Community Challenge 2/53: 1 week to speak a new language
week 2 done!
I can speak Bulgarian now.
not fluent…
but functional! 30 sentences. small conversations but I got real smiles.
here's the truth: I lived in Bulgaria 3 years ago and never learned a single word.
this week I learned more in 7 days than most people learn in 7 months.
here's how:
LESSON 1: sleep is the cheat code
your brain consolidates new words while you sleep. skip sleep, lose your progress.
I learned this the hard way.
Got food poisoning and with 2 hours of sleep the next day my brain was empty.
Protect your sleep this year.
such an easy thing to skip but EXTREMELY valuable.
LESSON 2: learn the top 500 words first
80% of daily conversation uses 20% of vocabulary.
don't learn "butterfly" before you learn "how much?" or "where is?"
I used Anki with the top 1000 Bulgarian words. 143 words per day.
even if you know the top 100 Japanese words, you can make people smile
LESSON 3: AI is the best language teacher now
my setup:
Gemini Live: point phone at things, ask "how do I say this?" real-time pronunciation feedback. free.
ChatGPT: conversation practice. typing + voice.
NotebookLM: organized all my notes, made quizzes, podcasts, everything.
check my language learning AI system for free: https://notebooklm.google.com/notebook/982cd861-7b9e-4e19-b3cf-5c08d7184871
no app. no course. just AI. better than anything I've tried.
LESSON 4: 30 sentences unlock connection
3 years in Bulgaria, zero effort… I regret that.
Because with 7 days of practice I got smiles in the first 20 seconds of every conversation.
It will make visiting new countries MUCH better experience for you.
LESSON 5: speak ugly, speak early
don't wait until you're "ready."
I talked to locals on day 2. terrible pronunciation. didn't matter.
they don't care about grammar but they do care that you're trying.
except the French…
bu the bakery granny didn't laugh at me. she smiled when I offered her chocolate! :)
LESSON 6: discipline carries over
week 1 was cold exposure. I thought it had nothing to do with language learning.
wrong.
food poisoning? still learned. tired? still practiced. wanted to quit? didn't.
the skill behind every skill is discipline. week 1 made week 2 better.
LESSON 7: small gestures matter
make your langauge learning interesting!
I brought chocolate to the bakery granny.
she remembered me. we talked.
language is just the door, for me connection is the point.
that's week 2.
next week: coding. building my first app in 7 days.
no coding experience. should be fun.
PS: share this with someone learning a language: 53skills.com
Thank you for being one of the first 100 neohumans to join this project.
#53skills
Reply to this email with all your questions, comments, or tips, I will answer.
Or share with friends who want to join.
- Alex
