Resources

Opinion-led pieces on adult language learning. Methodology, structural takes, regional notes.

• Methodology

  Active Recall vs Passive Review for Vocabulary

  Active recall - testing yourself - beats re-reading word lists for vocabulary. Why the testing effect works and how the four drill modes put it to use.

  7 Jul 2026

• Methodology

  How Long Does It Take to Learn a Language?

  FSI data puts Spanish and French near 600-750 hours and Mandarin around 2,200. Here is the honest maths on your weekly hours and CEFR target.

  7 Jul 2026

• Methodology

  How to Test Your Vocabulary Size

  You can estimate how many words you know with a frequency-sampled self-quiz. How vocabulary size tests work, what the number means, and why testing helps.

  7 Jul 2026

• Methodology

  How to Learn Chinese Tones

  Mandarin has four tones plus a neutral one, and pitch changes meaning. How to hear, drill and produce the tones, plus the errors English speakers make.

  7 Jul 2026

• Methodology

  Spaced Repetition for Language Learning

  Spaced repetition schedules reviews just before you forget, so vocabulary sticks with fewer reps. How the forgetting curve, SM-2 and Anki actually work.

  7 Jul 2026

• Methodology

  Which Language Should I Learn?

  Pick by goal, not by hype. How to choose a language by travel, career, heritage or difficulty, using FSI hour data and real speaker numbers to decide.

  7 Jul 2026

• Methodology

  Best Way to Learn French: An Honest Plan for Adults

  French has no shortcut but it has an efficient path, and its hardest part is the ear, not the grammar. The audio-first method and a concrete plan for adults.

  28 Jun 2026

• Methodology

  Best Way to Learn Chinese: Tones First (Honest Plan)

  The best way to learn Mandarin is not how most apps teach it. Tones are make-or-break, characters are a separate track, and here is the honest, confident plan.

  28 Jun 2026

• Methodology

  Best Way to Learn Spanish: An Honest Plan for Adults

  There is no shortcut to Spanish, but there is an efficient path. The routes that work for adults, ranked honestly against the ones that waste your time.

  28 Jun 2026

• Methodology

  AQA GCSE French (8652): Vocabulary and Topics

  What the AQA GCSE French 8652 spec really demands: 1,500+ vocabulary items across nine topics, the tier split, and how it maps onto frequency-first learning.

  14 Jun 2026

• Methodology

  AQA GCSE Chinese/Mandarin (8673): Vocabulary

  What the AQA GCSE Chinese (Mandarin) 8673 spec really demands: the vocabulary, the themes, the tier split, and how it maps onto frequency-first learning.

  14 Jun 2026

• Methodology

  AQA GCSE Spanish (8692): Vocabulary and Topics

  What the AQA GCSE Spanish 8692 spec really demands: 1,200+ vocabulary items across nine topics, the tier split, and how it maps onto frequency-first learning.

  14 Jun 2026