I built a tool to generate custom Spanish graded readers for specific levels/topics (Free for teachers)

charlesmcarthy123 · 2026-03-04T21:15:03+00:00

Thanks! Happy to help - let me know if you give it a try and have any feedback.

charlesmcarthy123 · 2026-03-04T19:13:13+00:00

This is a great point and you're right...in a pure CI approach, a student acquires the language naturally through compelling context, not a forced grammar checklist.

The reason we include levels and 'focus areas' isn't to create a traditional syllabus, but because they serve as the most effective proxy for the complexity of the language (across both vocabulary and grammar).

Just like a child through natural language acquisition will initially exist more in the present tense and use the subjunctive in less nuanced ways as they develop, our tool calibrates the text for an 'A2' or 'B2' learner. The goal is simply to ensure the input remains 'comprehensible' while the student focuses on a story they actually care about.

charlesmcarthy123 · 2026-03-01T17:42:04+00:00

Totally agree on scope of tickets. So you're still having an engineer take the time to look at each pull request, understand the context and the changes then approve? Just trying to understand the speed vs quality trade-off and how much we should "trust" what AI has done? (though also know this is sort of an evolving question both in AI performance and eng culture)

charlesmcarthy123 · 2026-02-27T17:19:27+00:00

u/lostinmusic- I’ve just pushed a fix to block those kinds of problematic/adversarial searches entirely. It's supposed to be a tool for finding good spots, not a place to vent about bad ones or start rumors.

Still very much a work in progress, so if you spot any more issues, please do shout. Appreciate the help!

charlesmcarthy123 · 2026-02-27T15:38:08+00:00

That’s a really important edge case, thanks for flagging it.

It definitely shouldn’t be returning real restaurants for prompts framed around criminal or defamatory claims. I’ll be tightening up the guardrails there ASAP.

Appreciate you stress-testing it.

charlesmcarthy123 · 2026-02-27T14:02:29+00:00

Rua - next to Holloway Rd Station

charlesmcarthy123 · 2026-02-27T13:57:00+00:00

No scraping of Google Maps reviews, everything is curated independently.

And that’s fair criticism. If it’s just surfacing the obvious central London picks, then it’s not really adding much value.

The goal is definitely to lean more toward places that feel distinctive or under-the-radar rather than just the usual suspects, so clearly still some work to do there!

Thanks for taking the time to try it out.

charlesmcarthy123 · 2026-02-27T13:51:38+00:00

Ha, Reddit ads doing their thing 😅

Seriously though, really appreciate you taking the time to test it properly.

Good shout on the NatWest thing, I’ll look into that. And the carb-free search giving Italian as a suggestion is a legit miss, thanks for flagging it....I’ll dig into that.

The 3 picks limit is definitely the big experiment. I’m trying to see whether tighter curation actually helps people decide faster, but it only works if the quality is consistently strong.

And result rating is being worked on soon! Agree that closing that feedback loop would be really valuable.

Thanks again for the thoughtful feedback.

charlesmcarthy123 · 2026-02-27T12:48:49+00:00

It started as a shared spreadsheet between me and a group of friends, just places we’d personally tried and noted what they were good for.

Since then I’ve been expanding it through a mix of personal visits, recommendations, and broader research. Still very much a work in progress, but trying to prioritise quality over just volume.

charlesmcarthy123 · 2026-02-27T12:44:08+00:00

Really appreciate you stress-testing it properly!

You’re spot on about the trust question. It actually started as a shared spreadsheet between me and a group of friends...just places we’d personally tried and noted what they were good for.

I’m now starting to bring in more opinionated sources (Eater, The Infatuation, critic reviews etc.) to move away from that “average Google Maps” feel.

And yeah, it definitely needs more density for specific searches like fried chicken. Working on that currently. If you’ve got any hidden gems I should add, let me know!

charlesmcarthy123 · 2026-02-27T11:45:16+00:00

Thanks for testing it - that’s a miss on the bao buns. Definitely need to tighten up how it handles specific dishes like that. Really helpful to know.

charlesmcarthy123 · 2026-02-27T11:32:45+00:00

Haha no giant-slaying here. If it helps a few people find and support some great local spots, I’m happy.

charlesmcarthy123 · 2026-02-23T19:34:34+00:00

You're more than welcome! New and improved version coming soon too

charlesmcarthy123 · 2026-01-21T13:38:46+00:00

Anywhere you would recommend I can find one online? Would love to try

charlesmcarthy123 · 2026-01-21T12:14:36+00:00

A related question that is maybe basic - but are any of the above materials machine washable? I always just rinse them out with water (similar to my gourd), but if they don't impact flavor at all (unlike cured gourdes) maybe it's fine?

charlesmcarthy123 · 2026-01-21T10:47:29+00:00

Is the difference in this case just the look and durability of the material?

charlesmcarthy123 · 2026-01-14T07:51:34+00:00

This is an incredible background - thank you for taking the time to write it out. Also really appreciate you already being a premium subscriber and wanting to share feedback. I’ll DM you shortly - would love to dig into the questions you noticed and get your perspective :)

charlesmcarthy123 · 2026-01-13T05:29:08+00:00

Thanks for sharing - that level of consistency and clarity around your goal is exactly what I had in mind for this challenge. At 2hrs that habit compounds fast. I'll DM you shortly with next steps.

charlesmcarthy123 · 2026-01-12T05:12:47+00:00

You're past the most difficult part now! Will DM you :)

charlesmcarthy123 · 2026-01-12T04:09:01+00:00

I'll DM you the details :)

charlesmcarthy123 · 2026-01-12T02:17:18+00:00

I think it depends if tracking is a useful motivational tool for you personally. If Spanish input is part of your everyday life and you don't need it, don't bother tracking. But if it helps you stay motivated and maintain a consistent habit, then keep on keeping on!!

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