How I Structure My Language Learning
Learning a language is a marathon, not a sprint. Learning four at once sounds insane — but with the right system, it’s surprisingly manageable.
The Philosophy
I follow a simple principle: input-first, output-later. Before you can speak, you need to understand. Before you write, you need to read. This is the comprehensible input (CI) approach popularized by Stephen Krashen.
For each language, I have three buckets:
- Daily habits — 15-30 minutes of non-negotiable practice
- Weekly deep work — 1-2 hours of focused study
- Passive exposure — podcasts, music, YouTube in the background
Tools I Use
Anki (All Languages)
Spaced repetition is non-negotiable. I review 10-15 new cards per language per day. The key is consistency — missing a day creates a backlog that kills motivation.
Dreaming Spanish
The best CI resource for Spanish. I track my hours (currently at 180) and work through the roadmap from superbeginner to advanced. The premium subscription is worth every dollar.
Nicos Weg (German)
DW’s free A1-B1 course is the gold standard for structured German learning. Story-driven, interactive, and completely free.
DuChinese (Chinese)
Graded readers for Mandarin. The tap-to-translate feature makes reading possible even at HSK2. I read one story daily.
My Weekly Routine
| Day | Morning (15 min) | Evening (30 min) |
|---|---|---|
| Mon | Anki reviews | Spanish: Dreaming Spanish |
| Tue | Anki reviews | German: Nicos Weg |
| Wed | Anki reviews | Chinese: DuChinese |
| Thu | Anki reviews | Spanish: Hoy Hablamos podcast |
| Fri | Anki reviews | German: Easy German YouTube |
| Sat | Anki + 1h deep work on weakest language | |
| Sun | Rest or passive immersion (movies, music) |
Tracking Progress
I track hours of CI per language. My current targets:
- Spanish: 300h (currently 180h — aiming for B2 by end of year)
- German: 150h (currently 60h — solid A2)
- Chinese: 200h (currently 40h — slow but steady)
- English: Native-level maintenance (reading The Economist, watching TED)
What Works Best
After two years of this system, here’s what I’ve learned:
- Consistency beats intensity. 20 minutes daily beats 3 hours on Sunday.
- Input first. Don’t force speaking until you can understand naturally.
- Track everything. Hours, cards reviewed, streaks — data keeps you honest.
- One language at a time for output. I only actively practice speaking Spanish.
- Use dead time. Podcasts during commute, Anki while waiting in line.
The system isn’t perfect, but it’s sustainable. And sustainability is the only thing that matters in language learning.