Mikel Hyperpolyglot: How to learn any language x10 faster with AI

Imagine Learning Any Language Completely On Your Own (Thanks to AI)

Ten years ago, the idea of learning a language completely on your own—no classes, no tutors, no overpriced apps—was a fantasy.
Five years ago, it was still basically impossible unless you were extremely disciplined and knew exactly what you were doing.

In 2025, it’s finally realistic.
Not because humans suddenly got more motivated, but because artificial intelligence changes the game.

In this post, I’ll show you exactly how.

My name is Mikel. I’m a hyperpolyglot, and I speak twelve languages.
I developed a fast, efficient language learning system at the Innovation Center of the University of Deusto in San Sebastián. Over the years, I’ve helped thousands of people learn languages without wasting time on useless methods.

And the truth is simple:

If your goal is to understand native speakers and hold real conversations, you don’t need grammar books, you don’t need endless exercises, and you definitely don’t need “cute” apps that treat you like a child.

You need three things:

1. A lot of words and sentences (the right ones).

2. A massive amount of listening to the right content.

3. A lot of speaking practice, done correctly.

That’s it.

Step 1: Thousands of Sentences – Your “Language Islands”

The first step is sentences. Not ten sentences. Not fifty. Thousands.

You need all the phrases you actually want to use in real conversations:

• How you introduce yourself

• How you talk about your work

• How you flirt, argue, negotiate, complain, ask for help

• How you talk about your hobbies, your opinions, your past and future plans

I call these Language Islands.

They’re “islands” because each one is a little area of the language where you feel safe and fluent. And over time, you connect those islands until they become a continent.

But it’s not just about “useful phrases”. You also need sentences that contain the most frequent words and grammar structures in the language.

When you learn enough sentences:

• Grammar stops being an abstract list of rules.

• Your brain absorbs it in context.

• Vocabulary sticks faster because every word lives inside a sentence, not alone on a flashcard.

This is where most learners fail.

They think small.

They “learn” 1–2 new words per day and feel productive.
At that pace, you will stay a beginner forever.

You need thousands of words.
You need to think in terms of 30, 50, even 100 words per day.

And yes, that’s absolutely possible—if you do it correctly and in sentences.

Why AI Beats Word Lists

“Okay, but where do I get all those sentences?”

Yes, the internet is full of word lists and example phrases. But AI is simply better.

With AI, you can generate:

• The most frequent words in the language

• Natural example sentences for each word

• Sentences tailored to your interests and your life

A single word, by itself, is weak knowledge.
A word inside a sentence is a solid anchor.

Listen to a sentence and repeat it 10 times and you’ll recognize it instantly next time.
Repeat it 20–30 times and it’s yours.

That sounds like a lot, but it isn’t:

20–30 repetitions per sentence is only 2–3 hours of practice spread across the day.
And you can do it:

• At the gym

• On the way to work

• Walking outside

• While cleaning or cooking

If you process just a few thousand of the most frequent words this way—especially verbs and adjectives—you’ll quickly start to understand 90–95% of what you hear in everyday contexts.

Forget random “immersion” where you sit in front of YouTube praying something sticks.

Repetition is what builds skill.
Massive, targeted repetition.

Anyone who has mastered anything knows this.
Languages are no exception.

Step 2: Turn Your Sentences Into Audio and Live With Them

Once you have your sentence list, you use text-to-speech (TTS) tools like TTS Maker or ElevenLabs to create audio.

Now you’ve turned your Language Islands into an audio gym:

• You listen to your sentences.

• You repeat them.

• You shadow them (speak at the same time as the audio).

Anytime. Anywhere.

This is better than passively consuming random podcasts or shows you barely understand. You’re training with your material, your sentences, your vocabulary.

Step 3: Speaking Practice – Now AI Beats Most Tutors

Listening and repeating is great, but at some point you have to actually speak freely.

This is where AI gives you a ridiculous advantage.

You can now:

• Create your own Language Islands

• Generate, translate, and refine all the sentences you personally need

• And then train conversations with AI

If you do it correctly, this is often better than a human tutor for most people.

Here’s how I use AI for speaking practice.

Mode 1: Full Conversation with Feedback

You have a normal conversation with an AI in your target language.

The AI:

• Responds naturally

• Keeps the conversation going

• Asks you questions

• Doesn’t interrupt you mid-sentence

Only at the end does it give you feedback:

• Your main mistakes

• Corrected versions of the sentences you tried to say

• A list of your own phrases, but corrected and improved

This list is gold.
These are exactly the sentences you should add to your Language Islands.

Then you:

• Turn them into audio

• Listen

• Repeat

• Shadow

Now the exact things you tried to say badly become things you can say correctly, fluently, and automatically.

Mode 2: The 1-Minute Speaking Drill

This exercise is simple and brutal.

1. You speak for one minute on a topic (out loud).

2. You send the recording or transcription to the AI.

3. The AI returns a fully corrected version of everything you said, in sentence form.

4. You read through it, compare it to what you tried to say, and repeat the correct sentences.

5. Then you do another 1-minute recording.

Every time you repeat this loop, you get:

• Feedback

• Better sentences

• More Language Islands

Now imagine doing 20–30 of these 1-minute voice notes per day.

That’s already several hours of speaking practice per week, plus hundreds of new phrases that get added to your system and reinforced with audio and repetition.

The Loop That Builds Fluency

From here, the process is straightforward and brutally effective:

1. Create sentences

   • With AI, based on what you need to say

2. Turn them into audio

   • Using TTS tools

3. Listen, repeat, shadow

   • While living your life: gym, commute, walking, chores

4. Practice speaking with AI

   • Full conversations and 1-minute drills

5. Add corrections back into your sentence list

6. Repeat the loop

Speaking → Feedback → New Sentences → Audio → Listening/Shadowing → More Speaking

Over and over.

This is how you build fluency in 2025. Not by “hoping” immersion works one day. Not by staring at grammar tables. Not by collecting streaks in an app.

Forget Slow Methods. Use the Tools We Have Now.

Stop wasting time on:

• “Immersion” where you understand almost nothing

• Vague “comprehensible input” with no output

• Grammar textbooks you never finish

• Useless apps that keep you at A1 forever

AI already gives you everything you need:

• Personalized sentences based on your life and goals

• Audio trainers built from those sentences

• Unlimited conversation practice with instant correction and feedback

Sentence lists.
Audio.
Relentless repetition.
Listening and speaking every single day.

That’s the formula. And it’s faster than anything else I’ve seen.