The Prerequisites to Getting Immersed: Your 30 Day Roadmap

This is the piece I would have written to myself back in June 2020, when I discovered Matt vs Japan’s video that changed my life, but spent the next 30 days wondering: Am I ready? What am I missing? Should I just start now?

If you’ve been reading my content and still haven’t started watching content without English subtitles, this is for you.

If you’re “fiddling your thumbs” wondering what the protocol is, this is for you.

If you feel like you’re procrastinating but don’t know what you’re actually supposed to be doing, this is for you.

I’m not going to tell you to “just start immersing.” That’s terrible advice for someone who doesn’t have the foundation yet.

But I’m also not going to let you use “I’m not ready” as an excuse to stay stuck for 6 months.

Here’s the truth: If you can complete these prerequisites, you can reach fluency in any language.

The prerequisites aren’t optional. They’re not procrastination. They’re the scaffolding that makes immersion actually work.

Without them, you’ll watch 100 hours of content and understand nothing. You’ll quit. You’ll say “immersion doesn’t work for me.”

With them, you’ll watch 100 hours and feel your brain rewiring in real-time.

But first, a disclaimer.

If you came here looking for a magic method that lets you skip the work, I can’t help you.

Learning a language demands a different character than scrolling through Duolingo for 5 minutes a day. You are responsible for everything. You must manage yourself, develop yourself, and learn to love the emotional highs and lows that come with acquisition.

You will feel like you’re not making progress.

You will want to skip these prerequisites and “just start.”

You will compare yourself to polyglots on YouTube and feel broken.

Please, for the love of all things holy, commit to the one thing you know you need to do to actually acquire this language.

This is your way in.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

1. The difference between learning and acquiring (and why you need both)
2. The 6 prerequisites that make immersion comprehensible
3. The exact vocab and grammar baseline you need (and why 1,000 words is the magic number)
4. The 5 tools that will carry you to fluency
5. The interest inventory exercise that determines what you’ll watch
6. Your 30-day action plan to go from “stuck” to “ready to immerse”

This piece is long because it’s comprehensive. If you think it’s boring, that’s probably the part you’re going to skip over and complain when you don’t get results.

Let’s get started.

My 30-Day Gap: The Story You Need to Hear

June 2020. Six months into learning Korean.

I was lost. I’d been grinding textbooks, making flashcards, trying to speak with natives on HelloTalk, watching YouTube videos titled “How to Study Korean” every single day.

I was performing the language, not speaking it. I was translating in my head, not thinking in Korean. I was stuck.

Then the YouTube algorithm blessed me with Matt vs Japan’s video: “Why You Still Don’t Understand Your Target Language.”

That video changed the trajectory of my life.

I went down the rabbit hole. I watched every single video Matt had made about immersion. I got on his Patreon. I paid for every service I could find. I studied him—was he legit? Did he speak the way I wanted to speak? What did people think of him?

At the time, his reputation was solid. (It’s shifted in recent years, but that’s not the point.)

The point is: I shadowed Matt vs Japan for 30 days.

And here’s the thing most people don’t talk about—I didn’t start immersing the day I discovered immersion.

Matt said “start immediately.” I preach “immerse, immerse, immerse” now. But I’d be lying if I said I started that day.

I told myself I’d start the next day. Then the next day came and it didn’t feel right. Then I said “next week.” Then next week came and it still didn’t feel right.

The gap between my discovery and my action was this: Every time I felt “it doesn’t feel right,” I was identifying what I was missing.

I wasn’t procrastinating. I was preparing.

I was learning about the tools I needed. I was setting up my environment. I was making sure I wasn’t going to waste the massive investment I was about to make.

I wanted to make sure I was doing things in the right order. I didn’t want any missing cogs.

On July 1, 2020, I launched into immersion.

From that day forward:

• No English subtitles (unless I was watching with someone else)
• No translations on any of my flashcards
• No translator for Korean phrases
• Only dictionary definition lookups in Korean

That was my immersion. That was the line I drew.

And I could only draw that line because I spent 30 days preparing.

Why You Should Trust This (And Why I’m Not “One in a Million”)

I’ve helped 4 out of 5 mates reach their long term language goals in the past two years.

One of them thought he was “the worst at learning languages.” He genuinely believed it was the last thing on this planet he could possibly do.

But he wanted it bad enough. He had a will and a why behind doing all the actions to get where he wanted to be.

Today, he’s one of my best friends. And he’s fluent af. He makes content in Korean now.

There’s also my younger brother, who immersed his way to fluent French. We immersed together—me in Korean, him in French. I’ll write a full piece about our journey and the differences between immersing in an Asian language versus a Romance language, but the point is: the method works.

Ademola is not one in a million.

Immersion is not a talent. It’s a system.

There are things I’ve done and ways I think about language learning that others haven’t, which is why I love talking about this stuff. This has been my video game for the past 5 years.

And just like any game I’ve obsessed over (RIP my NBA 2K addiction), I’ve optimized every aspect of the system.

Now I’m handing you the strategy guide.

The Foundation: Learning vs. Acquiring

Before we get into the prerequisites, you need to understand the difference between learning and acquiring.

Most people think they’re the same thing. They’re not.

Learning is conscious. It’s studying grammar rules, memorizing vocab lists, doing Duolingo lessons. It’s about the language.

Acquiring is subconscious. It’s your brain building a language model through exposure and input. It’s in the language.

Here’s the relationship:

Learn → Acquire → Review

• Learn = Study (grammar, vocab, writing system)
• Acquire = Immerse (watch, read, listen to native content)
• Review = SRS (spaced repetition software to prevent forgetting)

These three things work in a cycle:

1. You learn baseline knowledge (vocab, grammar, writing system)
2. That knowledge makes input more comprehensible, so you can acquire more
3. You review what you’ve learned so it doesn’t fade, which strengthens your ability to learn more

Learned knowledge serves acquisition.

The problem is when the ratio between learning and acquiring gets inverted.

If you spend 80% of your time studying and 20% immersing, you’ll burn out. You’ll have a head full of grammar rules and no ability to understand real Korean.

If you spend 100% of your time immersing with zero foundation, you’ll watch noise for months and quit.

The sweet spot: 80% immersion, 20% study.

At the steepest, I’d go 60% immersion, 40% study. 50/50 is okay if you’re in the early stages. But never invert it.

The goal of all learning is to make your input more comprehensible.

That’s it. That’s the entire game.

Everything in this piece—the prerequisites, the tools, the vocab, the grammar—exists to make the Korean content you watch more comprehensible so your brain can acquire the language.

Prerequisite 1: Master the Writing System

You cannot immerse with Romanization.

Let me say that again: You cannot learn Korean if you’re still reading Romanization.

Romanization is the bottleneck you’re holding onto. It’s the training wheels you need to remove.

Here’s why:

1. Natives don’t read Romanization. If you want to read what natives read, you need to read Hangul.
2. Romanization distorts pronunciation. English sounds don’t map cleanly to Korean sounds. You’ll build a bad accent.
3. You can’t use subtitles with Romanization. And subtitles are the gateway to comprehensible input.

Your first task: Learn to read, type, and recognize Hangul.

Notice I didn’t say “handwrite.” Handwriting is beautiful and I recommend it if you enjoy it, but it’s optional. If we’re talking about efficiency and getting immersed as fast as possible, handwriting is a bonus, not a requirement.

Here’s how to do it:

Step 1: Watch a 5-minute tutorial on reading Hangul.

I have a thread on how to read Korean that includes links to great videos. My favorite is the “Learn to Read Korean in 5 Minutes” video. It’s not clickbait—you genuinely can learn the system in 5 minutes.

Step 2: Try to read a Wikipedia page in Korean.

You’ll suck at it. That’s the point.

Step 3: Watch the video again. Try to read again.

Repeat this cycle 3-5 times.

Here’s what happens:

• You’ll identify the gaps in your ability to read
• You’ll forget certain consonants or vowels
• You’ll go back to the video and reinforce the mnemonic
• You’ll see the character again in context and it’ll click

At first, you’ll rely on mnemonics. “That character looks like a bucket, so it’s ‘ㅂ’ which sounds like ‘b.'”

But the more you read, the less you’ll need the mnemonic. You’ll start recognizing entire syllable blocks. You’ll see a name and know how it sounds without breaking it down character by character.

This is the first layer of acquisition happening.

You’re not just memorizing—you’re building pattern recognition through exposure.

Step 4: Learn to type in Hangul.

Download the Korean keyboard on your phone and computer. Start typing.

There are typing games for Korean (I’ll link resources in the tools section), but honestly, the best practice is just texting. If you’re using HelloTalk or any language exchange app, type in Hangul. No Romanization.

Timeline: 1-3 days to feel comfortable reading. 1 week to feel fluent.

If you’re learning a language with a more complex writing system (Japanese, Chinese), this will take longer. But the principle is the same: escape Romanization and learn to read what natives read.

Okay, writing system done. 

If you can read without Romanization, you’re past the first gate. 

Now we get into the part that confuses everyone—how much vocab and grammar do you actually need?

Prerequisite 2: Learn About the Language (Vocab + Grammar)

This is where most learners get stuck.

They think “learning about the language” means they need to be able to produce the language. They focus on speaking, writing, making sentences.

That’s the wrong focus.

Learning about the language means understanding the features of the language that are different from your native language.

Features include:

• How sentences are structured
• The existence of particles (subject markers, object markers, etc.)
• Verb and adjective placement (Korean puts them at the end)
• How conjugations work (past tense, present tense, honorifics)

You need to know about these things. You don’t need to be able to use them yet.

The goal is comprehension, not production.

Here’s the breakdown:

Vocab: Learn 1,000 High-Frequency Words

Why 1,000?

Because 1,000 high-frequency words give you the scaffolding to understand input.

When you reach that threshold, you’ve acquired enough baseline language that those words will appear in everything you watch and read. They become the “i” in the i+1 principle.

What’s i+1?

It’s the principle that you learn best when you encounter one new thing (the +1) in the context of things you already know (the i).

If you know 1,000 words, you can watch a Korean drama and understand enough to infer the meaning of new words from context.

If you know 50 words, you’re watching noise.

How to learn 1,000 words:

I recommend Migaku’s Fundamentals and Academy decks. (Full disclosure: I have an affiliate relationship with Migaku and helped them build their Korean decks.)

Here’s why I recommend them:

1. They’re built on the i+1 principle. Every new card builds on what you’ve already learned. You’re never overwhelmed.
2. They use sentence cards, not isolated words. You learn words in context, which is how your brain actually acquires language.
3. They’re frequency-based. You learn the most common words first, not random textbook words like “old rug” or “newspaper.”

If you’re not using Migaku, here’s what to do:

• Find a frequency list for your target language
• Learn words in phrase blocks or sentence blocks, not isolation
• Use an SRS (spaced repetition system) to review

How many words per day?

10-25 new words per day.

I know that sounds like a lot. It’s not.

Here’s why: the SRS does the magic of helping you with reviews so you don’t die under a mountain of stuff to study every day.

You learn 20 new words today. Tomorrow, you learn 20 new words and review the 20 from yesterday. The day after, you learn 20 new words and review the ones the SRS algorithm knows you’re about to forget.

The reviews are spaced out based on how well you know each card. If you pass a card easily, you won’t see it for a week. If you fail it, you’ll see it tomorrow.

This is how you build the foundation without burning out.

Timeline: 50-100 days to reach 1,000 words at 10-20 words/day.

Grammar: Understand, Don’t Produce

Grammar is not about being able to make perfect sentences.

Grammar is about recognizing patterns so you can understand what you’re hearing and reading.

Here’s what I did:

• I went through Talk To Me In Korean Levels 1 and 2
• I watched YouTube videos about grammar I was curious about (Talk To Me In Korean, Korean Englishman, Korean Unnie)
• I used grammar as a reference tool, not a production tool

Grammar helps you reflect on patterns. It doesn’t help you speak.

You need exposure to speak. You need context. You need to match patterns of how things are said to when and where they’re said.

If you want to practice production (making your own sentences), go ahead. But understand: you don’t need to do that to get immersed.

Getting immersed will lead you to being able to produce at a sharper rate. But if you want to practice output now, focus on situational practice.

Here’s what I mean:

Don’t practice saying “I go to the store” in 50 different ways.

Instead, identify a very specific scenario and learn how to express yourself in that scenario.

Example:

• Scenario: Someone dropped money on the floor. They’re a stranger. They’re walking away. You need to get their attention so you can hand it to them.
• What would you say in English? “Excuse me! Excuse me, miss! Hey, you dropped this!”
• Now learn how to say that in Korean.

This is how you learn natural, situational language. Not textbook phrases. Not translator output. Real expressions that fit real contexts.

Timeline: 2-4 weeks to cover basic grammar concepts.

Prerequisite 3: Learn About the Culture

You cannot speak a language if you don’t learn about the people who speak it.

Language doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It exists in culture, politics, history, social norms.

Understanding the culture makes the language comprehensible.

Here’s why:

• Context determines meaning. The same phrase can be polite in one situation and rude in another.
• Honorifics matter. In Korean, how you speak to your boss vs. your friend vs. a stranger is completely different.
• Slang and idioms are cultural. You can’t translate “she’s bad as hell” or “type shit” without understanding the culture behind the slang.

What to learn about:

• The people who speak the language
• The regions where it’s spoken (and how usage differs by region)
• The politics and history that shape the language
• Social norms (how to greet people, how to show respect, how to navigate hierarchy)

How to learn this:

• Watch YouTube videos about Korean culture
• Read articles about Korean history
• Follow Korean creators who talk about life in Korea
• Watch variety shows and dramas (you’ll absorb cultural norms through exposure)

Timeline: Ongoing. This never stops.

Prerequisite 4: Learn About the Media

You need to know where to find content and what’s available.

This sounds obvious, but most learners skip this step and then complain “there’s no good content in my target language.”

Here’s what to research:

• What platforms have content in your target language? (YouTube, Netflix, Disney+, Viki, etc.)
• What types of content exist? (Dramas, variety shows, movies, YouTube channels, podcasts, etc.)
• Can you watch with subtitles? (Korean subtitles, not English)
• Are there audio descriptions available? (Netflix has this for some content)

For Korean learners, we’re blessed:

• K-dramas are everywhere
• K-pop content is endless
• Korean YouTube is massive
• Korean variety shows are peak entertainment

For other languages, you might have to dig deeper. My brother struggled with French at first because he thought “there’s no content.” Then he found Miraculous Ladybug and it saved him.

Your job: Make a list of 10-20 pieces of content you can watch in your target language.

Timeline: 1-2 hours of research.

Alright, so you know where content exists. 

But here’s where most guides stop and you’re left wondering: ‘Okay but WHAT should I watch?’ 

That’s next.

Prerequisite 5: Learn About Your Interests

This is the most underrated prerequisite.

Your interests are the key to comprehensible input.

Here’s why:

As an adult, you have something children don’t: the ability to deliberately select what you consume.

Children discover interests by association. Whatever enters their field of vision becomes their obsession.

You’ve lived long enough to know what you love and what you hate. You can actively choose to consume content that matches your interests.

This is your superpower.

Stephen Krashen’s Affective Filter Hypothesis says: If you’re not interested, if you’re anxious, if you’re bored, you won’t acquire the language.

Interest-driven exposure is the second most critical thing after comprehensible input.

Comprehensible input + Interest-driven exposure = Acquisition

Here’s how this works in practice:

I love basketball. I was obsessed with the NBA. I played NBA 2K for over 10,000 hours.

When I discovered a Korean YouTube channel that talked about NBA highlights and free agency, I could understand so much even though I didn’t know all the words.

Why?

Because I already knew the context. I knew the players. I knew the trades. I knew the drama.

When the host said a word I didn’t know, I could infer it from context. “Oh, he’s talking about that player getting traded. That must be the word for ‘trade’ in Korean.”

That’s i+1 in action.

The “i” (what I already know) is my basketball knowledge. The “+1” (what I’m learning) is the Korean word for “trade.”

If I didn’t care about basketball, that video would be noise.

Your job: Make an interest inventory.

Answer these questions:

1. What shows do you love? (List 5-10)
2. What movies do you love? (List 5-10)
3. What actors or creators do you follow?
4. What subjects are you obsessed with? (Sports, cooking, fashion, gaming, etc.)
5. What genres do you gravitate toward? (Comedy, romance, thriller, etc.)
6. What’s in your YouTube Watch Later playlist?
7. What’s in your Netflix/streaming history?
8. What books or audiobooks have you read recently?
9. What podcasts do you listen to?
10. What environments or places do you frequent? (Gym, coffee shops, etc.)

Save this list.

This list is going to determine what you watch when you start immersing. This is how you find the version of you that exists in your target language.

There is someone in Korea who likes all the stuff you like. They’re living their life, watching content, enjoying their interests—all in Korean.

Your job is to find them and watch what they watch.

Timeline: 15-30 minutes to make the list.

Prerequisite 6: Learn About the Tools

There are 5 tools you need to get fluent.

These aren’t optional. They’re the infrastructure of the system.

Tool 1: Translator

Yes, you need a translator. But you need to use it correctly.

Best translators:

• ChatGPT (for context-aware translations)
• DeepL (for accuracy)
• Papago (for Korean specifically)

When to use it:

• When you’re stuck and need to understand a concept quickly
• When you’re setting up your environment (translating settings, etc.)

When NOT to use it:

• As your first resort when learning new words
• To translate entire sentences you want to say (this creates dependency)

Tool 2: Dictionary

A dictionary is your best friend.

Why?

Because dictionaries give you definitions in your target language, not translations.

When you look up a Korean word in a Korean dictionary, you’re learning how Koreans define that word. You’re building your language model in Korean, not through English.

Best dictionaries:

• Naver Dictionary (Korean)
• Jisho (Japanese)
• Pleco (Chinese)

Tool 3: Pop-Up Dictionary

This is the upgrade.

A pop-up dictionary lets you hover over a word and see the definition without opening a new tab.

Why this matters:

When you’re watching a Korean drama with Korean subtitles, you can hover over a word you don’t know and see the definition instantly. You don’t lose your flow. You don’t break immersion.

Best pop-up dictionaries:

• Migaku (my recommendation—works across platforms, has ChatGPT integration, audio descriptions, screenshot tools, etc.)
• Yomichan (for Japanese)
• Kimchi Reader (for Korean)

Full disclosure: I have an affiliate link with Migaku. But I recommend it because it’s genuinely what I use. It’s the best tool I’ve found.

Tool 4: SRS (Spaced Repetition System)

The SRS is how you bank your knowledge so you don’t forget it.

How it works:

The SRS uses an algorithm to show you flashcards right before you’re about to forget them. This is based on the forgetting curve.

Every time you review a card:

• If you pass it, the interval before you see it again gets longer
• If you fail it, you’ll see it again soon

Best SRS tools:

• Migaku Memory (my recommendation—designed for language learning)
• Anki (the OG—not pretty, but functional and free)

How to use it:

• Add 10-25 new cards per day
• Do your reviews every day (this is non-negotiable)
• Use sentence cards, not isolated words

Timeline: 10-20 minutes per day for reviews.

Tool 5: Browser Extension

A browser extension is how you capture content while you immerse.

What it does:

• Lets you watch content with dual subtitles (Korean + English, then eventually just Korean)
• Lets you create sentence cards from what you’re watching
• Captures audio, screenshots, and definitions
• Tracks words you know vs. words you don’t know

Best browser extensions:

• Migaku (works on desktop and mobile, has AI lookups, note-taking, etc.)
• Language Reactor (popular alternative)
• LingoPie (another option)

Migaku also has a mobile app where you can read books, listen to audiobooks, and track your known words. It’s the full ecosystem.

Tool 6 (Bonus): Time Tracker

This is the most underestimated tool.

Why track your time?

Because you can’t manage what you don’t measure.

When I started immersing, I didn’t track my time. I thought it was overwhelming.

But once I started tracking, everything changed.

I know exactly how much I’ve immersed every single day for the past year. I know what I watched, when I watched it, and how much time I spent.

Why this matters:

• You can’t lie to yourself. “I think I immersed a lot this week” becomes “I immersed 12 hours this week.”
• You can identify patterns. “Why am I struggling?” → “Oh, I only immersed 3 hours last week.”
• You can see progress. “I’ve immersed 500 hours in the past 6 months.”

Best time tracker:

• Toggl Track (free, has browser extension and mobile app, syncs across devices)

How to use it:

• Click “start” when you start immersing
• Click “stop” when you stop
• Tag what you’re doing (active listening, passive listening, SRS, etc.)

It’s that simple.

Timeline: 5 seconds to start/stop. Lifetime of data.

How It All Connects: The 80/20 Ratio

Now that you have the prerequisites, here’s how they work together:

The goal of all learning is to make your input more comprehensible.

• You learn the writing system → so you can read subtitles
• You learn 1,000 words → so you have the “i” in i+1
• You learn basic grammar → so you can recognize patterns
• You learn about the culture → so you understand context
• You learn about the media → so you know what to watch
• You learn about your interests → so you stay engaged
• You learn about the tools → so you can capture and review

All of this serves one purpose: making Korean content comprehensible enough that your brain can acquire the language.

The ratio:

• 80% immersion (watching, reading, listening to native content)
• 20% study (SRS reviews, grammar lookups, vocab learning)

At the steepest, go 60/40. At the most relaxed, go 90/10.

Never invert it.

If you’re spending 80% of your time studying and 20% immersing, you’re doing it wrong.

Learned knowledge serves acquisition. Acquisition is the goal.

The Interest Inventory Exercise (Do This Now)

Before you move forward, you need to complete this exercise.

Step 1: Open a note or document.

Step 2: Answer these questions:

1. What shows have you watched in the past year that you loved?
2. What movies have you watched that you’d rewatch?
3. What YouTube channels do you watch every week?
4. What genres do you gravitate toward? (Comedy, romance, thriller, action, etc.)
5. What subjects are you obsessed with? (Sports, cooking, fashion, gaming, history, etc.)
6. What’s in your Watch Later playlist on YouTube?
7. What’s in your Netflix/streaming history?
8. What books or audiobooks have you read recently?
9. What podcasts do you listen to?
10. What environments or activities do you enjoy? (Gym, coffee shops, hiking, etc.)

Step 3: For each answer, ask yourself:

“Is there content like this in Korean?”

If the answer is yes, add it to your immersion list.

Step 4: Search for that content.

• Go to YouTube and search in Korean (use the translator if needed)
• Go to Netflix and filter by Korean content
• Ask ChatGPT: “What are popular Korean dramas/shows/channels about [your interest]?”

Step 5: Save a list of 10-20 pieces of content you’re excited to watch.

This is your immersion queue.

Why this matters:

There is a version of you that only speaks Korean. That version of you has the same interests you do. They’re watching content, living their life, enjoying their hobbies—all in Korean.

Your job is to find them and consume what they consume.

If you love basketball, find Korean NBA channels.

If you love cooking, find Korean cooking channels.

If you love romance, find Korean romance dramas.

Interest-driven exposure is the key to staying consistent.

If you’re bored, you won’t acquire. If you’re engaged, you’ll acquire faster than you ever thought possible.

“How To Know If You’re Actually Ready (Or Just Procrastinating)

Here’s the honest self-check:

✅ You’re ready if:

• You can read the writing system without Romanization
• You have 500-1,000 baseline words in your SRS
• You’ve completed basic grammar (TTMIK 1-2 or equivalent)
• You have a ‘To Immerse’ list of 10+ shows/channels you want to watch
• Your tools are set up (pop-up dictionary, SRS, time tracker)

❌ You’re procrastinating if:

• You’re on your 5th grammar resource “just to be thorough”
• You keep redesigning your Anki cards instead of reviewing
• You’re waiting to “feel confident” before starting
• You’re learning vocab for topics you don’t care about

The difference: Prerequisites are strategic. Perfection-seeking is fear.

If you have the checkmarks above, you’re ready. Launch on your date and don’t look back.

Your 30-Day Action Plan

Here’s exactly what to do over the next 30 days to complete your prerequisites and be ready to immerse.

Week 1: Writing System + Tools Setup

Day 1-3:

• Watch a 5-minute tutorial on reading Hangul
• Practice reading a Wikipedia page in Korean
• Repeat 3-5 times until you can read without relying on mnemonics
• Download the Korean keyboard on your phone and computer

Day 4-7:

• Sign up for an SRS (Migaku Memory or Anki)
• Sign up for a pop-up dictionary (Migaku browser extension)
• Sign up for a time tracker (Toggl Track)
• Set up your tools and test them

Goal by end of Week 1: You can read Hangul comfortably and your tools are set up.

Week 2: Vocab + Grammar Foundation

Day 8-14:

• Start learning 10-20 new vocab words per day using Migaku Fundamentals or a frequency-based deck
• Do your SRS reviews every day (10-20 minutes)
• Watch 2-3 YouTube videos about basic Korean grammar (Talk To Me In Korean, Korean Unnie, etc.)
• Track your study time with Toggl

Goal by end of Week 2: You’ve learned 70-140 words and understand basic grammar concepts.

Week 3: Culture + Media Research

Day 15-21:

• Continue learning 10-20 new vocab words per day
• Do your SRS reviews every day
• Watch 3-5 YouTube videos about Korean culture
• Research what platforms have Korean content (YouTube, Netflix, Viki, etc.)
• Make a list of 10-20 Korean dramas, movies, or YouTube channels

Goal by end of Week 3: You’ve learned 140-280 words and have a list of content to watch.

Week 4: Interest Inventory + Immersion Prep

Day 22-28:

• Continue learning 10-20 new vocab words per day
• Do your SRS reviews every day
• Complete the Interest Inventory Exercise (see previous section)
• Search for Korean content that matches your interests
• Create your immersion queue (10-20 pieces of content you’re excited to watch)
• Watch 1-2 pieces of content from your queue with Korean subtitles (not English)

Goal by end of Week 4: You’ve learned 280-560 words, completed your interest inventory, and watched your first content with Korean subtitles.

Day 29-30: Launch Prep

• Review your tools setup
• Review your immersion queue
• Set your immersion rules (no English subtitles, no translator as first resort, etc.)
• Commit to your immersion start date

Goal by Day 30: You’re ready to immerse.

What “Ready to Immerse” Actually Means

Here’s what it meant for me on July 1, 2020:

• No English subtitles (unless I was watching with someone else)
• No translations on my flashcards (only Korean definitions)
• No translator for Korean phrases (dictionary lookups only)
• Korean subtitles only (this is how I learned to read in context)

That was my line. That was my immersion.

You don’t have to draw the same line. But you need to draw a line.

What does immersion mean for you?

• Will you allow yourself to look up words while watching?
• Will you pause to add sentence cards?
• Will you watch with dual subtitles (Korean + English) at first?

There’s no wrong answer. But you need to decide.

My recommendation:

Start with Korean subtitles only. Allow yourself to look up words with your pop-up dictionary. Don’t pause to make cards—just watch and absorb.

After 50-100 hours, you can tighten the rules if you want.

Now Let’s Get F*cking Immersed!

If you’ve made it this far, you’re not like most learners.

Most learners will read this and do nothing. They’ll say “this is too much” or “I’ll start next week.”

You’re different.

You know that these prerequisites aren’t procrastination. They’re preparation.

You know that 30 days of focused preparation is better than 6 months of aimless “studying.”

You know that if you complete these prerequisites, you’ll be ready to immerse—and immersion is where fluency happens.

Here’s what you need to do next:

1. Complete Week 1 of the action plan this week.
2. Track your time with Toggl so you can’t lie to yourself.
3. Join a community of learners (my Discord, the Refold community, the Migaku community—anywhere you can find accountability).
4. Commit to your immersion start date.

Remember:

• Learned knowledge serves acquisition
• Comprehensible input + Interest-driven exposure = Acquisition
• The goal of all learning is to make your input more comprehensible
• 80% immersion, 20% study
• You already have everything you need

There is a version of you that speaks fluent Korean. That version of you is watching Korean content right now, laughing at Korean memes, texting in Korean, thinking in Korean.

Your job is to become that person.

And it starts with these prerequisites.

Thank you for reading.

How I can help you when you’re ready:

• Last month I wrote about building your immersion system without destroying your life. Read it here if you’re stuck on how to fit this into your actual schedule.
• I’m finishing up a piece on “Fluency” right now. It’s a framework for understanding where you are on the fluency ladder instead of guessing or comparing yourself to YouTube polyglots. Drops soon.
• For the tools I mentioned, here’s my Migaku affiliate link: migaku.com/adeimmersed. My Do-It-All Swiss Army Knife. Appreciate the support if you use it.
• If you’re learning Korean and want my immersion playlist, reply or DM me.
• The newsletter’s on Spotify and Apple Podcasts now if you want to listen instead of read.

As always, thanks for reading. 

Happy immersing!

— Ademola