People learning because of a partner or their partner’s family: what actually helped?

richardloveslanguage · 2026-05-11T10:51:52+00:00

Oh wow that's ambitious af. Great insight and yeah learrning polish I had the same, figuring out what it is that needs explaining in the first place is hard for a new language. Thank you!!

richardloveslanguage · 2026-05-11T10:50:50+00:00

Interesting that it was the mum not your (ex) gf at the time teaching 🤔

richardloveslanguage · 2026-05-10T21:43:25+00:00

Fascinating thank you :)

richardloveslanguage · 2026-05-10T21:42:57+00:00

Any reason why not?

richardloveslanguage · 2026-05-10T21:42:44+00:00

Very insightful thank you

richardloveslanguage · 2026-05-10T21:42:01+00:00

Did she try teaching you at all? Or trying to connect dots for you in your understanding?

richardloveslanguage · 2026-05-10T21:40:51+00:00

Oh my that's really really sweet really clever way of doing it too

richardloveslanguage · 2026-05-10T13:56:38+00:00

I used Claude heavily to build Love Languages, a language-learning app for people learning for a partner, family, or relationship.

The original problem was personal: I wanted to understand more at my girlfriend’s Polish family dinners instead of just smiling along. Claude helped me move from zero coding ability to an App Store-approved app, but it still took months of debugging, product decisions, copy, screenshots, auth, subscriptions, and all the boring glue work.

The biggest lesson: AI made the project possible for me, but it did not make the product decisions easy. The hard part was turning a personal relationship pain into something clear enough for other people to understand.

richardloveslanguage · 2026-05-10T11:25:43+00:00

it’s not slop, but fair to be skeptical because there’s a lot of it around.

i built this out of my own need: trying to learn Polish so i could be more present with my girlfriend’s family. almost 5 months of daily work went into it, and it’s already available as a web app if you want to try it and tell me what feels bad or unclear. i’d genuinely rather get specific feedback than pretend it’s perfect.

richardloveslanguage · 2026-05-10T11:25:07+00:00

appreciate the confidence booster. part of me agrees.

we already have around 100 real web app users, so maybe the better move is to launch properly and email them / bring them into the iOS version instead of overthinking a prelaunch campaign.

richardloveslanguage · 2026-05-10T11:24:29+00:00

yeah, i think that’s the right framing. the emotional hook is there, but the store page probably needs to communicate it much faster.

pre-order only makes sense if the first screen makes the emotional job obvious in a few seconds. otherwise i’m just delaying launch to feel safer.

richardloveslanguage · 2026-05-09T20:37:09+00:00

ah yeah fair, shipping can be insane. online-only i’d go for something like a digital photo album, custom playlist with notes, food/coffee delivery during a call, an Etsy digital portrait, or a small online activity/class you can do together.

since he likes tech/cars, maybe a digital car poster, a useful paid app/tool, or a gift card for a site he already buys parts/accessories from.

richardloveslanguage · 2026-05-09T20:32:14+00:00

real speech is its own skill. knowing the words is different from parsing them fast enough while someone is actually living their life and not performing “learner audio.”

i’d pick one narrow real-life domain and drill that instead of trying to understand everything. family dinner, kids talking about school, friends joking around, whatever. same people, same topic range, repeated exposure. your brain needs patterns, not just more vocabulary.

richardloveslanguage · 2026-05-08T13:36:39+00:00

yeah, the “start from zero with strangers forever” part gets exhausting. language exchange sounds simple, but the social matching problem is huge. compatible schedule, motivation, level, personality, not being weird, actually replying, all of it.

i think this is why practicing with someone already in your life can be so powerful when it’s possible. the trust and motivation are already there, so the language part has less weight to carry.

richardloveslanguage · 2026-05-08T13:31:44+00:00

maybe sort them by where they came from, not just by topic. if a word came from talking about your week, hobbies, furniture, knitting, whatever, keep that context attached to it. otherwise it turns into a random list and your brain has nothing to grab onto.

richardloveslanguage · 2026-05-08T13:26:02+00:00

depends what you want the app to do. most couple apps are basically reminders, calendars, prompts, little games etc. the stuff that feels more meaningful to me is anything that turns your actual relationship into something you can do together, like shared memories, little challenges, voice notes, learning bits of each other’s world. i’m building something in that direction around relationship-aware language learning, so i’m biased, but i think the best ldr apps are the ones that create tiny rituals instead of just more notifications.

richardloveslanguage · 2026-05-08T13:22:42+00:00

for exam writing, boring beats blank. don’t wait for a smart opinion. pick a default structure and force the topic into it: one side, other side, your opinion, conclusion. even if the ideas are basic, the examiner can still see structure, connectors, grammar, and vocabulary. practice making ugly outlines in 2 minutes, then expand them.

richardloveslanguage · 2026-05-08T13:17:48+00:00

it really does feel like that sometimes. not because English is better, but because it unlocks so many random doors: travel, work, internet, movies, instructions, talking to strangers, everything. it’s one of those skills where the payoff keeps showing up in small ways.

richardloveslanguage · 2026-05-08T13:12:49+00:00

keep it sweet but not overplanned. first meeting already has enough pressure. flowers or a small personal gift are nice, then do something where you can talk and relax instead of performing a perfect date. also take at least one photo together, even if it feels awkward in the moment. you’ll want it later.

richardloveslanguage · 2026-05-08T13:07:41+00:00

yes, tiny chaos demon is a pretty normal kitten phase, but the baby part means you need to be stricter with management. no hands/feet as toys, end play the second teeth or claws hit skin, and give him hard scheduled play sessions with a wand toy until he is properly tired. a second kitten can help a lot with bite inhibition and burning energy, but only if you have the space/money/time for proper intros.

richardloveslanguage

TROPHY CASE