Languages
37 pieces · 4.3 hours of reading
How Memory Builds a Language: Retrieval, Spacing & the Words That Matter
Remembering is the engine of a language, and it follows rules: recalling beats rereading, spaced recalls beat crammed ones, and a few thousand common words do most of the work. Here is the evidence, with two models you can play with.
ReadInteractive7 min02How a Language Grows: Input, Practice, Feedback & Time
Memory is half of it. The other half is language you can mostly understand, some of your own speaking and writing, correction, and enough hours. Here is what the research supports, how long it takes, and a weekly routine you can build in a minute.
ReadInteractive9 min03Spanish 1: Sounds & Spelling
Spanish spells almost exactly what it says. Learn five vowels, a handful of surprising consonants and one stress rule, and you can read any word aloud and know where the accent mark goes.
ReadInteractive9 min04Spanish 2: The Present Tense
A Spanish verb carries its subject in its ending. Learn the three regular families, the several ways to say “you”, and drill the forms with a trainer that brings back what you miss.
ReadInteractive7 min05Spanish 3: Irregular Verbs, Ser & Estar
The most common Spanish verbs are irregular, but in a few repeating ways. Learn the families, the core verbs as blocks, and the difference between the two verbs for “to be”.
ReadInteractive7 min06Spanish 4: Your First 150 Words
A deck of 150 common words that schedules its own reviews: two cards per word, a sentence on each, and a saved schedule that carries across the Spanish pieces.
ReadInteractive8 min07Spanish: Words by Level
693 Spanish words from A1 to B1, by topic, each with an example and a play button. Search them, filter them, and turn any list into flashcards that come back on a schedule.
ReadInteractive5 min08Spanish: Verb Tables
137 Spanish verbs in every tense you need up to B1, irregular forms in red, a play button on each form, and a typing drill for any verb that will not stick.
ReadInteractive5 min09Spanish: How to Say It
147 Spanish phrases for the first situations you meet, with notes on formality; 30 sentence patterns by level; and a one-page survival sheet to print.
ReadInteractive5 min10French 1: Sounds & Spelling
French spelling is a reliable code once you know which letters to drop. Learn the vowels, three nasal sounds, the silent endings, and the two rules that make words run together.
ReadInteractive9 min11French 2: The Present Tense
Four of the six forms of a French verb sound the same, which is why the pronoun never drops. Learn the three regular families, tu and vous, and drill the forms with a trainer that brings back what you miss.
ReadInteractive8 min12French 3: Être, Avoir, Aller, Faire, plus Gender & Articles
The four most common verbs are irregular, and the rest fall into a few families. Then the other thing every noun carries: its gender, and the small words le, un, du and de.
ReadInteractive8 min13French 4: Your First 150 Words
A deck of 150 common words that schedules its own reviews: two cards per word, the gender on every noun, a sentence on each, and a saved schedule that carries across the French pieces.
ReadInteractive8 min14French: Words by Level
664 French words from A1 to B1, by topic, each with an example and a play button. Search them, filter them, and turn any list into flashcards that come back on a schedule.
ReadInteractive5 min15French: Verb Tables
173 French verbs in every tense you need up to B1, irregular forms in red, a play button on each form, and a typing drill for any verb that will not stick.
ReadInteractive5 min16French: How to Say It
138 French phrases for the first situations you meet, with notes on formality; 33 sentence patterns by level; and a one-page survival sheet to print.
ReadInteractive5 min17Italian 1: Sounds & Spelling
Italian spells almost exactly what it says. Learn the pure vowels, the c and g code and the double consonants, and you can read any word aloud and hear the difference between pala
ReadInteractive9 min18Italian 2: The Present Tense
An Italian verb carries its subject in its ending. Learn the three regular families and the -isc-
ReadInteractive9 min19Italian 3: Essere, Avere, Andare, Fare, plus Gender & Articles
The most common Italian verbs are irregular, and there are not many of them. Learn them as blocks, then meet the other thing every noun carries: a gender, and an article chosen by two short rules.
ReadInteractive9 min20Italian 4: Your First 150 Words
A deck of 150 common words that schedules its own reviews: two cards per word, a sentence on each, and a saved schedule that carries across the Italian pieces.
ReadInteractive8 min21Italian: Words by Level
762 Italian words from A1 to B1, by topic, each with an example and a play button. Search them, filter them, and turn any list into flashcards that come back on a schedule.
ReadInteractive5 min22Italian: Verb Tables
149 Italian verbs in every tense you need up to B1, irregular forms in red, a play button on each form, and a typing drill for any verb that will not stick.
ReadInteractive5 min23Italian: How to Say It
150 Italian phrases for the first situations you meet, with notes on formality; 30 sentence patterns by level; and a one-page survival sheet to print.
ReadInteractive5 min24German 1: Sounds & Spelling
German spelling is a dependable code once you know its signals: long and short vowels, three umlauts, ei and ie, and a handful of consonants. Learn them and you can read almost any word aloud.
ReadInteractive9 min25German 2: The Present Tense and Word Order
One small table of endings conjugates hundreds of verbs, a few common verbs change their vowel, and one rule puts the verb second. Learn them and drill the forms with a trainer that brings back what you miss.
ReadInteractive9 min26German 3: Sein, Haben, Werden, the Modals, plus Gender & Cases
Nine irregular verbs carry a huge share of German, and every noun is der, die or das. Learn the verbs as blocks, the honest rules for gender, and the one article that changes for the object.
ReadInteractive9 min27German 4: Your First 150 Words
A deck of 150 common words that schedules its own reviews: two cards per word, every noun with its article and plural, and a saved schedule that carries across the German pieces.
ReadInteractive8 min28German: Words by Level
715 German words from A1 to B1, by topic, each with an example and a play button. Search them, filter them, and turn any list into flashcards that come back on a schedule.
ReadInteractive5 min29German: Verb Tables
166 German verbs in every tense you need up to B1, irregular forms in red, a play button on each form, and a typing drill for any verb that will not stick.
ReadInteractive5 min30German: How to Say It
138 German phrases for the first situations you meet, with notes on formality; 27 sentence patterns by level; and a one-page survival sheet to print.
ReadInteractive5 min31Portuguese 1: Sounds & Spelling
Portuguese sounds like no other Romance language because of its nasal vowels and the way its vowels shift. Learn what the til, the accents and a closing m or n are telling you, and you can read any word aloud.
ReadInteractive9 min32Portuguese 2: The Present Tense
A Portuguese verb carries its subject in its ending, though Brazil leans on pronouns more than Spanish does. Learn the three regular families, the ways to say “you” and “we”, and drill the forms with a trainer that brings back what you miss.
ReadInteractive8 min33Portuguese 3: Ser, Estar, Ter, Ir, Fazer, plus Articles & Contractions
Five irregular verbs carry most everyday sentences, and the little words around them fuse together: de and o become do, em and a become na. Learn the blocks, the families of other irregulars, and the two verbs for “to be”.
ReadInteractive9 min34Portuguese 4: Your First 150 Words
A deck of 150 common words that schedules its own reviews: two cards per word, a sentence on each, and a saved schedule that carries across the Portuguese pieces.
ReadInteractive8 min35Portuguese: Words by Level
628 Portuguese words from A1 to B1, by topic, each with an example and a play button. Search them, filter them, and turn any list into flashcards that come back on a schedule.
ReadInteractive5 min36Portuguese: Verb Tables
164 Portuguese verbs in every tense you need up to B1, irregular forms in red, a play button on each form, and a typing drill for any verb that will not stick.
Quick readInteractive4 min37Portuguese: How to Say It
139 Portuguese phrases for the first situations you meet, with notes on formality; 27 sentence patterns by level; and a one-page survival sheet to print.
Quick readInteractive4 min