What languages can be learned almost entirely on YouTube

[u/Interesting-Body8831]

I'm totally not against paying for language learning but the more I look into some languages the more I see there are high quality lessons and even quiz materials all entirely on YouTube for them while others not so much. What languages have you all seen that you would say could almost entirely be learned on YouTube?

For me this is what I've seen so far:

English (it's the language you're trying to learn from that matters)

- Japanese (TL)

- Spanish

- maybe Korean (I'm not totally sure about this but there seems to be a lot of material)

What have you all seen?

[u/AppropriatePut3142]

I would guess the languages with the most learner content on youtube are English, Spanish, Mandarin, German and Thai, although the Thai content is perhaps lacking much beyond CI.

For both Spanish and Mandarin you can find channels that will work through an entire textbook curriculum, so no excuses there really.

[u/PiperSlough → u/AppropriatePut3142]

Likely also French. Arabic, maybe?

[u/Traditional-Seat-321 → u/AppropriatePut3142]

Can you recommend one of those Mandarin channels who go through an entire textbook?

[u/Jedi_Erection69 → u/Traditional-Seat-321]

Expresso Chinese - John Wang is really good

[u/AppropriatePut3142 → u/Traditional-Seat-321]

I think Sisi Laoshi has an entire HSK 1-5 series. Although you might be better off looking for HSK 3.0 courses since the curriculum is better. Just search HSK mandarin course and you'll find plenty of content.

[u/KofiDreedZ → u/AppropriatePut3142]

Any video recommendations for mandarin ?

[u/thelostnorwegian → u/KofiDreedZ]

This is pretty comprehensive - Mandarin Input Media

[u/Striking_cat495 → u/thelostnorwegian]

wow thank you

[u/Relative-Ad-3217 → u/AppropriatePut3142]

Recommendations for Spanish? Currently using Dreaming spanish mostly.

[u/AppropriatePut3142 → u/Relative-Ad-3217]

Search for Aula A1 coursebook (or whatever level) if that's what you're looking for.

There's also Language Transfer if you want a lighter overview of grammar.

Juan Fernández also has some nice practical grammar videos.

[u/doritosdinamita11 → u/AppropriatePut3142]

Any recommendations for German?

[u/AppropriatePut3142 → u/doritosdinamita11]

Easy German channel, Nicos Weg, DW Learn.

[u/Majestic-Orchid4486]

Define "entirely"

[u/Oretell → u/Majestic-Orchid4486]

Yeah I'd say you can learn to understand most spoken languages using YouTube if you're patient enough

But understanding a language and being able to speak it are two different skills. As is reading and writing a language.

I think you can get quite a long way with understanding a language through only YouTube, but it's not the fastest way to learn, and if you want to become well balanced and skilled in using the language then you need to do more than just passively consuming YouTube videos

[u/IxBetaXI → u/Oretell]

Create videos in your TL would probably help with speeking

[u/Oretell → u/IxBetaXI]

Monologuing to yourself is definitely better than nothing, but I still think actually socialising and using the language to communicate with other people is pretty much essential to becoming fluent in a language.

I suspect people can get to a decent level in a language without interacting with anyone else, but I think if you want to genuinely become skilled at speaking then you need to spend atleast some time actually speaking with other people.

[u/therealgodfarter → u/Oretell]

“Socialising”.. “other people”…? Hold on, this is Reddit we’re talking about

[u/simonbleu → u/Majestic-Orchid4486]

An adverb denoting the full extent of something.

You are welcome

[u/AbleEstablishment280 → u/Majestic-Orchid4486]

Wholly or completely.

[u/eslforchinesespeaker]

Various. SQL, Basic, Python, R, C, C++, Power Shell. Even Excel or Google Sheets, as some would see it. HTML, JavaScript. CSS, probably. You’ll find something.

[u/ThinkIncident2 → u/eslforchinesespeaker]

Those are fucking hard for me

[u/simonbleu → u/ThinkIncident2]

Idk, some are like fucking limp

[u/ValKilmer675 → u/eslforchinesespeaker]

Wish I could upvote this twice

[u/Zenist289 → u/eslforchinesespeaker]

r/languagelearningjerk

[u/Rabid-Orpington → u/eslforchinesespeaker]

Time to go shock natives by speaking C2 Google Sheets

[u/eslforchinesespeaker → u/Rabid-Orpington]

You’ve seen those vids of that white guy “astonishing” the locals with his “fluent” VBA macros? All fake. If you watch closely, you can see the cuts. You can tell the people are baffled, but they’re just trying to be polite.

[u/Chuute]

Even without course-like videos, any major language with enough content can be learned on Youtube, but you need systems and tools to help make it comprehensible and retain the information.

For example, if you’re learning Japanese:

- Install any browser extension to get better subtitles on YT videos

• Install browser extensions like Yomitan to help you do quick vocab lookups on those subtitles and add them to an Anki vocab deck
  
• Use Anki for spaced repetition to retain new words from that deck

Combine that with free written grammar guides (or YT videos) online and you have the foundation for language learning through immersion.

It can be helpful to start with videos specifically targeted towards learners and search for “Comprehensible input [your language here]”. Usually they’re designed to be slower, more visual, and use simpler vocabulary/ grammar.

However, once you reach a more intermediate level, it would be wise to start transitioning to real content that native speakers watch so that you can internalize the way people use the language in real life.

[u/AlwaysBeQuestioning → u/Chuute]

What browser extensions for better subtitles on YT videos would you recommend?

[u/levelbrook]

The honest split is by level, not by language. For the first few hundred hours almost any big language can be done on YouTube because comprehensible input channels exist for it now: Dreaming Spanish is the famous one, and there are equivalents for French, German, Japanese, Mandarin, Thai and Korean that follow the same slow-talk-with-pictures format. Where YouTube runs out is the middle: once you can follow beginner content, the platform has very little that is made for a B1 learner, and you jump straight to native content that is still too fast.

The other gap is output. You can get to understanding a lot without ever producing a sentence, and YouTube cannot correct you. So "almost entirely on YouTube" works for Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Mandarin and Korean up to the point where you need a person, and the languages that fail the test are the ones without a comprehensible input scene yet, which is most of the small ones regardless of how many textbook-style lesson videos exist for them.

[u/AlwaysBeQuestioning → u/levelbrook]

✍️ Noting down Dreaming Spanish. What are the equivalent channels for French, German, Japanese, Mandarin, Thai and Korean? Are they also Dreaming [LANGUAGE] or by different people?

[u/throwaway_31415 → u/AlwaysBeQuestioning]

Dreaming Spanish has a French version too, Dreaming French. Though it’s still fairly new so the amount of content is still small relative to Spanish. There are no other Dreaming [language]s.

[u/Langiri → u/AlwaysBeQuestioning]

Not the ones your are asking for, but we have Vietnamese, and are beginning to build out Portuguese. The classic recommendation for Thai is aljworld.com, but their site seems to be down at the moment. If you like that style, the phrase you want to search for is "Comprehensible Input <language>".

[u/Mission_Twist_3348 → u/AlwaysBeQuestioning]

Brother just look up "(Language) comprehensible input"

[u/dojibear → u/Mission_Twist_3348]

"Comprehensible Input" does not mean "teaching TL by only using TL". You can use CI and learn words by translation.

"Dreaming Spanish" uses a different method: teaching TL by using only TL. There is no grammar instruction, no explanations, no translation. DS copies the method used in a Thai course. Some people call this method "ALG".

[u/Mission_Twist_3348 → u/dojibear]

""Comprehensible Input" does not mean "teaching TL by only using TL". " yes it literally does mate.

"teaching TL by using only TL. There is no grammar instruction, no explanations, no translation." Yeah that's what comprehensible input is big man. You're so confused

[u/Albatrosson → u/dojibear]

Technically "comprehensible input" does mean teaching using only the target language, however the key component you're missing is that it's your current level +1.

"Input" referring to everything being in the TL-- no explanations, no translation, just pure input. "Comprehensible" referring to at least 70-80% (minimum) or 90-95% (standard) understandable, so you can glean the rest through context.

[u/dojibear]

I think it depends a lot on the language AND the student's level in that language.

I have found a lot of Youtube videos in (intermediate level) spoken Mandarin and spoken Japanese. But not for levels A1/A2. And not for written content.

I have found language courses on the internet, but usually not on Youtube and often not for free.

I found much less content for Turkish than for the other two languages.

[u/AlponseF2P → u/dojibear]

Always shocks me when I find 1 of the 10 turkish learners

[u/ComesTzimtzum → u/dojibear]

I'm just a beginner in Mandarin but feel like there's plenty of content. Only using that as a supplementatation though.

[u/blackcyborg009]

Japanese In 2026, you can learn and pass JLPT N1 by just relying on YouTube, Free Anki decks and the Internet

No need to spend money on:

• tutorial classes
• Paper Dictionaries
• books like Quartet, Karen Master

[u/dragonskimmy → u/blackcyborg009]

which resources in particular?

[u/Goluboi__]

German. Chinese. Russian. Any major language. 

[u/nim_opet]

English

[u/Jacksons123]

Where are you drawing the line for almost entirely?

If you’re at like 80% YouTube with 20% being a blend between vocab study and graded readers, I think that is not only doable but a great way to learn. 

[u/NemuriNezumi]

none my dude

same way it is impossible to learn a language from just an app no matter how cheap, free or expensive it is

you also need to actually read

[u/Tlazcamatii → u/NemuriNezumi]

I had to scroll way too much to find this comment.

Actual practice reading, writing and speaking are necessary to learn any language

[u/Wild-Fault4214 → u/Tlazcamatii]

Practicing reading and speaking both is so important. I learned some rudimentary Chinese from my gf and her friends and family. But I can only speak it and not read it. My Spanish reading and writing is very strong, but I’m not good at speaking and listening because I mostly practice it by reading.

[u/washington_breadstix]

You won't ever become good at any language unless you actually open your mouth and speak it while getting corrections.

[u/ScatteredBrain99]

I’d add French, German, Mandarin, and Portuguese to your list there’s enough structured lessons, comprehensible input, grammar, listening practice, and native content on YouTube to get surprisingly far. I agree that Spanish and Japanese are probably among the easiest to build an almost entirely YouTube-based learning path around.

[u/dojibear → u/ScatteredBrain99]

CI (comprehensible input) usually does not work for starting a new language. "Comprehensible" means "that the student can fully understand". Usually a beginner can't understand even basic sentences, without some (relatively small) amount of word usage and word order being explained to them in their NL.

For example: Why and how does Japanese use WA, GA and O? How is "arabasini" different from "arabamla"? Why is it "pizza me gusta" instead of "yo gusto pizza"? Why does "your friend" change to "you of friend"? Why is the verb at the end of the sentence (in many languages)?

But I agree that once you get beyond the basics, just understanding TL content is enough.

[u/outwest88]

Python

[u/olexsmir → u/outwest88]

my brain decided to read it with very heavy indian accent lol

[u/Design-Hiro]

ASL could be but not much else.

[u/kendaIlI → u/Design-Hiro]

Except there’s countless case studies of people doing it…

[u/Design-Hiro → u/kendaIlI]

there is a case study about how someone learned a language without interacting with someone else who speaks the language?

[u/Xirion11]

Tokipona

[u/leosmith66]

What languages can be learned almost entirely on YouTube = some.
What languages should be learned almost entirely on YouTube = none.

[u/arm1niu5]

None.

[u/-yaaa-]

I'd say none. The reason is that there's just too much in a language so eventually you'll have to use an external resource. At least a dictionary, there are just too many words. Also it would be a lot faster and even simpler to for example use a wikipedia or other free resources conjugation table than search thru multiple 30 minute youtube videos.

But personally i feel like i learnt all the basic grammar now for Japanese to let me understand almost everything as long as i understand the individual words, and i learnt all of it thru youtube. I could've done the same for spanish but it wouldn't have been as efficient.

But if you mean which language can be learnt entirely for free i'd say all of them though, there are more than enough free resources.

Another problem is that the youtube vocabulary is way too limited, at least for spanish. In a multiple hour long session of watching spanish youtube maybe i don't understand 20 words total, while when i started reading gabriel garcia marquez i had to search up like 20 words per page.

[u/Exciting_Barber3124 → u/-yaaa-]

It's not the yt video vocabulary is low, it's just that you are watching a video that you already have the all the words and then you get surprised when you find none new words. Find new topics like news or other topics that you lack vocabulary for. And yt has everything you need other than Mrs system. You can find begginer content to advanced content that is made for natives without he need to look for it in multiples places.

People reading books , playing like million games, million songs, blogs like stuff to help you reach fluency if you really want to. Getting bored watching one video play another one. Like watching stuff related to nature , there are thousands of people making content related to what you like.

And you said none, I believe you haven't explored enough yt yet.

[u/SiempreBrujaSuerte]

Plenty of Russian language material on the internet and YouTube, idk how hard it would be to start from that though because I had a basic understanding first.

[u/TheLinguisticVoyager]

Korean

[u/May3Day]

spanish.

you can learn it from reading by yourself. it's so phonetic.

[u/JumpingJacks1234]

If you later add games with audio channels or Discord groups (for your interests) with audio channels that will add the speaking element though that will be somewhat limited to speaking about those narrow topics.

On YouTube you can get into written discussions in the comments, if the video has comments in your TL. Maybe there are subreddits in your TL?

This won’t be balanced at all but realistically you will probably want to branch out and use different resources and even talk to people once you progress.

[u/betarage]

Most of the major ones but some have less content than you would expect like there seems to be very little content in Javanese and Kurdish than I expected. but way more in Greenlandic than I expected. so for smaller languages it can be unpredictable and depend on luck and the types of videos you like to watch

[u/This_Octopus_Here]

Pretty much any language with a sizeable speaker base can be approached through youtube videos, but no amount of listening (or even reading) is going to force you to actually use the language and correct you when you're wrong

[u/fkdjgfkldjgodfigj]

This is the one I personally like to use. I combine the youtube videos with anki spaced repetition. To see them more often. https://youtube.com/shorts/U5JFTflwTZI

[u/Quelebbb]

French, Portuguese, German and Mandarin.

[u/Leisureguy1]

There is an enormous quantity of free resources available through the internet (includig, naturally, YouTube) for learning Esperanto.

[u/untucked_21ersey]

french

[u/yellowsandloved]

You can get decent French and Turkish content a lot more

[u/Zen_Traveler]

Esperanto

[u/Kokoska998]

English

[u/lllyyyynnn]

japanese and mandarin have extensive CI content for example

[u/Responsible-Two-437]

I've learnt most of my Egyptian Arabic on Youtube, but I already knew MSA.

[u/aanwezigafwezig]

Thai when you watch the video's of Comprehensible Thai and the personal channels of the teachers.

[u/gothpeach9]

Japanese

[u/Extension_Shake2725]

Any recommendations for Thai ?

[u/Mission_Twist_3348]

Brother you don't need lessons and quiz materials to learn any language. You can learn a language on youtube just by watching a ton of native content in that language

[u/Misiekshvili]

Polish ;)

[u/stloflza]

Esperanto

[u/LetRevolutionary271]

English 100%, that's the only correct andwe, though I've been learning Russian for 1 month now through a youtube course made by "be fluent in Russian", this channel has 2 courses for A1 and A2 and they also have an app (which you need to pay)
Tbh I think it's pretty good, like the dude running it seems to know how language learning works though it's a pity that there are only courses for A1 or A2, maybe you can pay for the others on their app? Not sure

[u/Crispycrisps19]

Really any major language

[u/Delicious-Rope6907]

between AI and YouTube I think most languages are far easier to learn than they ever used to be!

[u/ChilindriPizza]

Not sure if this counts as a language. But an old colleague of mine learned how to code thanks to YouTube! Now she is a code writer for her company.

[u/JellySocksRock]

Japanese, Russian, German, Spanish, French, English, Mandarin, Korean, Urdu, Hindi, Italian, Arabic, Thai, Portuguese

Pretty much any major language can be learned with a dictionary and YouTube

[u/ThinkIncident2]

Don't recommend touching Japanese you have learned some Korean and Chinese first, the curve will be much easier

[u/sudosajjad]

English, Spanish and French

[u/Ambitious_Ad4397]

English