Langeek Just Got a Lot Bigger: German, French and Spanish are here

I’m thrilled to announce what is undoubtedly the biggest structural change to the Langeek platform in our history: We’ve officially added German, French, and Spanish to our language lineup!

This launch represents a massive strategic pivot for the team, and I wanted to give you a transparent, behind-the-scenes look at why we chose these languages and how we brought them to life.

Why These Three? The Selection Process

When deciding which new languages to tackle, we had a massive list of popular requests. Ultimately, the decision came down to two key factors:

1. Popularity: We looked at which languages our users were most frequently searching for or requesting.

2. Infrastructure Similarity: We had to consider how easily the language could integrate with our existing learning tools and content structure (which was initially optimized for English and similar languages).

Languages like Japanese and Korean, while incredibly popular, require fundamentally different infrastructure (think completely new writing systems, complex politeness levels, etc.). Bringing them on would have meant a complete overhaul.

By choosing German, French, and Spanish, we were able to deliver highly-requested content to our users much faster, as they share enough grammatical and structural similarities with our current setup to build upon efficiently.

The Langeek Buildout: A Phased Approach

Once the languages were chosen, it was time to get to work. Our development plan was prioritized based on two metrics: Effectiveness (what gives users the most value) and Time-to-Launch.

Phase 1: CEFR Vocabulary (Go Wide)

Our first priority was rolling out the CEFR vocabulary (the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) for all three languages. This is the bedrock of language acquisition!

• Our Content Team and Illustration Team worked tirelessly to create comprehensive, structured wordlists.

• The next step involved adding definitions, illustrative examples, and unique illustrations for every single word.

• Initial Scope: For the first version, we chose English as the only destination language. However, our long-term plan is to expand support to all 26 languages currently on Langeek, allowing speakers of any of our languages to learn German, French, or Spanish!

Current Status: We are happy to report that the CEFR vocabulary libraries for all three languages are now live and ready for you to explore! As this library grows, every word is also automatically added to the Langeek Picture Dictionary.

Phase 2: Intermediate Grammar (The Deep Dive Begins)

With the vocabulary foundation laid, we shifted focus to grammar lessons. We strategically chose to start with the intermediate level. Why? Because it offers the most significant benefit to the largest number of users—from advanced beginners looking to step up, to intermediates who need to solidify their knowledge.

New Infrastructure for Core Features

These three new languages share fundamental traits that require brand-new learning tools. This commonality makes the implementation process a bit easier, as we can build one core feature and adapt it for all three.

Essential Grammar Features We’re Building Out:

• Noun Gender System: A defining trait of German (3 genders), French (2 genders), and Spanish (2 genders) is grammatical gender. It’s fundamental, and we need to provide a dedicated Noun Gender Exercise to help you master this essential trait.

• Verb Conjugation: These languages rely heavily on verb conjugation based on tense, mood, and subject.

• Adjective Inflection: Similarly, adjectives need to match the nouns they modify through inflection.

These are the most essential grammatical features we’re tackling first for a learner to gain basic fluency.

The Road Ahead: Expanding Content and Future Languages

Our primary focus now is on expanding the content for German, French, and Spanish.

• Content Expansion Strategy: Our overall strategy for these languages is to go wide first and then go deep. This means we will be adding light, foundational content across all five key sections on Langeek, and then continually adding more depth and complexity to each section as time progresses.

• The Original Language: We have not forgotten about our core community! There will be continuous updates and content expansions for our English language learners as well.

The Future of New Languages

Langeek is a platform built for deep learning, and preparing the quality content and infrastructure for a single language takes months of dedicated work. For the new languages to be truly up to our standard, we anticipate being focused on their development for at least 1-2 years.

Therefore, while we are always monitoring user interest, we do not have plans to add any more new languages in the near future. Our commitment is to ensure the best possible learning experience for the three languages we just launched before considering the next big expansion.

We can’t wait for you to dive in and start learning German, French, or Spanish today!