The Hard Way App: Learn the languages humans speak, not chatbots.

Hello, Product Hunt! Ever happened to you during a conversation in a foreign language, that by the time you understand a word, the topic changed three times already? Sure, you might think, but that’s what language learning dingo-dozing mobile apps are for, isn’t it?... Well... almost. The Problem ——— Your app lesson: “A bottle of water”. As clear as the image it describes. The British: ə bo'oh'o'wa'er. Lovely once you understand it. The Solution ——— Learn from the British, naturally. And all the people in the world. But unless your budget allows for worldwide travel, here is a more accessible alternative: 1. Build: Turn whatever catches your eye – web pages, podcasts, YouTube clips – into learning materials. 2. Focus: Highlight any text to spawn flashcards enriched with native pronunciations, contextual examples, and translations. 3. Practice: Review your flashcards with a Spaced Repetition engine optimized for language acquisition patterns. That’s it! You are languaging already instead of just dingo-dozing. The Philosophy ——— The key concept is “just-enough” automation:

Too much makes learning passive and random. It replaces your skills instead of nurturing them.

Too little leaves you fighting tools that want you to speak like a textbook.

The Hard Way App, instead:

Handles the tedious work, then steps aside. ✓

Supports your learning journey in your unique style. ✓

Helps you build fluency through your own creativity. ✓

This is not marketing speech – but core principles of learning science! A small sample:

Comprehensive input: learn from content slightly above your level to push your boundaries.

The self-generation effect: create your own materials to activate deep cognitive processing.

The self-reference effect: study content that matters to you to forge stronger neural pathways.

Or as Benjamin Franklin once told me: “Teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn”. What makes it different ——— As you probably noticed, nearly all language apps now are AI chatbots. Hey, I love AI! It underpins The Hard Way App too, and I use it myself often for technical work. But! I don’t recall at all what exactly I asked it yesterday, let alone the answer. Do you? Beyond the initial wow moment, AI interactions are superficial and repetitive: great for mechanical tasks and filling the gaps; not so great for providing memorable experiences. Instead, when you combine your natural creativity with concrete scientific methods, you achieve much more than memorizing words and rules: you have more fun, language sticks faster, you become a self-sufficient learner, and gain confidence to speak with locals without a backup plan. It‘s a win-win-win-win! I’m my own guinea pig: starting almost from zero, I reached B1 level in a language of a family different from my own within a few months, just with one hour a day of The Hard Way App and a weekly tutor session. This is not a claim I make lightly: with “B1” I don’t mean that I unlocked a pretty certificate; I mean that I could hold a school meeting for my kid and make him proud. The Question ——— This project is the result of two years of dedicated research and development, drawing on insights from language acquisition studies, and years of personal learning experience. Furthermore, it respects and values you over “engagement metrics”: private, offline-first, and you’ll keep your learning materials forever. So here is a question for you: are you ready to embrace the fantastic challenge that is learning a language? If so, I’d love for you to try The Hard Way App. Share your feedback, ask questions, request features, tell me what language are you learning or want to learn, what are your biggest roadblocks – perhaps I can offer a trick or two... What’s your story? And if you believe in a more meaningful way or learning, feel free to share it with other language learners in your network (mine is tiny, so for me every single share helps a lot!) The Hard Way App is just out from the oven so it’s a bit rough around the corners and I don’t have testimonials from people working at Google yet; but I am sure that Benjamin Franklin would have used it. Now, whether or not The Hard Way App is your perfect fit, I wish you success on your language learning journey. Every language carries a unique culture, and by learning them, we keep them alive 💙 💛 ❤️ 💚 So keep learning, my friend! —Juan PS: If you know someone at Google, pls give me their phone number