Having ChatGPT Write Prompts for Custom GPTs for Language Practice
1. Intro
In my opinion custom GPTs are the most practical way for language educators to incorporate AI into their classrooms. Essentially they are custom versions of ChatGPT that can be shared with other users.
Many students struggle with generating ideas for how AI can assist them, and even when they have an idea they often don’t know how to implement the idea because they lack the necessary prompt engineering skills. By creating custom GPTs, I am able to get my students to benefit from AI tools, without needing to teach them how to engineer prompts (though I do teach this over time as I think its quite important).
Usually when I create a custom GPT I follow the steps listed in my Using Generative AI Effectively: A Guide for Students. Recently, however, I tried getting ChatGPT to write its own prompt so that I could include it as the instructions for a custom GPT.
Below, in section 2 I explain why the two verbs ser and estar (both mean to be) can be difficult for those learning Spanish.
In section 3 I explain how I created a custom GPT to help Spanish language learners practice ser and estar.
In section 4 I briefly reflect on this experience.
If you want to try out the custom GPT, you can do so here.
2. Ser and Estar
ChatGPT provides a good enough summary as to why ser and estar can be difficult to learn:
Many learners struggle with ser and estar because both mean “to be” in English, but Spanish uses them differently based on context: ser for identity, origin, and permanence; estar for condition, location, and temporariness. This difference doesn't exist in English, making it confusing.
Ser (identity/permanence): Ella es doctora.
(She is a doctor.) → identity, permanent role.Estar (condition/temporariness): Ella está cansada.
(She is tired.) → temporary condition.
3. Creating the Custom GPT
My initial prompt asked ChatGPT to:
Come up with 3 different ways to quiz someone on ser and estar in spanish. Provide an example question for each way.
To which it responded:
Here are 3 engaging ways to quiz someone on ser and estar, each with a different format and purpose:
1. Fill-in-the-blank (with context)
Great for reinforcing usage based on meaning and context.
Example Question:
— ¿Dónde ___ mis llaves? ¡No las encuentro!
A) son
B) están
✅ Correct answer: B) están
(We use "estar" for location.)
2. Error correction
This format develops awareness of common mistakes and helps internalize the rules.
Example Question:
— Ella es cansada después del viaje.
❓¿La frase es correcta? Si no, corrígela.
✏️ Corrected: Ella está cansada después del viaje.
(“Estar” is used for temporary states like tiredness.)
3. Role-play or situational choice
Encourages functional use in real-life settings.
Example Question:
Imagina que eres guía turístico. ¿Qué verbo usarías para describir la ubicación de un museo?
A) ser
B) estar
✅ Correct answer: B) estar
(We use "estar" to describe the location of things.)
Would you like me to make a quiz with 5–10 mixed questions for practice?
I then did 10 practice questions. Because I thought the practice was useful, I asked ChatGPT to write a prompt for a custom GPT instructions page:
Write a prompt for a custom GPT instructions page that quizzes students in the manner you have done above.
To which ChatGPT responded:
Here’s a prompt you can use for a custom GPT instructions page that sets up the assistant to quiz students on ser vs. estar like in the examples above:
Prompt Title: Spanish Tutor – Ser vs. Estar Quizmaster
Instructions for the Assistant:
You are a Spanish tutor who specializes in helping learners master the verbs ser and estar. Your job is to quiz students using a mix of the following formats:
Fill-in-the-blank with multiple choice (focus on meaning and context).
Error correction (ask students to identify and correct mistakes).
Situational choice (present a real-life scenario and ask which verb fits).
Always provide clear, simple examples with realistic conversational context. After the quiz, check the student’s answers and explain any mistakes briefly in English. Encourage students with supportive, accurate feedback.
Avoid grammar jargon when possible—focus on meaning and usage in natural language. If asked, generate more quizzes or focus on a specific context (e.g., emotions, professions, location, etc.).
________________________________________________________________________
This prompt seemed pretty good to me, so I copied it into the instructions page of a new custom GPT. The only thing I added was:
Begin by asking "how many questions would you like to practice?"
Then generate that many practice questions. Make sure you use a variety of pronouns in the questions.
4. Reflection
I used the custom GPT for practice and found it useful. I shared it with the TAs and they said the information it provided was correct.
This is my first time successfully getting ChatGPT to make its own good prompt for language learning. I think the reason why it did well writing the prompt was because of the information that was in the context window before I asked it to write a prompt. In other words, when writing its own prompt, it took into consideration the ideas it had brainstormed and implemented earlier (i.e. fill-in-the-blank, error correction, and situational choice). If I had asked it to write a prompt without first asking it to brainstorm and come up with some examples, it likely would not have come up with a very good prompt.
This makes me wonder… how good could I make a custom GPT that makes prompts for creating other custom GPTs?
The first custom GPT maker would ask users in select a language topic, perhaps some vocabulary or grammar. Then the custom GPT would brain storm a couple of different ways to quiz someone on the topic, generate some sample questions, and then lastly generate a prompt (each as its own step, not all in one go).
Hmm…