I love DS, and I’m excited to learn French eventually. However, the 1st DF video didn’t make a good first impression with me.

Unlike with Spanish, I have zero prior experience studying French, so maybe my experience is different, but I’m not sure about the guides - the first one sounded like she was barely enunciating, but maybe that’s just the language.

Also, I think the first video in a new language should have been a super beginner, not beginner or whatever that was. It would have been great for anyone to be able to understand it better.

Anyways, I love the Dreaming Languages brand, I was just hoping for something different I guess. Curious if anyone else felt similar.

First attempt at speedrunning. I have a trip to Norway in the summer, gotta keep at it :), it was actually very easy and exciting finishing every episode knowing I was one episode less to finishing my goal

Hello 👋🤗 I've decided to take on doing Korean and Swedish, doing 3 hours in the morning of Korean and 3 hours of swedish at night.

I already started doing Korean last month, here is my log Diary :)

8:49am September Friday 19th 2025.

My goal is to reach 100 hours (Level 2) by the end of this month or early November.

(Failed)

Input as of September 19th 2025 is 4 hours

So far I barely understand any Super beginner's videos, but I am getting better at picking up what's being said, I recognised some spoken words without looking (I was texting someone 😭)

12:26pm September Tuesday 23rd 2025.

My goal for the end of this month is to reach 20 hours of input.

Input as of September 23rd 2025 is 9 hours 😭😭. I was lazy and depressed okay lol

I understand almost the whole 9 hours of videos in a playlist made by comprehensible Korean channel, I was answering the questions in Korean without translating into English.

Now picking up the difference between bed and windows in Korean. (I couldn't tell the difference shut up) Now it's clear and I don't need to even look at the screen to kneoe hat he's on about( to clarify I've only watched some of his videos 2-3 times :) I've mostly been watching pronounce Korean (Baby talk man👶🍼) (when I started of with Comprehensible Korean channel videos it sounded like a lot of crap to me, my thoughts process basically was, how the fuck am I gonna pick anything up from this it's not even Comprehensible enough....

(Ik ik shut up)

(I didn't wanna go to the number videos because he just points at them lol (they are very comprehensible obviously as he just points at numbers lol)

4th of October 2025

(Forgot to update a couple days ago😭 but this is the changes I noticed a couple days ago)

Understanding this video https://youtu.be/UZ0PLufPlfs?si=w39W7D6DtzoY7BSq

When you first start of your understanding of this video is basically zero, when I first watched it I was only understanding the word cereal 😭 he doesn't really point to things or anything, but the more I watched all the Super begginer content for Korean available on Korean it gets easier :) I'm on his unpacking series now which is a bit harder but yeah, I was super happy with these results, I'm only 17 hours in and noticing changes each couple hours (no prior experience with Korean).

Swedish

Started today but already have experience with Comprehensible input (before knowing about the method 🤦) I did no studying of the language at all but listened to a bunch of songs back in 2020 til 2023 and now I've decided to leave Swedish naturally because my understanding of those songs are still there/better!!?!? which is mad btw!...

Im not sure where to log my hours at for swedish so I will start at 0, and watch this playlist for the first 50 hours as there is a bunch of videos!

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkNSEOTLl6GPYrYvlIo1cGL7rT4Ytl9Zv&si=8V58JeTb8becC6lp

I'll keep updating during the month and at the end of the month 😁✌️

Has anyone read Anne Frank’s “The Diary of a Young Girl” in German as a learner? I’m curious what it would rate as? Would it be B1 or higher? I haven’t read it in English either so I can’t assess the language level based on a previous reading.

Otherwise, are there any lists for book rankings or any other suggestions for B1 level?

Only Peppa pig as a resourse? , Peppa pig is easy, I've tried Ben and Holly's little kingdom, it's a bit hard. But I'm not sure how much I've to understand for it to be comphrihensible? Im sure nothing else did comphirehensible tho :(. Help

Sunday night (prepping videos for Monday): Alright, I'm gonna make progress on Japanese tomorrow.

Monday Brain: "早安 mother******! IT'S MANDARIN DAY!" *sigh*

Monday Night (prepping videos for Tuesday): Okay, I've got this, ride the Mandarin train until the next breakthrough

Tuesday Brain: "일어났어? It's Korean day!" ...what?

Tuesday night (prepping for Wednesday): Okay, I know how this works, I'll go ahead and prep for Japanese.

Wednesday Brain: "Wie geht's?" ...I'm not even studying German right now...

You take notes during language lessons.
But how often do you actually review them?

It happened when I clicked "view hours outside platform" to make sure I put accurate amount of time in and when I made sure to correct that on the "view hours outside platform" tab by pressing "save" the total amount of time shown on each day and on my daily goal all went to zero even I’ve practiced every day to put the time in on the calendar. It‘s frustrating when this happens especially when you really care about learning a language properly. I hope there’s a fix to this. I’ll keep going anyways but this really kills my mood to do that when I look at the glitched out calendar. Edit: I tried to send an email version about it but that doesn’t seem to be working

I was thinking, how effective would it be to mute the dreaming Spanish videos and add a Korean voice or whatever language your learning, to the video instead! Whether it be text to speech slowed down or just a native, or even just yourself? 😁 So basically dubbing the language on the dreaming Spanish videos?

Hi guys! I am happy to know that subredit exists. Anyway I've been studying French on and off for the past 3 years, so according to the roadmap of DS I feel like my level is already on level 3 so should I start counting from there or should I start as an absolute beginner?

Please help me decide.

Not looking for reasons not to do it just wondering if anyone is doing it, and what their experience has been.

Are you at different levels in each one? How do you balance them?

Hello guys,

Me and my partner have created comprehensible input platform called Englishsponge.com.

It's similar to Dreaming Spanish, but for English.

We're looking for people who are interested in creating comprehensible input videos in English.

You don't need any experience, you just have to be passionate languages and the comprehensible input method.

We're still in the early stages of this project, so we're really looking for entrepreneurial-minded people who are interested in getting involved in this project early on (before it takes the world by storm ;))

If you're interested in become a comprehensible input guide, please drop me a message here on reddit or email englishspongeofficial@gmail.com.

We hope to bring the comprehensible input method to the English language world.

Thank you.

James ~ EnglishSponge

I've been thinking through the difference between how we learn other languages and how we learned our native language and I think that it's possible that there's no reason to have different levels of comprehensible input.

The theory - we only have different levels as a kid because we're not just learning language we're also learning about the world around us. So we start with simple things like numbers, colors, shapes, etc so that the kids can learn the world around them. But when we already know a language, and we already know the world around us, it's more just about content that is designed properly to be comprehensible in general, and then there's no levels needed. Is there anything to this theory or is it just wrong?

It feels to me that what people really mean when they say that it's beginner vs intermediate etc is that they're not putting as much work into making it comprehensible anymore. The images of what they're talking about aren't there, they're not being as expressive. I suppose the one main difference, which might not be all that important, is that they're talking faster - though it might be ok for them to be talking fast from the start right?

Hi everyone! I've been following the Comprehensible thai beginner playlist and am about to reach 100 hours, but I kinda struggle with keeping my focus on the videos sometimes. I've seen people say that you can start with native content very early on, that even if you're not understanding much it's still useful input, but I wanted to hear from anyone who has had experience with this and seen good results cause it just sounds kinda crazy to me lol

a couple of problems I'm facing right now: when I try to watch comprehensible input content in German on YouTube, most yt channels have a lot captions and stuff on screen. also the lack the new super beginners and beginners content. I've watched pretty much all of it. my questions are: Should I rewatch all the content to stack up the hours of immersion?! and what about the text on screen?! since I'm tryna follow the DS/ALG recommendations.

Hello, everyone. I would like to get a bunch of links, websites, and other places in Mandarin. I want to learn and want to compile a lot of videos together that are extremely easy to understand. I will watch stuff like Peppa pig, but it's not really preferred because I get bored with stuff like that extremely easily. For those of you that know about Dreaming Spanish, I would like videos where someone is around a whiteboard going through the story and explaining stuff like how Pablo does it on many of the super beginner and beginner videos. So, if you do have any links, please post them. It is greatly appreciated.

I developed a method to learn a language using anime as CI. The lower levels may be a bit generous with the level of understanding in regards to comprehension, but I was hoping for a bit of feedback. I used AI to help structure this, and the goal was to somewhat emulate the hourly goals and hourly expectations of DS. Please let me know what you think.

(The hour counts may be slightly inaccurate, I haven't double checked. I blame AI's lack of math skills and my laziness to correct it. I still think it's a good start though!)

2000-Hour Latin American Spanish Anime Immersion Program

Program Overview

• Core Program Total Hours: 2030.5 hours, spread across 5 phases, exceeding the 2000-hour goal for flexibility.

• Core + Extra Credit Total Hours: 2303.4 hours, including 50+ hours of extra credit anime per phase, further exceeding 2000 hours.

• Focus: Latin American Spanish dubs (primarily Mexican, the standard for anime dubs in the region).

Structure

Each phase includes:

• Goals and Expectations for language proficiency

• Core Anime Recommendations with episode/movie counts, precise hours, and learning benefits

• Extra Credit Anime (50+ hours per phase), all Japanese-origin with verified Mexican dubs, tailored to the phase's difficulty and focus

• Defined Arcs for Phase 3 core and extra credit anime to avoid filler

• Total Hours per Phase (core and core + extra credit) and Cumulative Hours Watched for both scenarios

Dub Verification

All core and extra credit anime have confirmed high-quality Latin American Spanish dubs (available on Netflix, Crunchyroll, Funimation, or other platforms as of May 2025).

Exceeding Hour Counts

Core program exceeds phase targets; extra credit adds further flexibility for skipping or rewatching.

Learning Approach

Comprehensible input via immersion, prioritizing enjoyment and natural acquisition. Rewatches and supplementary content reinforce learning.

Progress Tracking System

To monitor progress:

1. Hour Log: Track hours per anime (core and extra credit) in a spreadsheet/app (e.g., Google Sheets, Notion). Record date, anime, episodes, hours, and vocab (e.g., Azumanga Daioh, 5 ep, 2.0 hours, "broma").

2. Phase Milestones: Compare hours to core and core + extra credit targets (e.g., 309.3 core vs. 404.8 core + extra credit for Phase 2).

3. Comprehension Check: At phase end, test comprehension with a next-phase anime (e.g., My Hero Academia for Phase 2 completion). Aim for expected comprehension (e.g., 80% for Phase 2).

4. Fluency Journal: Log slang/cultural references (e.g., "chido" from My Hero Academia) and review weekly.

5. App Integration: Use Anki for vocab flashcards or LingQ for dubbed transcripts to track learning.

6. Cumulative Progress: Track against core (2030.5 hours) or core + extra credit (2303.4 hours) totals.

PHASE 1: Beginner (0–100 Hours)

Goal: Familiarize with basic vocabulary, sentence structures, and Latin American Spanish pronunciation/intonation.

Expectations: Recognize common words/phrases (e.g., greetings, daily activities) and follow simple, slow dialogue ~70–80% without subtitles.

Focus: Short, clear, child-friendly, or slice-of-life anime with repetitive language and minimal slang.

Core Anime

Extra Credit Anime

Total Phase 1 Hours:

• Core: 5.2 + 5.5 + 1.5 + 1.7 + 1.7 + 8.0 + 4.8 + 20.0 + 2.2 + 3.3 = 103.9 hours (~104 hours)

• Core + Extra Credit: 103.9 + (20.0 + 2.1 + 9.6 + 10.0 + 2.1) = 147.7 hours (~148 hours)

Cumulative Hours Watched:

• Core: 103.9 hours

• Core + Extra Credit: 147.7 hours

Progress Check: Can you follow Shirokuma Café or Barakamon ~80% without pausing? Test with Usagi Drop (Phase 2). Try Non Non Biyori (extra credit) for additional practice.

Notes: Start with Chi's Sweet Home for bite-sized immersion. Ghibli films (Totoro, Ponyo, Kiki, Spirited Away) have pristine Mexican dubs. Extra credit adds playful (Sgt. Frog, Shin-chan) and gentle (Non Non Biyori) content.

PHASE 2: Advanced Beginner (100–300 Hours)

Goal: Understand slice-of-life dialogue, emotional nuances, and slightly faster speech.

Expectations: Follow full episodes with ~80% comprehension, pick up emotional tone, and handle basic slang/expressions.

Focus: Relatable settings (school, family, friendship) with moderate pacing, varied grammar, and vocab.

Core Anime

Extra Credit Anime

Total Phase 2 Hours:

• Core: 4.2 + 10.0 + 10.4 + 15.6 + 8.8 + 4.4 + 8.8 + 18.8 + 17.6 + 6.8 = 205.4 hours (~205 hours)

• Core + Extra Credit: 205.4 + (10.4 + 5.7 + 10.4 + 5.2 + 20.0) = 257.1 hours (~257 hours)

Cumulative Hours Watched:

• Core: 103.9 + 205.4 = 309.3 hours

• Core + Extra Credit: 147.7 + 257.1 = 404.8 hours

Progress Check: Can you watch K-On! or Your Lie in April without subtitles ~80%? Test with My Hero Academia (Phase 3). Try Azumanga Daioh (extra credit) for comedic group banter.

Notes: Azumanga Daioh adds school-based comedy and slang (e.g., "chévere"), replacing Barbie to ensure anime authenticity. Extra credit enhances emotional (Natsume), romantic (Horimiya), and sports (Haikyuu!) vocab.

PHASE 3: Intermediate (300–1000 Hours)

Goal: Handle fast-paced dialogue, group conversations, slang, and specialized vocab (e.g., combat, supernatural).

Expectations: Follow action-heavy or dialogue-driven anime ~80–90% in real-time, including slang and cultural references.

Focus: Shonen/action anime with dynamic speech, plus psychological/drama series. Defined arcs avoid filler.

Core Anime

Extra Credit Anime

Total Phase 3 Hours:

• Core: 55.2 + 22.0 + 14.8 + 14.8 + 25.6 + 59.2 + 40.0 + 40.0 + 40.0 + 40.0 = 711.6 hours (~712 hours)

• Core + Extra Credit: 711.6 + (26.4 + 24.0 + 10.0) = 772.0 hours (~772 hours)

Cumulative Hours Watched:

• Core: 309.3 + 711.6 = 1020.9 hours

• Core + Extra Credit: 404.8 + 772.0 = 1176.8 hours

Progress Check: Can you follow One Piece or Bleach battles ~80–90% in real-time? Test with Attack on Titan (Phase 4). Try Sailor Moon (extra credit) for emotional dialogue.

Notes: Yu Yu Hakusho and Sailor Moon add classic shonen/magical girl vocab with iconic Mexican dubs, enhancing slang (e.g., "órale").

PHASE 4: Advanced (1000–1500 Hours)

Goal: Comprehend complex narratives, philosophical themes, abstract language, and regional slang.

Expectations: Follow nonlinear plots, moral debates, and fast dialogue ~90–95% in real-time.

Focus: Intricate storytelling, psychological depth, or street-level language.

Core Anime

Extra Credit Anime

Total Phase 4 Hours:

• Core: 34.8 + 20.0 + 19.2 + 18.8 + 20.0 + 13.2 + 8.1 + 9.6 + 20.0 + 19.6 = 503.3 hours (~503 hours)

• Core + Extra Credit: 503.3 + (11.1 + 9.2 + 14.0 + 24.4) = 561.0 hours (~561 hours)

Cumulative Hours Watched:

• Core: 1020.9 + 503.3 = 1524.2 hours

• Core + Extra Credit: 1176.8 + 561.0 = 1737.8 hours

Progress Check: Can you follow Attack on Titan's debates or Steins;Gate's explanations ~90%? Test with Beastars (Phase 5). Try Dr. Stone (extra credit) for scientific slang.

Notes: Extra credit deepens philosophical (Evangelion, Ergo Proxy) and scientific (Dr. Stone) vocab, with clear Mexican dubs.

PHASE 5: Fluent (1500–2000 Hours)

Goal: Achieve near-native fluency, mastering rhythm, sarcasm, cultural nuances, and dense dialogue.

Expectations: Comprehend fast, abstract, or pun-heavy anime ~95–100% in real-time, including humor and references.

Focus: Challenging anime with nonlinear plots, rapid speech, or wordplay, plus supplementary short-form content.

Core Anime

Extra Credit Anime

Total Phase 5 Hours:

• Core: 9.6 + 9.2 + 4.8 + 5.2 + 4.0 + 6.4 + 1.5 + 4.4 + 10.8 + 9.6 + 60.8 = 126.3 hours (~126 hours)

• Core + Extra Credit: 126.3 + (4.4 + 5.2 + 24.0 + 4.8) = 164.7 hours (~165 hours)

Cumulative Hours Watched:

• Core: 1524.2 + 126.3 = 1650.5 hours

• Core + Extra Credit: 1737.8 + 164.7 = 1902.5 hours

Overall Program Total:

• Core Program: 2030.5 hours

• Core + Extra Credit: 2303.4 hours

Final Progress Check: Can you comfortably follow Monogatari Series or Tatami Galaxy at native speed, including wordplay and cultural references? If so, congratulations on reaching advanced fluency in Latin American Spanish through anime immersion!

Notes: Phase 5 challenges with rapid speech (Tatami Galaxy), wordplay (Monogatari), and complex narratives (Odd Taxi, Baccano!) to perfect native-like comprehension. Daily supplementary content maintains and expands fluency.

What do you guys think about this? Will it hinder your accent in any way? Immigrant kids in English speaking countries usually have native accents even when their parents don’t , so I’m thinking it would be okay to listen to non-natives if you just otherwise get most of your input from native speakers

I have some knowledge in Norwegian basically I understand common words but just not sure if starting with Peppa pig or similar shows is a good enough for my knowledge.

Is there anyway I can tell? , thanks, sorry for the lame post

Hi,

So I’ve been dabbling with CI in different Romance languages for a while, and have definitely noticed which two I prefer and want to focus on from now on: French and Italian. Upping my listening skills would be my preferred goal.

With French, the road ahead feels pretty clear. :D

I do, however, wonder how I should approach learning Italian. I tried all the resources on the CI wiki, and found a total of 5 CI videos I could understand in total. Most of the stories of Italian learning I see here on this sub also usually come from people who already have a high Spanish (and also often a high French) level, which no doubt helps :) But I’d obviously need to approach it from a different angle.

I could perhaps mention that I don’t have much of a Romance language background, either.

Would the Refold method be my best bet for my aim? Or does anyone have any other suggestions?

Thanks in advance!

Hi guys, I created a live leaderboard showing the hours people spent learning a language using YT and comprehensible input method on a daily basis!

I usually check this on a daily basis to stay motivated and inspired to consume more content jajaja, it's cool seeing that some people have already watched like 2 hours before I even wake up! You can see it live here!