Input

You don’t need expensive courses or premium subscriptions to learn languages effectively. You can start comprehensible input (CI) right now, today, completely free. Here’s exactly how. Step 1. Choose Your Language and Level First things first. Pick your language, and be realistic about your level. For comprehensible input to work best, you need content you can mostly understand. Absolute beginner? Go for super beginner videos with simple visuals. Intermediate? Try podcasts and easy TV shows that you can follow comfortably. Start where you’re genuinely comfortable. Progress naturally from there. ...

Not all input is created equal. You’ve probably heard it a million times: “Just listen a lot, and the language will come.” While that’s true, there’s a catch. Not everything you listen to or watch is helpful. If the content isn’t right, you’ll waste your precious hours. You’ll spin your wheels without moving forward. So how do you tell good input from bad? Here’s what really matters. You Understand Almost Everything The first rule of good input is that it’s comprehensible. You should understand 85–95% of the words. Less than that, and you’ll drown in confusion. Too much, and you’re probably not stretching yourself. ...

What’s the difference between learning and acquiring a language? If you’ve ever memorized vocabulary lists, crammed for grammar tests, or stared blankly at a textbook, you’ve been “learning.” But if you’ve ever just understood something without effort—picked up a word just by hearing it a few times you’ve been acquiring. Comprehensible Input is all about the second one. Learning Is Conscious. Acquisition Is Subconscious. Dr. Stephen Krashen, the guy behind the Comprehensible Input hypothesis, says language comes into your brain in two ways: ...