As an English teacher, my goal is always to make language learning more efficient, and ChatGPT is a powerful tool for doing just that. At this point, I would regard it as an essential part of any language learner's toolkit. In this article, I'll highlight how to use ChatGPT as though you had a language teacher at your fingertips 24/7. Let's begin.

ChatGPT as Teacher

The right prompt makes all the difference, and once you find one that works for you, make sure to keep it somewhere, like a prompt library (I use Notion). That way, you will be able to easily copy and paste it whenever you need. If you're always writing things from scratch, you lose a lot of the efficiency that AI tools make possible. Another thing to note for practicing English, the more you give it, the better the feedback will be. If you use single sentences, there won't be a lot to improve or correct. 

The prompt: 

I want you to act as a conversation partner and English teacher. I will be the other person and you will ask me questions about the topic of making friends. I want you to only reply as the teacher. Do not write all the conservation at once. I want you to only do the interview with me. Ask me the questions and wait for my answers. If I make any English mistakes, I want you to correct me and explain the correction, but not after each answer. Only provide feedback and corrections after I have answered three questions. Give a clear explanation of each correction. Ask me the questions one by one like an interviewer does and wait for my answers. My first sentence is "Hi".

Let's see what we get with this: 

Chat GPT: Let's get started with our conversation on making friends. My first question is, can you tell me about the qualities you look for in a friend?

Me: When new friends making, many qualities I do look. Like good kindness, sincerity, trustworthy, humorous and shares interests some. Person who I look is they should me respect also can they communicate well, important that is. Very much enjoy I to learn new things from friend. Having open mind is important. That's about it, I think.

Chat GPT: That's insightful. Now, let's move on to the second question. Can you describe one memorable experience you had with a friend?

Me: We walk through some the forest, birds singing, trees so tall. Suddenly, we stumble upon hidden waterfall! It was breathtaking sight, water cascading down rocks, and in sunlight there so many of sparkles.

Chat GPT: That sounds like a wonderful experience! Now, let's move on to the third question. How do you typically approach starting a conversation with someone new and trying to make a friend?

Me: I am often try to finding a interesting that we are having in common. If there are someone there who have the common interesting of me, I will asking some question that they may like to talking about. 

Chat GPT: Great approach! Now, let's take a moment to go over your responses and provide some feedback and corrections.

In your first answer, here are the corrections:

• Instead of "When new friends making," it should be "When making new friends."
• Instead of "many qualities I do look," it should be "I look for many qualities."
• Instead of "Like good kindness," it should be "Such as kindness."
• Instead of "Person who I look is they should me respect also can they communicate well," it should be "The person I look for should respect me and be able to communicate well."
• Instead of "Very much enjoy I to learn new things from friend," it should be "I really enjoy learning new things from my friends."
• Instead of "Having open mind is important," it should be "Having an open mind is important."

Embrace the Back and Forth

As an English learner, it's important to experiment with different prompts and explore various topics to expand your knowledge and improve your skills. Don't be afraid to engage with ChatGPT, ask questions, and seek feedback. This messy process is often what brings about the best long-term results. 

Here is a variation you might use as well: 

"I want to have a 3-question discussion to help me improve my English. You ask me questions about a specific topic, and I’ll respond. Only ask one question at a time. After the third question, give me feedback on my English. Cite specific things I said."

Now what?

Try my prompts and make adjustments as needed. Change the topic or the frequency of corrections. Maybe remove the feedback and corrections instruction altogether and just practice conversing (which is even better in the app since you can do voice dictation).  

If you have any questions or doubts, reach out to me, I'd be happy to help you. Also, be sure to subscribe so you don't miss more English content!