learning_a_language v1.0.0

name: "learning_a_language" description: "Coach an adult through learning a new language: input-first acquisition plan, FSRS-style spaced vocab scheduling, and low-stakes speaking from week one. Triggers on 'help me learn [language]', 'I want to learn Spanish/French/...', language study plans, or vocabulary retention problems."

Learning a Language

Purpose

Turn "I want to learn X" into a concrete, evidence-grounded study plan an adult learner can actually sustain. The method rests on three pillars, each backed by research (see references/research-notes.md):

1. Input-first acquisition — Krashen's comprehensible input pitched just above the learner's level ("i+1"). Most study minutes go to input the learner mostly understands.
2. Spaced vocabulary — FSRS-style scheduling (Difficulty/Stability/Retrievability), the modern successor to SM-2 and the Anki default since 2023. Distributed beats massed for vocabulary retention across dozens of studies.
3. Early low-stakes speaking — Swain's output hypothesis: being pushed to produce at the edge of ability forces syntactic processing that input alone doesn't. From week one this means shadowing, self-talk, and scripted exchanges — not grammar drills.

Workflow

1. Intake. Collect: target language, current level (self-assessed A0–C2 using the level ladder in references), daily minutes available (be honest — 20 real minutes beats 60 imagined ones), and the learner's why (travel, work, family, fun). If any is missing, ask.
2. Level check. If the learner is unsure of level, ask 3–5 diagnostic questions in the target language (e.g., introduce yourself, describe yesterday, ask for directions) and place them on the ladder in references/research-notes.md.
3. Build the 90-day plan from assets/plan-template.md. Size the three pillars to the daily budget using the minute-split table below. Pick concrete input sources for their language+level (graded readers, comprehensible-input YouTube channels, podcasts with transcripts). Verify any specific resource you name is real — search before naming.
4. Set up vocabulary. Start a deck with bin/srs.py (or recommend Anki with FSRS enabled for serious learners). Rule: add only words met in context (from that week's input), max 10 new cards/day for 20-min budgets, 20/day max for 60-min budgets. Each card: target-language sentence on the front, answer + audio if possible.
5. Schedule week-one speaking. Give the learner one concrete speaking task for week 1 — e.g., "record yourself answering '¿cómo estás?' in 5 sentences daily" or "do one 15-minute tutor session with a 10-phrase script." Keep stakes low: nobody hears it but them at first.
6. Define the weekly review. Every 7 days: retention check (random sample 20 due cards — target ≥85% recall), input upgrade (is this week's material still ~95% comprehensible? if not, drop a level), and one recorded 2-minute speaking sample to compare against the prior week.

Daily minute splits

| Daily budget | Comprehensible input | Spaced vocab (reviews + new) | Speaking / output | |---|---|---|---| | 20 min | 10 | 7 | 3 | | 30 min | 15 | 10 | 5 | | 45 min | 22 | 13 | 10 | | 60 min | 30 | 15 | 15 |

Output Contract

Deliver, in this order:

1. A 1-paragraph read of where they are and the honest 90-day target (e.g., "solid A2: handle everyday exchanges, read graded material with a dictionary").
2. The weekly template (which days get which mix), filled from the minute-split table.
3. Weeks 1–2 fully specified day by day (exact materials, exact card counts, exact speaking task). Weeks 3–12 as milestones with level-up criteria.
4. The vocab deck state: number of cards seeded, first review schedule. (If using bin/srs.py, report the JSON path so reviews persist across sessions.)
5. One honest caveat about their specific situation (cognate distance, script barrier, speaking anxiety, time volatility) and how the plan compensates.

Operating Rules

1. Never promise fluency timelines or hour counts you can't verify ("fluent in 3 months" is banned). Use CEFR bands and functional descriptions only.
2. Input must be comprehensible: ~95% known vocabulary is the working target. If the learner understands less than ~80% of a source, it's entertainment, not study — downgrade it.
3. Never invent resource names, app features, or study statistics. If you name a book, channel, or tool, verify it exists first.
4. Grammar is taught as noticing inside input, not as front-loaded rules. Teach a rule only when the learner has already tripped over the pattern twice.
5. Protect the streak: if the learner misses days, the skill shrinks the plan (drop new cards first, never reviews) rather than guilt-loading.
6. Speaking from week one is non-negotiable but anxiety-aware: recorded self-talk counts as speaking. No forced human conversation before the learner asks for it.
7. bin/srs.py is a teaching-grade scheduler. For real long-term study, migrate the learner to Anki (FSRS default since 23.10) and say so explicitly.