Learn how to use Langua effectively (Conversations Help Guide)
Contents
What types of conversations can I have?
How do I record myself speaking?
What if I don't know how to reply?
Can I slow down the replies if I don't understand?
How do I receive feedback and corrections?
Switching between AI models and voices
How to save new vocabulary & learn it
Getting help & giving feedback
What types of conversations can I have?
We've crafted numerous conversations that are designed to get you speaking and challenge you in different ways. Try to explore these and see what works best for you.
With the first category you can chat about your life or anything that interests you. You’ll be able to enter your interests and the AI will suggest stimulating discussion topics.
In the roleplays section, you’ll find practical situations related to travel, integration, work, and social life.
If your level is high enough, you can practice expressing opinions and arguments by choosing a debate topic.
The last 2 sections cover exercises and games designed to work on your grammar as well as the vocabulary you’ve saved.
How do I record myself speaking?
When you open a conversation, the AI will initiate it, usually asking you a question.
If you've turned on auto-record in Chat Settings, you can start speaking as soon as the button starts pulsing. As a new user, you may want to keep this off initially, and press the record button when you're ready to speak. This will give you time to translate words (by clicking on them) or even the whole message (via the button below it).
Another option - Auto-send - is generally best left off unless 100% hands-free is essential to you, as if you pause whilst thinking, it may send before you're ready.
When you've finished speaking, you can either hit send or alternatively pause and check what you've said has been transcribed correctly. You can maximise accuracy by speaking in a quiet room and turning recording off when you’re not speaking. Multiple AI models are available to you for transcribing your speech. You can learn more about how your speech is transcribed and how to avoid transcription errors here.
Note that in the mobile app you can press the X button to cancel a recording if you make a mistake. This button can also be used to quickly delete transcribed text and start again.
What if I don't know how to reply?
If you don't know how to say a particular word or sentence, feel free to say it in your native language. Note that not all of the transcription technologies available in Chat Settings understand multilingual speech, so you might need to change the setting if you wish to mix languages.
If you can't think of what you want to say at all, click the lightbulb button at the bottom. You'll then see two possible replies. If you wish to use one, you can translate it, listen to it, and repeat it.
Can I slow down the replies if I don't understand?
Currently it's not possible to use a speed setting to slow the speech down. This is because the voice tech we use doesn't enable this.
But you can press the turtle button to replay the audio at a slower pace. Also, some of the voices available under Chat Settings are naturally slightly slower than others.
Many language teachers recommend listening to lots of speech at a normal pace as if you only listen to slow speech, you'll never be able to keep up when having conversations with natives, most of whom will speak faster than our AI!
Remember that on Langua there is no pressure - you can take your time, replaying the audio, reading and translating.
Also, if you set your level to Beginner, the AI will repeat everything in your native language to help you understand without having to constantly translate. If you prefer to translate manually, change your level to Basic.
How do I receive feedback and corrections?
There are 3 ways you can receive corrections on Langua:
1) Click the pencil button below your responses to see written corrections. Via the Chat Settings, you can enable the option to automatically show these corrections.
2) In Chat Settings > Advanced Settings, you can enable the option for the AI to verbally ask you to repeat corrections. When you make mistakes, the AI will provide the corrected version of what it thinks you were trying to say, and ask you to repeat it. After, it'll continue the conversation seamlessly. Note that this option only applies in certain chats, such as the 'chat about anything' and debate categories. This is because in our testing, it did not work well with categories like role plays.
3) When you end the chat and have replied at least 6 times, you will see an option to generate a detailed feedback report. This can also be generated by clicking the brain icon in the mobile apps (as of writing, that icon does not show on the web version).
Like humans, AI is prone to occasionally make mistakes. Please see here to learn why it's sometimes a good idea to check the provided corrections.
Pro tip: You'll also notice a wand button next to the pencil button below your reply. This will show you an alternative way of phrasing what you've just said. It's a powerful way to expand your vocabulary.
Switching between AI models and voices
Conversations on Langua are made possible by multiple AI models. One transcribes what you say, another works out how to respond and correct you, and yet another creates the human-like audio.
Our team tests different models frequently to ensure we're using the best tool for each job. This changes every few months as AI is progressing rapidly.
In your Chat Settings, you'll see you can switch between models. It's worth exploring to see which work best for you.
Occasionally, one of our AI model providers may have technical issues related to their infrastructure struggling to cope with growing demand. If this occurs, you can switch models. For example, if the AI isn't responding to what you've said, try changing the 'AI model'. We also try to switch models automatically in the background when possible.
The voices you hear are cloned from real people, including well-known YouTubers we've partnered with in the language learning space! This is why they sound far more human than voices you'll hear on other apps.
You can explore the different voices available to you via the chat settings. For many languages, we have characters covering different dialects. The pronunciation and vocabulary is specific to the given country, making it a great way to prepare yourself for travels and living abroad!
How to save new vocabulary & learn it
Click on any word and you'll see the translation, with various options below it, including other meanings, usage examples, and the option to translate the whole sentence. All of these can be saved by clicking the plus [+] button.
Note that on desktop you can also drag over phrases to translate them. This option doesn't exist on mobile as it conflicted with the single click translation during testing.
You’ll see all your saved vocabulary over on the Flashcards / Vocab tab. There, you can choose from various flashcard exercises which use a spaced repetition algorithm designed to optimize memorization.
In each exercise, you’ll try to recall the translation, then reveal the answer and mark whether you knew it or not.
Alternatively, once you've saved at least 8 words, you can navigate to 'Vocab & Games' and the AI will blend your saved words into the conversation. This is very popular amongst learners as it encourages you to actively use the words in context!
On the Flashcards / Vocab tab, you can also import vocabulary and create word lists related to specific topics, as well as create sentences that use your saved words.
Getting help & providing feedback
We hope this short guide has given you a solid understanding of how to use Langua to learn languages through conversations.
If you experience any technical issues, you can check this help article for specific solutions.
You can also reply to our emails if you still need support, or message us via our Help widget (see here if you can't find it).
Our small team is constantly working to make Langua better. Our users help us prioritise - you can suggest and vote on features here.
Thanks for reading! Don't hesitate to reach out if you need help getting started.