Get your rusty Spanish flowing again with ChatGPT voice conversations
Jeff Kaufman had let high-school Spanish fade. Using ChatGPT's voice mode, Kaufman spoke more Spanish in one week than in the previous fifteen years. Kaufman notes you need some baseline fluency: it didn't work for Kaufman's weaker Chinese.
Try it yourself
What you get
Low-pressure speaking practice whenever you have a spare minute, with no scheduling and no language partner.
Tools
- ChatGPT app (voice mode)
Steps
- Open voice mode and start in the language you're practicing.
- Chat about anything. The aim is to get words flowing, not a riveting conversation.
- If replies wash over you, ask it to speak more simply. The author found this works best if you already have some fluency.
Copy-ready prompt
Let's have a casual conversation only in [language]. My level is [e.g. rusty intermediate]. Speak a little slower than normal, keep your turns short (2-3 sentences), and ask me questions so I do most of the talking. If I use English or make a big mistake, give the correct phrase in one short line, then carry on. Topic to start: [topic].
Watch out: Kaufman found Gemini's voice mode less conversational, and couldn't get Claude to speak Spanish.
Proof / source
Self-reported The author's own blog post.
In their words
I've already spoken more Spanish in the last week than in the last fifteen years combined.
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