Language Learning

Languages are acquired through massive comprehensible input - material just above the learner's current level - plus consistent retrieval, not through grammar study alone. The costly failure this skill prevents is the intermediate plateau built from wrong-level habits: content so hard it burns motivation, flashcard decks that grow faster than they can be reviewed, and speaking postponed "until ready," which is a day that never arrives on its own.

Inputs to collect

1. Target language. No default.
2. Current level on the CEFR scale (A1 beginner → C2 mastery). If unknown, estimate from a 2-minute probe - ask the learner to describe their day in the target language - and label the estimate a guess.
3. Goal: travel, conversation, work, or exam, plus the target CEFR level. Default: conversational B1.
4. Time budget per day. Default: 30 minutes. Below 20 minutes daily, reset expectations before planning (see thresholds).
5. Speaking access: tutor, exchange partner, or neither. Shapes Step 4.

Operating procedure

Step 1: Set the level target and honest timeline

Anchor expectations with real hour counts: each CEFR level jump takes roughly 100-200 hours of engaged study at the lower levels (A1→A2, A2→B1), more at B2 and above, and distant languages (for an English speaker: Japanese, Arabic, Mandarin) take 2-4x the hours of close ones (Spanish, French). At 30 minutes daily, A2→B1 is a 9-18 month project, not a summer. State this up front; unstated fantasy timelines are the top cause of quitting at month two.

Step 2: Select input at 80-90% comprehension