To learn a language, you need lots of exposure. One of the easiest ways to get it? Reading. And if the difficulty is right, it can actually be fun and engaging!

That’s the idea behind extensive reading. The concept is simple and promising: read stories that are simplified to your level (ideally around 98% comprehension), and absorb the language naturally. And yes — it’s backed by extensive (khem, yeah) research.

But if you’ve tried using reading to learn a language, you’ve probably run into a frustrating problem:

You can see the words on the page, but you don’t know how to say them properly.

And if you're learning a language like French or Portuguese, chances are... you’ll say them wrong 😱. I'm a native Polish speaker, and learning Spanish pronunciation was pretty straightforward for me. But Portuguese? Much trickier. Add in the differences between Brazilian Portuguese and European Portuguese, and it gets even more confusing.

Audiobooks could help — in theory. But first, audio versions of graded readers are actually very hard to find. And second, they introduce their own set of problems.

Your listening skills might not be strong yet, especially in the beginning. It’s all too easy to zone out and lose the thread. The result? Confusion, frustration, and a lack of progress.

Let’s break this down.

The Missing Piece: Pronunciation

Graded readers are supposed to make reading in a foreign language easier. But most of them — especially print or basic e-book versions — don’t help you with how the language actually sounds.

You see a word like “conseils” in French, or “llévate” in Spanish. You might know what it means from context or a dictionary — but how do you pronounce it?

Are the stress patterns obvious? Is that “ll” a /ʝ/, /ʃ/, or /ʒ/?
Do you sound confident when you say it aloud — or do you just skip it altogether?

When you read without hearing the language, you start to build silent, incorrect versions of words in your head. That’s a big problem. Because:

• It reinforces bad pronunciation habits
• It makes listening harder — you can’t recognize words you’ve only “read”
• It increases anxiety around speaking

Reading becomes disconnected from the real, spoken language — and the longer that disconnection continues, the harder it is to fix.

Audiobooks Aren’t the Fix Either

So what do most people try next?

They grab the audiobook version of the same story and try to listen along. In theory, it’s a great idea — after all, immersion works, right?

First problem: graded readers with audio versions are rare.

Second: most learners don’t yet have the attention span, listening skills, or vocabulary base to make passive listening work. Instead:

• They zone out after a few minutes
• They miss words, but can’t pause to check
• They lose their place in the story
• They get frustrated or bored

It becomes background noise — not a learning experience.

Research backs this up. Reading is more effective than listening alone because readers can reread passages and go at their own pace. Pure listening enforces a fixed speed that might be too fast for beginners to follow. That’s why reading tends to be more active — and more effective.

The Sweet Spot: Reading + Listening Together

The best way to read in a new language isn’t just to read — and it’s not just to listen.

It’s to do both at the same time.

When you read and listen together:

• You reinforce the correct pronunciation of each word as you see it
• You build stronger links between sound, spelling, and meaning
• You stay more focused — your brain is engaged on two levels
• You absorb vocabulary more deeply
• You naturally pick up rhythm and intonation

It’s immersive, but structured. Active, not passive.

📚 Backed by Research

This isn’t just common sense — it’s backed by studies.

In one study cited in Extensive Reading and Comprehensible Input in Adult SLA, researchers Chang & Millett (2015) compared three groups of learners: one read graded readers silently, one listened to audiobooks only, and one group did both simultaneously.

The read-and-listen group had significantly better vocabulary retention and comprehension than the others.

“Combining listening with reading helped learners to better notice the forms and meanings of words, which in turn enhanced their retention and understanding.”
— Chang & Millett, 2015

The takeaway: Dual input works better. Especially for adult learners who want to make the most of their reading time.

Using a platform like storylearner can help you overcome this issue

This is exactly the gap I wanted to solve. When I envisioned storylearner — a platform for learning through extensive reading — I knew it had to include great support for learning pronunciation.

With storylearner, you don’t have to choose between silent reading and passive listening. You get stories adapted to your level, with natural-sounding narration for each sentence — and each word is highlighted as it’s spoken.

Try It for Free

Every book on storylearner lets you read and listen to the first chapters for free. If you enjoy it, you can unlock the full book with a one-time payment. No subscriptions, no pressure.

We currently offer content in:

• Spanish
• Polish
• French
• Portuguese (Brazil)
• Portuguese (Portugal)

👉 Explore the catalog now