How To Use ChatGPT To Give Your Language Learning A Boost

Learning a new language before the Internet was brutal. It involved dense textbooks and a bunch of in-person classes, spending innumerable hours en route to full fluency. We've come a long way since then, and some may even argue we're in the golden era of language learning thanks to apps and now AI. There are also a ton of YouTube channels dedicated to language learning, covering many of the most common languages, with effective methodologies espoused by polyglots who claim to become functional in a new language in as little as a few weeks. Learning a new language requires a lot of brainpower, practice, context, listening, speaking, and reading, and many may seek shortcuts to become as close to fluent as possible.

ChatGPT has many features that some may ignore, including its Projects feature, which is now free. But for language learning, it offers a shortcut. This could entail leveraging ChatGPT's near-endless computational power to wrap your head around a language like Italian before a month-long trip to the southern European nation. Large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT are language experts by nature, which allows them to support language learning. By getting to know some prompts and engaging in exercises led by the LLM, motivated students might be able to turbocharge their learning with ChatGPT's assistance. So, if you're planning a sojourn in São Paulo or anywhere in the world and want to learn the basics or more to communicate effectively, ChatGPT could boost your progress.

Users of ChatGPT should always keep in mind its propensity for hallucinations, in addition to other potential downsides of using the service. Knowing how to better write a prompt will help set up ideal learning scenarios — think about what you want to focus on and what you're looking to achieve in a lesson, and explain your current level of proficiency before engaging with the AI. Telling it things like "I am having trouble with the subjunctive verb tense," or "I want to develop nuanced vocabulary in the realm of botany," can set the right tone. Next, think of ChatGPT as your own private tutor, where students can learn in whichever tone they prefer, whether formal, casual, professional, etc.

Prompting the AI in a hyper-specific way, like "Use informal Italian, like chatting with a close friend," helps you to mimic the interactions and language style you want to engage in. Once you get further along on your language journey, depending on your proficiency, you can also use the voice-activated feature to talk with ChatGPT, as you would with a teacher or a native speaker of the language you're studying. Not only will this allow you to practice pronunciation, but it will also save you from the potential embarrassment that many new speakers face when making mistakes in front of locals. What's more, it will save you money and time by eliminating the need to find a speaking partner and potentially traveling to a meetup spot like a cafe.

When learning a new language, getting bogged down in complex grammar often impedes progress. Some linguists, especially the modern, open-minded type, espouse vocabulary over grammar. They claim that it can facilitate learning a new language where you're less inhibited and restricted in expressing yourself, and that natives will get the gist of what you're saying, despite improper verb conjugation. Whether you agree or not, building your vocabulary will make you feel more comfortable and help you better understand and contextualize your environment through that language. Give ChatGPT context about your intentions, and begin building your vocabulary by working on word lists. Ask it for common expressions used by locals and colloquialisms, and then for help with pronunciation, if you really want to blend in.

Once you have gone over all of your parameters, you can begin to really home in on developing a curriculum and provide ChatGPT with timelines and goals for how quickly you'd like to progress. You can choose how to proceed, but asking ChatGPT for personalized daily or weekly lessons that mix speaking practice, basic grammar, and studying common vocabulary is a great way to go. Another great exercise is simply asking ChatGPT to translate text for you — something you're familiar with, like a passage from a favorite book or even a news story — and then zooming in further to have it explain the grammar and sentence structure, which can help cement comprehension.