Finding The Button That Makes AI Easy for Language Learners

Real-life story of how I helped my Spanish learning friend turn a ChatGPT language learning fail into a fun success, and what I’d recommend for you if you want to learn with ChatGPT too.

AI is everywhere these days, but using it for language learning still feels very hit-and-miss. Does anyone need another “AI Tutor” that’s just a flashcard in disguise? I say NO, and there are better ways.
In this post, I’m sharing exactly what happened when my friend tried to practise Spanish with ChatGPT…and what actually worked.

Meet Jenny, a Real Life Spanish Learner

If you’ve ever thought “I’d love to practise speaking a language right now” but there’s no patient speaker around, you’ve got company. True story: My friend ran into exactly that problem while visiting me recently.

My jet-lagged, yet adventurous US friend Jenny’s travelling around Europe, and she came to visit me a few weeks ago. While we were hanging out, she mentioned she wanted to practice her Spanish for the trip.

Now, I’m the friend who’s got a whole website about learning with AI. I’m eager to make good impression with something cool and fresh!

Trying to Learn Spanish with ChatGPT

I thought let’s try speaking with ChatGPT!

Her first reaction was unsure: “But you can’t talk to ChatGPT can you?”

Me: “Oh yes, and it will know the language you’re speaking. Give it a try!”

Phone out, wifi on, app downloaded. After some fumbling for the right button to press, we were off.
“Hola, hablame en Español”

ChatGPT was ready to fire back:
“¡Si claro! [a huge wall of fast spoken words]”

The answer came back immediately, but it was faster than Daddy Yankee in Despacito (you know the bit). Her face said: “I love you but maybe Duolingo was fine actually.”

The problem: AI isn’t magic on its own

She tried to slow it down, but it was hard to figure out how.
She asked simple questions about flights, and ChatGPT responded with more speedy TED Talk-length answers.

I looked at my friend, who appeared close to throwing her phone at my head, as if I’d personally invented this crappy AI app. “AI Language learning” was quickly unravelling into a waste of time.

In that moment I had to turn things around, and QUICKLY.

AI Language Club saves the day

I opened the AI Language Club library and we picked the Travel Planner tutorial.

Within minutes, we were using ChatGPT to research her next Portugal trip, practising Spanish while exploring Portuguese road signs and phrases. Now she was laughing, chatting, and actually enjoying herself.

"This is actually fun! So glad I had you here to help."

(Yay, friendship success!)

What You Can Take Away From Our AI Language Lesson

Most of us have AI tools right there in our pockets.

But to turn them into useful language practice, you need a plan. It’s not useful to say something like “hey, talk to me in German”, but with a few tweaks things get a whole lot easier.

• Whenever you can, start your interaction with a very clear goal or scenario, for example:

  • Travel planning or restaurant research

  • Finding a recipe for authentic breakfast in your target country

  • Creating a story or song lyrics

• Give AI tools like Gemini or ChatGPT very specific instructions: tell it which language to use, how fast to speak, at which level, and how short to keep the answers.

• Start with learning activities that already work for you, and introduce AI gradually. For example, I like to do fill-in-the-gap practice and now I sometimes use AI tools to help me come up with extra ideas for the gaps.

With a bit of planning, AI can open up a mind-blowing new learning experience for you.

On the blog: Why AI Works for Language Learners & 3 Prompts to Try Now

What’s Your Language Learning Superpower?

Over on the AI Language Club website, we’ve put together a quiz to help you find your special language skill and show you how to bring in AI to speed up your study results and try fresh ideas.

👉 Curious? Check out the language superpower quiz here.

Preply Review: Get Fluent With the Best Online Language Tutors

We all know that person who’s been on language apps but never speaks. That is not the way to get fluent.

How to Get Fluent in Any Language

To become fluent, focus on four essential skills: Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking.

For speaking practice, the gold standard is to talk to a human. ⭐️

Real conversations are like rocket fuel for language learning progress.

Where to Find Great Speaking Practice in Any Language

While it’s free to talk to your friend or partner, there’s a better shortcut to learning a language: find a tutor!

Tutors are the best because they listen patiently while you make mistakes, they show up like professionals, and know how to teach the language (unlike your girlfriend’s uncle).

One of the easiest ways to find a great language tutor is to try out a platform like Preply, and that’s what we’re doing today.

What is Preply?

Preply is a leading online language learning platform that connects a global community of over 42,000 expert tutors teaching 50+ languages to hundreds of thousands of learners in 180 countries.

How I Reviewed and Tested Preply as a Student

For this review, I signed up to Preply as a student and looked for classes in French and Welsh.

Try it out here <—

Each tutor has a welcome video so you can experience their voice and teaching style. You can filter by native language, timezone, and cost per lesson.

There’s a Super Tutor status that highlights tutors who are highly rated and experienced, similar to the Superhost status on Airbnb. I would definitely use this to find a good match for my beginner languages like Mandarin or Russian.

After the trial lesson, Preply asks you to subscribe to the tutor’s lessons, so you’re paying once a month for 1-4 weekly classes.

Is Preply Good? Here are the Pros

Here’s what I liked most while I wrote my Preply review:

Finding Tutors Was Easy

It was not difficult to select a tutor and I enjoyed the video introductions.

All my tutors were friendly, approachable, and a good match from the start. I chose to subscribe for Welsh and paid for 4 weekly classes upfront. It was easy to schedule them.

From the teacher side, I’ve also heard good things. The tutors I talked to have a range of students and showed a lot of enthusiasm for teaching. Preply makes it easy to find students and offers useful training.

No Time Wasted Trying to Find the Perfect Tutor

Once you’re matched, subscribe and commit. If you’re an overthinker who never feels like you have the perfect solution, this is a good thing. It keeps you focused where you need to focus.

Plenty of Lesson Preparation

I liked the preparation screen, where I could give details on my learning and goals. In the bigger languages (French, German, English …but not Welsh) there was also a placement test and I could record a little message to my tutor in my target language. The system classed me as a B2 student, which felt about right overall.

Good Preply Tech and Design

All in all, my experience with Preply was brilliant. A good-looking platform that is easy to use, works well, and got me into speaking practice very quickly.

I liked that there was not a lot of trial and error, and had zero problems with the a video call inside of the Preply platform, so no need to download Zoom or connect on anything else.

There’s also a handy app, which I downloaded, and I connected my Google calendar so I could get lesson reminders.

What are the Downsides of Using Preply to Learn a Language?

The biggest con is not really a con here: A lot of people don’t like the subscription model.

As a learner, it does push you to commit at an earlier stage, but if you take your trial lesson seriously and don’t shop around for a dozen free chats, I think this is actually a good thing.

The only thing I would suggest is allow 25-minute lessons as well as 50-minute lessons, but that’s not a dealbreaker.

Conclusion: Is Preply a Good Platform?

All in all, my experience as a Preply tester was positive.

• Easy to Set Up and Use: A good-looking site and app that got to the point fast.

• Great Tutor Selection: The tutors I worked with for this review were lovely and professional.

• Subscription model: This cements Preply as a platform for learners and weeds out shoppers.

Preply vs Italki

If you want to compare Preply and Italki, the two biggest online marketplaces for language tutors, here’s what you need to know.

Price is not the key point. As a former tutor, I do not agree that you should select your own language tutors based on who’s the cheapest. Here are my tips for finding tutors at the right price.

Both are legit platforms where you’ll find language tutors at a range of prices.

• Preply: Structured subscription, easier planning.

• italki: Flexible bookings, but with potential for distraction by shopping around.

Choose Preply if you want a reliable language routine. If you want drop-in, on-the-fly lessons, Italki may suit.

Is it Hard to Cancel a Preply Subscription?

Although some users report issues with cancelling subscriptions, my experience was straightforward and problem-free. I paid the expected amount and cancelled after scheduling the lessons I had paid for.

Having been a tutor, I think I’d also like this commitment because it’s one of the most important ways to get a student invested.

Get More Out of Preply For Advanced Language Learners

If you have a high level in your target language, why not take a class in a fun subject like art or music in that language? After a quick search, I found fun options like

• Guitar lessons from a Tunisian French speaker

• Public Speaking practice with a Spanish speaker

• Literature lessons from a Korean native

Is Preply Legit and Trustworthy?

Based on reports from my tutors and my experience as a Preply tester, it’s a yes.

Preply found me reliable tutors for several languages very quickly, and the lesson quality was good. The payment system is different to other platforms, but I felt it was fair and simple.

Is Preply Safe?

With Preply, I had zero problems in terms of safety. If you’re looking for lessons for your child, you’ll be reassured by the video introductions and in-built classroom system.

What if I Miss My Lesson on Preply?

As a student, Preply only allows lesson cancellation up to 12 hours before your scheduled timeslot. If you miss the lesson without telling Preply or the tutor, you still have to pay for it.

Disclaimer: Preply provided me with sign-up credit and compensation for my time writing this review. The links I share are affiliate links. This did not affect the content and my experiences and words are fully independent.