AI doesn’t replace the value of comprehensible input. If anything, AI expands the range of content we can use and enhances our understanding. chatgpt
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One of the ways I’ve really enjoyed using ChatGPT in the context of comprehensible input is by generating secondary or derivative content from primary materials.
What does that mean?
Primary content might be something like a PDF from a language course. For instance, I’ve taken online classes with Lingoda and Babbel Live, both of which provide downloadable PDFs that serve as the curriculum for each class. These documents can be studied in advance as preparation.
Another example could be an article or book. A while ago, I was working with a tutor on iTalki, reading a book aloud for pronunciation practice. Since the book was available online, I could access and use its chapters digitally.
A third example might come from real-life situations—like preparing for a conversation about renting ski equipment.
Before diving into these situations and materials, I often use ChatGPT to generate supporting content.
How?
I’ll prompt ChatGPT to create things like:
- A dialogue based on the content
- A fictional podcast interview discussing the topic
- A news article covering the subject
- Versions of the content in higher or lower social registers
- Simplified versions (e.g., adjusting from B2 down to B1 level)
- Use of specific grammatical structures (think having the AI use a lot of the subjunctive, anteriority, or whatever…)
My prompts usually ask the AI to analyze the language—considering the CEFR level, social register, regional variations, grammar structures, and more. Then, I have it generate new material based on that analysis.
Once created, this content often gets imported into LingQ for what LingQ does best.
For example, I recently had a lesson about going to the cinema, theater, and concerts. With ChatGPT’s help, I was able to expand on it—adding vocabulary, expressing personal tastes, and incorporating cultural preferences. One can even explore alternatives of content and see how things might be expressed differently in different regions, social settings, in written vs spoken form, etc.
Comprehensible input is all about engaging with content that’s meaningful and relevant to you. AI takes this a step further by helping tailor that content more precisely to your interests, making language learning even more personalized and effective.
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