Creative AI Tools for Language Teachers

You don’t choose to teach language for the fame or the glory (or those piles of ungraded essays). You do it because you love the way words work—the thrill of a great discussion, the energy of a class realizing they can make themselves understood in another language.

But prep time, differentiation, and endless vocab review? That’s less poetic.

This year, I set out to find AI tools that actually help language teachers teach better—not just faster. These are the tools that made my Spanish, French, and ELL classes more creative, more student-driven, and (dare I say?) more fun. If you teach language—any language!—these could change your teaching world too.

1. Real-Life Conversations With Historical Figures (People AI)

We all want students speaking with someone, not just about someone. I started using People AI so my Spanish 3s could "interview" Frida Kahlo, practice conversational tenses, and see language in context. For my beginners, it means safe, scaffolded dialogues. For advanced students? Debates with Gabriel García Márquez. The results surprised me: quieter students gained speaking confidence, and everyone got a thrill from engaging with "real" historical voices.

2. Effortless Thematic Unit Planning (Kuraplan)

I used to spend hours mapping out thematic units ("Food and Culture," anyone?), cross-referencing standards, creating vocabulary lists and grammar targets… you get the idea. Kuraplan changed my routine: I pop in my learning objectives and the cultural theme, and the AI builds a lesson skeleton, sample dialogues, and worksheet seeds. I still flesh out authentic readings and bring in my flair, but the groundwork is fast—and shockingly coherent.

3. Instant Dialogue Practice With AI Avatars (Suno AI)

Yes, Suno AI was designed to create songs, but here’s my twist: I have students write their own dialogues or short stories, then use Suno to perform them as songs. Suddenly vocab lists become catchy tunes, pronunciation gets a boost, and even the shyest kid wants to play their class anthem. Bonus: you can compare Spanish ballads, French rap, or ELL stories right in class. It’s language production—remixed for 2025.

4. Flipped Classroom Videos in Minutes (Fliki)

Language teachers always want more time for conversation in class, but we get bogged down recording grammar explainers or pronunciation guides. Fliki lets me turn my text-based instructions into quick, human-sounding videos (in a dozen languages!). Students review them as homework, and I reclaim class time for what matters—speaking. Also handy if you have students who need repeat exposure or were absent.

5. Interactive Reading Assignments With Immediate Feedback (Diffit)

Those beautiful, authentic Spanish poems and French articles I want to use? They’re way above some of my students’ reading levels. Diffit is my go-to for adapting texts and building comprehension checks. Bonus: the instant vocabulary quizzes and reading questions make sub plans much easier. Students are less intimidated, and everyone gets practice at their own pace.

6. Playful Vocabulary Building With Jungle

Flashcard drills work, but they get dull fast. Jungle generates tailored vocab flashcards and quiz games based on my curriculum themes ("family," "directions," "opinions"). My students compete in review games, use the app for daily practice, and (miracle of miracles) actually master the vocab. I get real-time progress—no more guessing who studied.

7. Visual Storytelling With Gamma

Describing places, people, routines… visuals matter in language learning. Gamma instantly turns any text, story, or project outline into rich slides, perfect for student storytelling or real-world scenario practice. I even have students collaborate to "storyboard" their own dialogues for our class presentations.

Honest Tips for Fellow Language Teachers

Here’s my advice: Don’t try every new AI toy at once. Pick ONE tool for a unit you dread reinventing, and see what it changes—for your workflow and your students’ motivation. Above all, let your students use AI for demonstrating language, not just reviewing it. The more they create, the more they learn—and the less you have to do the heavy lifting!

What AI tool made your language classroom sing (literally or figuratively)? Let’s swap stories—or, better yet, write a new one for our students to tell.