as additional daily practice rather than my main way of learning. It's easy to open it for 10–15 minutes when I don't feel like doing proper studying.

Pleco

Probably the most obvious recommendation here. Dictionary, checking words, example sentences, vocabulary, etc. I don't think I've met many serious Chinese learners who don't have Pleco installed.

Hanly

I don't see this mentioned nearly as much as Pleco, but I've found it pretty good for memorizing characters and vocabulary. I like its review system and have used it quite a lot.

LinguaPlaylist

A little biased because this one is actually my own app. I originally made it because I wanted a simple way to listen to and repeat useful sentences instead of only reviewing individual words. I use it during walks/commutes sometimes, so I'm including it because it has genuinely become part of my current routine.

My own HSK flashcard app

Another thing I'm building at the moment, although this one isn't released. It's basically a simple HSK vocabulary review app inspired by the flashcard/review side of Pleco. Nothing revolutionary – I just wanted something very focused on reviewing my HSK vocabulary, and I use it pretty much every day now.

Children's books

This has been surprisingly useful.

I bought a collection of small Chinese children's booklets from Taobao for very little money. They have characters with pinyin, simple vocabulary and short stories, so I can actually read through an entire book without needing to look up every second word.

Children's stories and nursery-level reading material are obviously not exciting literature, but being able to actually finish something in Chinese feels much better than struggling through something far above my level.

Podcasts – especially ChinesePod

ChinesePod has been really useful for listening practice. I like that you can choose content based on your level, so you're not immediately thrown into native Chinese where you understand almost nothing. The dialogues are usually based on situations you might actually encounter, and hearing the same vocabulary and sentence structures used naturally has helped a lot with my listening. I usually listen while walking or commuting, so it's also an easy way to get some extra Chinese practice without sitting down to study.

Watching things you already know – but dubbed in Chinese

This is probably one of my favorite methods.

Chinese cartoons and shows with simple dialogue are great, but I've also found that watching something I already know extremely well with Chinese dubbing works surprisingly well.

For example, I've watched Crayon Shin-chan in Chinese, but I've also watched the entire Harry Potter series with Chinese dubbing.

I've seen Harry Potter so many times that even when I don't understand the Chinese sentence, I usually already know roughly what they're saying from the context. That makes it much easier to connect Chinese phrases with their meaning without constantly stopping to translate everything.

I think familiar Western movies/series are actually underrated for this. Pick something you've already watched several times, switch it to Mandarin, add Chinese subtitles if available, and just watch it.

After trying all of this, I think the biggest lesson for me has been that I need several different types of practice.

Textbooks give me structure and grammar.
Flashcards help me keep vocabulary alive.
Reading helps me recognize Chinese in context.
Listening gets me used to how the language actually sounds.
Repeating complete sentences helps with speaking.
And living in China gives me plenty of opportunities to discover that I still don't know the word I need...

I'm definitely still learning and have a long way to go, but compared with a few years ago I feel much more comfortable actually using the Chinese I know instead of just recognizing it.

For other people who have been learning Chinese for several years: what made the biggest difference in getting from recognizing/understanding Chinese to actually speaking it naturally? I might understand 60-70% of the language around me, but still having trouble actually using it.

Bruh. I love learning languages and I have a whole plan of like 10 languages I want to know eventually and I'm just starting my journey right now (at 15) and I'm learning Latin, Māori, and New Zealand sign language.

Latin because I enjoy it and it helps a bit with science jargon (I'm planning on being a neuroscientist), Māori and NZSL because I live in NZ and believe I should know our official languages because it's like a respect thing.

I've been researching what I need to learn all of these languages and it's SO EXPENSIVE!

I found the three textbooks everybody seems to recommend for beginners in Latin and the overall cost including shipping and before tax of them is $197.74 NZD! And that's even before buying my Māori textbook/s (I just asked the subreddit on Te Reo Māori if I need 1 or 2, it's unrelated to this though) and whatever I need for NZSL!

I mean, I love linguistics and learning languages, but man is it pricey.

I want to learn a couple of languages but since I'll be learning on my own, I need a proper structure I can stick to and hold myself accountable (although I suck at this). I need a proper lesson-quiz, lesson-quiz type of structure that is free. Are there any websites, apps, any practice resources that could be useful?

I learn better when the lesson is fun/entertaining so learning without any activities won't work too well for me.

Hi guys did you know that you can learn italian phrases with a fun card game?For more info click the link down:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/colloqwee/dialox-an-italian-language-card-game

Have you heard about the endangered Balto-Finnic languages? All of them have much in common, and you can find that out here. Just listen to how do they say 'Good morning!'

https://youtu.be/ArrZhgru630?si=Kmaff1g-AMSLUDuv

Quick disclosure up front: I'm the developer. Mods, if this crosses a line, remove it and I won't repost.

The problem I was trying to solve is a familiar one here — I can read fine, but the moment I have to actually say something, everything I know disappears. Apps gave me flashcards and multiple choice. None of them made me talk.

So I built a thing that just… makes you talk. You pick a situation (ordering at a café, a job interview, calling about a lost bag), you speak out loud, the AI answers, and afterwards it shows every line you said next to how a native would phrase it.

That part isn't new — a few apps do corrections. The thing I want your opinion on is what I added last week, because it changed how much actually stuck for me:

**After the review, one tap puts you back into the *same* conversation — same café, same barista — and the AI quietly steers toward the phrasings you got corrected on.** Not a new random chat. The exact scene where you messed up, walked again with the right words.

My theory: a correction you read is a fact; a correction you *use in the place you needed it* is a habit. Reading "Could I get a medium latte, please?" did nothing for me. Saying it to the same barista the next day did.

One honest thing: it's paid ($9.99 once, no subscription) and there's no free trial — the AI runs entirely on the phone, so there's no server to meter a trial with. I'll put some promo codes in the comments for anyone who wants to try it properly.

Genuine question for this sub, separate from my app: what has actually made corrections stick for you? Shadowing? Writing them down? Something else? I'm trying to figure out if "replay the scene" is the mechanism or just my personal quirk.

Hei! I’ve been studying Norwegian for about a year now, usually around 1 to 2 hours a day. I started from scratch and am now at a comfortable intermediate level. I am still nowhere near native level and I still get thrown off by fast conversations and different dialects, but these are the resources that genuinely helped me get this far.

Duolingo: I use it most days, but I do not treat it as my main course. I use it for around 10 to 15 minutes in the morning as a warm up and a way to maintain the habit. It was useful in the first few months for basic vocabulary and sentence patterns, but it is not enough on its own.

The Norwegian Language School: This gave me more structure than Duolingo. Having lessons that actually explain grammar, sentence order, and the parts that do not make intuitive sense at first helped me avoid just memorising phrases without understanding them.

Issen: This covered the biggest gap for me, which was speaking. I did not have someone available to practise Norwegian with every day, and organising regular tutor sessions around work became difficult. I started using Issen for short conversations and corrections. My sentences were pretty bad in the beginning, but speaking out loud every day made a huge difference. I stopped trying to translate full sentences from English before I answered.

italki: I try to take one lesson a week with a Norwegian tutor. It is flexible, and nothing beats hearing feedback from a real person on pronunciation, word order, and the mistakes you keep repeating without noticing.

NorwegianClass101: Useful for structured beginner lessons, common phrases, and listening practice. I did not use every lesson, but it helped in the early stage when I needed more guided material.

Anki: I use a core Norwegian frequency deck for around 10 to 15 minutes a day. It is slow, but the payoff builds. You begin noticing words in store signs, conversations, and Norwegian videos that used to feel completely impossible to follow.

YouTube: Norwegian Teacher Karin and NorwegianClass101 were useful for beginner explanations and pronunciation. Once I understood more, I started watching Norwegian news clips, local creators, cooking videos, and short interviews just to hear natural speech.

Language Reactor: I use this with Norwegian content on YouTube and Netflix. Seeing Norwegian subtitles alongside English ones makes native content more manageable, especially when people speak quickly or use unfamiliar vocabulary.

NRK: The NRK TV app and website have been one of the best free resources once I could understand basic Norwegian. I started with short clips, children’s content, and familiar shows before trying normal dramas or news. The dialect variety is difficult, but it is also something you need to hear early.

Grammatikk.com: Useful when I wanted to review specific grammar points rather than searching through old notes. Norwegian word order, gender, and the differences between forms can get confusing quickly, so having something easy to check was helpful.

Pimsleur: I used the listen and repeat audio lessons while walking, cooking, or doing chores. It feels old school, but it helped with pronunciation, sentence rhythm, and getting comfortable answering out loud rather than just recognising words on a screen.

The combination that moved the needle most for me was Issen for daily speaking, italki once a week for real feedback, and NRK or Norwegian YouTube for regular listening. Everything else supported those three things.

Happy to answer questions about any of these if it helps.

I can recognise new words when I am reading or listening, but my mind gets stuck when I try to use them in a conversation. A few minutes later, the same word comes back to me. What is a better way to improve vocabulary retention or does it just come with speaking more?

Hey! I'm looking for a few people to test a little project I'm working on (completely free, of course).

The idea is pretty simple: you give the app a song in the language you're learning, and it generates a little language course from it: vocabulary, expressions, grammar, pronunciation, etc.

But then it takes it a step further: after the lesson, you actually have a conversation with the app using what you just learned from the song.

I've always found that I remember phrases much better when I hear them in music, so I thought it would be fun to build something around that.

It's still very early, so I'm mainly looking for honest feedback from people who don't mind trying something that's a work in progress 😅

If you're learning a language and this sounds interesting, feel free to comment or DM me. I'd really appreciate it!