Dreaming

What Dreaming is

Dreaming is a video-based language learning platform for learners of Spanish and French. It is built on comprehensible input: you watch content entirely in the language you are learning, pitched at a level you can understand, and move up as your comprehension grows. The home page sums up the approach in five words: "No memorization, no grammar drills." The FAQ describes the Spanish product, Dreaming Spanish, as "a video platform for Spanish learners" whose content is "completely in Spanish" and "can be understood by students of every level."

The About page tells the origin story. "Dreaming started in 2017, when Pablo launched the Dreaming Spanish YouTube channel." Pablo Roman Humanes, now co-founder and CTO, had spent years trying to learn English through traditional classes without reaching fluency, then found comprehensible input and, the page says, used it to become fluent in French, Japanese and Thai. Laurence Wong, a technologist from the startup world and now co-founder and CEO, came across the channel while learning Spanish. In 2021 the two teamed up to build Dreaming into a platform. The About page says Dreaming is now powered by "a global team of creatives producing thousands of videos across all levels of difficulty", with Spanish and French available and more languages to come.

The video library and its levels

The home page describes three broad stages. Beginners start with "super simple videos designed to ease you in", where you follow the story even without catching every word. Intermediate learners move on to "conversations, vlogs, and documentaries in simplified language." Advanced learners tackle content "just a step below native media", covering every kind of topic at full speed.

The FAQ adds a Superbeginner level beneath those for learners starting from zero. Its videos use "drawings, gestures, facial expressions, and other tools" so the story makes sense without any prior Spanish. Above that sits a roadmap of 7 levels tied to hours of input. Level 1 is Superbeginner videos, Level 2 Beginner videos, Levels 3 and 4 Intermediate videos, Level 5 Advanced videos, Level 6 Advanced videos plus native content, and Level 7 native content. The FAQ says the roadmap was first based on the experiences of thousands of students who learned Thai with comprehensible input at AUA, checked against Pablo's own experience with related and unrelated languages, and it concedes that the roadmap cannot be 100% accurate for everyone.

On the Spanish side, the videos come from a set of named guides, each with their own subjects. The Spanish page lists eight:

• Agustina: education, language learning, self-improvement, travel, vlogs
• Natalia: books, cinema, cooking, skits, travel, vlogs
• Shelcin: animals, culture, gaming, science, skits, vlogs
• Ester: food, music, religion, self-improvement, skits
• Michelle: beauty, cooking, fitness, interviews, nutrition, skits, vlogs
• Alma: current events, internet culture, personal stories, storytelling
• Andrés: history, politics, science, skits, technology, true crime
• Jostin: anime, gaming, nutrition, technology, true crime

The Spanish page frames the whole thing as binge-watching: the content is made for learners and always comprehensible, and you pick a series at your level and press play. The FAQ also points to role-play videos for learners who struggle with speech that is not presentational, and to a browse page where intermediate videos can be sorted by "easy" to find gentler ones.

Tracking progress

Dreaming measures progress in hours of input. The FAQ says the number one objective metric is the amount of comprehensible input you have received, and that a timeline estimates how long each level takes. A progress page describes every level, with a "You can do" section for each, and lists the videos recommended at each level; a roadmap poster and a roadmap chart on the method page show the same levels.

For daily time, the FAQ recommends at least 30 minutes a day of input for a language at least somewhat related to your own, or 1 hour for a language completely different from the ones you know. It sets no hard upper limit, only a warning about burnout from forcing yourself through boring content. When choosing videos, it suggests aiming to understand at least 80% of the overall meaning, and it recommends trying the easier videos of the next level to see whether you are ready, while still returning to lower levels when a topic or a guide appeals.

How the method asks you to watch

The FAQ is long and opinionated, and in practice it is the product's manual. Its advice while watching: focus on the content and enjoy it, ignore the grammar, words and pronunciation, do not repeat words in your head, and do not take notes. It recommends watching without subtitles and switching to an easier video if you need them. Dictionary lookups are kept for a word that keeps coming up and is key to understanding the whole piece.

It grounds the method in research, citing work by Dr. Stephen Krashen on comprehensible input "over the past 40+ years" and meta-analyses by John Truscott on correction. Its stance on conventional study is firm. It does not recommend exercise, quiz or flashcard apps as a way to acquire a language, though it calls flashcard apps a good tool for learning a new script. It advises most learners not to practice speaking in the early stages, arguing that speaking does not produce acquisition and that speaking too early builds your own version of the language. Netflix, YouTube and podcast apps are recommended as further input once a learner can understand native content. Parts of the FAQ also exist as a video FAQ with English subtitles.

Access and devices

The home page describes a mobile app for learning on a commute, while cooking or at home, and its page description speaks of an immersive app with clear milestones. The FAQ, written for Dreaming Spanish, says the platform "still largely works on mobile through the browser" and that adding the website to a phone's home screen makes it work much like an app. The home, About, Spanish and FAQ pages show no prices or plans. The home page also carries an "As featured in" badge for a Best Inventions of 2025 list, with a link to the feature.

What learners say

The home page quotes three learners. Jeremy Stoppelman, Yelp CEO: "Their approach got me to a point where I can chat naturally with native speakers and immerse myself in Spanish media effortlessly." Jonathan Tetteh, language YouTuber: "By spending hours with their content, I went from struggling to near-native fluency in under a year." Bryhn, an r/DreamingSpanish community leader, says Dreaming "gave me the chance to truly connect with my dad after decades apart."

Who it suits

Dreaming suits learners of Spanish or French who like watching video and would rather absorb a language through stories, vlogs and conversations than through drills. Complete beginners are covered by the Superbeginner level, and learners who studied grammar at school but cannot follow real speech will find the FAQ's advice on fast speech, native media and conversations between native speakers directly useful. Learners who like a measurable path get one in hours of input and the seven-level roadmap.

It is a weaker fit for learners who want explicit grammar explanations, vocabulary lists, exercises or a teacher correcting their speaking, since the method leaves those out on purpose and holds off speaking practice early on. The FAQ itself grants that memorizing a phrase can be the practical choice for someone who will visit a country once and only needs to order a coffee. And for now the choice is limited to Spanish and French.