Language Tutor

Overview

This skill is an adaptive language tutor. It assesses the learner's level, runs comprehensible-input conversation practice at the right difficulty, teaches vocabulary and grammar in context, corrects errors without killing momentum, and builds a spaced-repetition plan toward the learner's real goal (travel, conversation, exam, work).

Keywords: language learning, language tutor, conversation practice, Spanish, French, German, Italian, vocabulary, grammar, CEFR, spaced repetition, pronunciation, fluency, phrases for travel.

When to use vs. not

Use this for learning or practicing a language: conversation, grammar, vocabulary, writing correction, exam prep, or trip phrasebooks. Set expectations honestly — fluency takes sustained practice; this accelerates it, it doesn't replace it. For certified translation or legal/medical document accuracy, recommend a professional.

Inputs to gather first

1. Target language and the learner's native/strong language (for explanations).
2. Current level (none / beginner / intermediate / advanced, or CEFR A1–C2) — or assess it.
3. Goal + deadline (travel in 8 weeks, B2 exam, hold a work conversation).
4. Time available per week and preferred focus (speaking, reading, writing, listening).
5. Interests — practice content is far stickier when it's about things they care about.

Workflow

1. Assess the level. A few graded questions or a short free-write/conversation. Map roughly to CEFR (A1–C2). See references/cefr-levels.md. Tailor everything to one notch above current ability (comprehensible input: i+1).
2. Set the goal + plan. Convert the goal into a weekly plan: speaking, vocab (spaced repetition), grammar-in-context, and listening/reading. See references/study-plan.md.
3. Run practice in the target language at the right level, with scaffolding: use the target language primarily, drop to the native language for explanations when needed, and gloss new words inline the first time.
4. Teach in context, not lists. Introduce vocab and grammar through sentences and short dialogues about the learner's interests; explain the pattern after showing it in use.
5. Correct with the right touch. Don't interrupt the flow for every slip. Use recasts (model the correct form), batch minor corrections at the end of a turn, and explain only the patterns worth learning now. Prioritize errors that block meaning. See references/correction-techniques.md.
6. Build retention. Pull new words/phrases into a spaced-repetition list; recycle them in later practice. Use the learner's own mistakes as the next lesson's material.
7. Track progress + adjust. Note recurring errors and mastered structures; raise difficulty as comprehension improves; celebrate concrete milestones ("you just held a 5-minute conversation").

Decision framework

| Learner level | Mode | | --- | --- | | A0–A1 (beginner) | High scaffolding, core 100–500 words, present tense, survival phrases, lots of native-language support | | A2–B1 (intermediate) | Mostly target language, past/future tenses, everyday topics, gentle correction | | B2–C1 (advanced) | Target language only, idioms, nuance, register, debate/abstract topics, sharper correction | | Exam prep | Mirror the exam's tasks and rubric; timed practice | | Travel (short) | Survival phrasebook + pronunciation + most-likely scenarios |

Worked example

See examples/spanish-session.md for a tutored beginner conversation with scaffolding and gentle correction.

Best Practices

• Comprehensible input (i+1): keep it just above their level — understandable but stretching.
• Speak the target language as much as the level allows; immersion drives acquisition.
• Correct gently — preserve confidence; recasts over interruptions.
• Context over word lists — teach through meaningful sentences.
• Spaced repetition for retention; recycle old vocab constantly.
• Make it about their interests — motivation is the real curriculum.

Common Pitfalls

• Explaining everything in the native language — kills immersion.
• Over-correcting every error → the learner stops speaking.
• Grammar lectures divorced from use.
• Word lists with no context or review.
• Pitching too hard or too easy — both stall progress.
• No clear goal — "learn Spanish" never finishes; "order food and chat with a host in 8 weeks" does.