Which tool to choose
The weak point of general-purpose AI is precisely memorization. With ChatGPT there's no scheduled repetition over time: no flashcards, no review intervals. You need a separate app like Anki and you have to transfer the words over after each session. That's why the choice depends on how much you want to do yourself.
- If you want to spend zero and control everything: ChatGPT or Gemini + Anki. The AI creates tailored lists for you (words from your job, a trip, a hobby), Anki memorizes them. It's the most powerful pairing at zero cost, but you do the word transfer yourself.
- If you want a single app that saves and reviews on its own: Busuu or LingQ. Busuu combines structured lessons from levels A1 to C1 with AI features that adapt the path and suggest reviews based on your mistakes. Handy if you hate the DIY approach.
- If your priority is speaking and fixing phrases out loud: ChatGPT's voice mode. You turn on advanced voice mode for real-time role-play conversations, with the AI correcting your pronunciation.
For those starting from scratch or with a concrete goal in a hurry, the first option is the best: ChatGPT/Gemini + Anki. It's free, you choose the words yourself, and the memorization rests on a tried-and-tested method. The rest of the guide follows this path.
How to do it
Spaced repetition (ripetizione spaziata in Italian) is the heart of the method: a piece of information settles into long-term memory better if you repeat it a few times spread out over time, rather than many times close together. Anki does exactly this: it shows the word on one side of the virtual card and the translation on the other; after seeing the answer you indicate whether it was easy or hard, and based on that the program decides when to re-present it, lengthening the interval when you remembered it well.
- Open ChatGPT (chatgpt.com) or Gemini (gemini.google.com). From browser or app the path doesn't change: open a new conversation.
- Ask for a list targeted to your real need, not random words. Use the prompt below.
- Check the list. If an example sentence sounds odd to you, ask "give me a more colloquial example" or "in what context is it really used?".
- Download Anki (free on computer and Android from apps.ankiweb.net). On iPhone the official app is paid: you get around the cost by using AnkiWeb, the free web version, from your phone's browser.
- In Anki create a new deck, then add the cards: front side the foreign word, back side translation + example sentence.
- Review 10-15 minutes every day. When Anki shows you a card, try to answer in your head before flipping it, then rate yourself honestly.
The operational syntax for generating the words:
You are my [Spanish] tutor. My level is beginner.
Give me 10 useful words on the theme "ordering at a restaurant."
For each one, write on a single line, separated by semicolons:
word in Spanish ; translation in English ; a short example sentence in Spanish ; the translation of the sentence.
Use only vocabulary a native speaker would really use. No rare or old-dictionary words.
The semicolon format is what you need for step 5: Anki imports files in which the fields are separated by a symbol. You save the text as a .txt file and import it (in Anki's import menu you indicate the semicolon as the separator), or you copy the cards by hand if there are few.
Check: after a few days Anki will show you fewer and fewer "new" cards and will re-present only the ones you get wrong. If you see the intervals lengthening (from 1 day, to 4, to 10), the method is working.
A concrete example
Marco is leaving for Madrid in three weeks and doesn't know a word of restaurant Spanish. He opens ChatGPT, pastes the prompt above with the theme "ordering at a restaurant," and gets the list: poco hecho (rare), la cuenta (the bill), para llevar (takeaway), and seven others, each with an example sentence. He imports them into an Anki deck called "Madrid." He reviews for 10 minutes at breakfast. After five days the basic words are automatic; he adds a second prompt on the theme "asking for directions." In Madrid, when the waiter asks how he wants his steak, he knows how to answer: the exact scenario where those who've ground through generic app lessons freeze up. Total cost: zero.
When it does NOT work (and how to fix it)
If the AI makes up wrong words or phrases
It's a real risk: ChatGPT doesn't follow a teaching syllabus and generates its answers on a statistical basis, so idiomatic phrases need checking. For common European languages the errors are rare; for idioms, do a quick cross-check: paste the phrase into DeepL (free and solid for European languages) and see if the same meaning comes back. If two tools agree, you can trust it. For the doubts that remain, a confirmation from a native speaker or a teacher settles the matter.
If you forget the words after two days
It means you're using only the AI without the review. The chat doesn't keep track of your study: for that you need Anki. Research on learning shows that review spread out over time beats studying crammed all at once. Resume the daily review: without it the words evaporate.
If you get stuck mid-voice conversation
When voice mode misreads your pronunciation, don't repeat the exact same word: use it in a sentence or a different context, so the model recognizes it. And start short: sessions of 10-15 minutes, because concentrating on pronunciation and fluency together gets tiring fast.
If you don't know which words to save
You tend to save everything and end up with huge, unmanageable decks. Focus on high-frequency words and on the phrases you'll actually use. Better 10 words you need than 100 you'll never use.
A tip from someone who really uses it
Flashcards make you recognize a word, but recognizing it isn't using it. There's a big gap between seeing a word on a card and pulling it out mid-conversation. So once a week take the 20-30 words you're studying and ask the AI for a dialogue that forces you to use them:
Let's do a dialogue in [Spanish] in which I have to use these words: [paste the 20-30 words].
You play the waiter, I'm the customer. Correct me when I'm wrong.
You pull them out in a live context and they stick far better than repeating them in isolation.
Frequently asked questions
Do I necessarily have to pay to learn languages with AI?
No. ChatGPT and Gemini have free versions more than enough to generate lists, phrases, and explanations, and Anki is free on computer and Android. The free plan's limit is the number of messages per day, but for vocabulary lists a handful is enough.
ChatGPT or Gemini: which is better for languages?
For generating vocabulary and examples both are fine, and you can keep them both open without spending anything. ChatGPT tends to handle nuances, idioms, and contexts better in languages far from Italian (Japanese, Korean, Chinese). Gemini is handy if you already use the Google ecosystem and want quick answers integrated with search. The practical difference is small: try the same prompt on both and keep the one that sounds more natural to you.
Is Anki complicated to use for someone who isn't technical?
The logic is elementary: question on the front, answer on the back, you rate whether you remembered it. Compared to paper flashcards, the only difference is that you type the question and answer instead of writing them by hand. And often you skip the creation: many upload their ready-made decks online, so search AnkiWeb for a deck in your language made by others.
Aren't dedicated apps like Duolingo Max better than general-purpose AI?
They serve different purposes. Duolingo, Babbel, Rosetta Stone, and Pimsleur are strong in structured, sequential lessons, but they don't reproduce the spontaneity of real conversation. The apps give you a step-by-step path; ChatGPT + Anki give you words tailored to your situation and unlimited conversation. If you have a precise, urgent need, the DIY approach with AI is more flexible.
Can I really learn a language with AI alone?
No, and no one serious promises that. The harshest criticism is well-founded: those who learn only from an app risk accumulating grammar and pronunciation errors that a native speaker catches at the first exchange. AI doesn't replace exposure: use it to build and review vocabulary, but also listen to authentic content (videos, podcasts) and talk to real people. AI is training behind closed doors; the match you play outside.