Talk more, translate less
Conversation at your level
Tell the AI your level (for example A2 or B1 on the common A1–C2 scale, or just 'beginner who knows the present tense'), the situation you want to practise and how to correct you: "Reply only in Portuguese, keep sentences short, and after each of my messages list my two most important mistakes in English." Our Language Practice Conversation prompt is a ready-made version.
Voice mode
Speaking is usually the hardest skill to practise alone. The voice modes in ChatGPT, Gemini and other assistants let you hold a spoken conversation, ask it to slow down, and repeat phrases. Pronunciation feedback is still rough, so pair it with real recordings of native speakers.
Graded reading and listening
Ask for short texts on topics you care about, written at your level with a few new words, then a quiz on them. Or paste a real article and ask for a simplified version alongside the original. Reading lots of slightly-too-easy material is one of the most reliable ways to build vocabulary.
Translation is not learning
Translating every message for you is like the maths students in Lesson 1: easy now, nothing left later. Use translation to understand something you need (an official letter, a menu), and practice modes to learn. And check anything important with a native speaker; AI can be grammatically perfect and culturally off.
In the language you'd like to learn, what situation would you most like to handle: ordering food, chatting with family, a work meeting?