Tips for remembering vocabulary

[pogo]

has anyone got any tips for trying to remember new words.

i tend to try and get a list of words (maybe 10 or so) and then every so often throughout the day try and rewrite the list from memory. It works quite well but you have to be fairly motivated to do it.
Flashcards are also pretty good but i'm too lazy to carry real ones around so i use the virtual ones on studyspanish.com

what does everyone else do ??

[Tomisimo]

There's a really good book on Memory techniques concerning foreign language vocabulary. I can't recall what it's called, but one of the authors names is Harry Lorraine. I'll look it up.

[v9]

I try to make a picture in my mind to remember the vocabulary.

[Chorbdaddy]

I like to record an audo file on my computer and play it a couple times a day on my ipod.

[Tomisimo]

I like to record an audo file on my computer and play it a couple times a day on my ipod.
Good idea, you could probably find some podcasts of news in Spanish to listen too as well.

[Zach]

iTunes has a list of nice Spanish learning podcasts, free too.

[vivianne]

Hello everyone,

Nice thread, thanks for the tips.

[Ramses]

Ever heard of the sentence method (http://www.alljapaneseallthetime.com/blog/10000-sentences-why - doesn't matter it's Japanese, learning a language is learning a language)? I came to the conclusion that learning loose words is just a waste of time. In high school I had to memorize hundreds of words (all out of context) for French and German. I can only understand German because it's relatively close to my native tongue (Dutch). None of the words stick.

Learning out of context (especially vocabulary) will give a too big work-load. Some months ago I read a paper about the memory load an average language learner has. It said that a learner either concentrates on vocabulary (while making loads of grammatical error) or on grammar (while not knowing a lot of words). Simply concentrating on everything in the beginning will generate a too big memory-load. But the funny thing is that it shouldn't be like that.

I've been studying Spanish for about a year now, and I never encountered such thing as 'memory-overload'. Why? Because I use a Spaced Repetition System. I use flash cards. Spanish sentence on the question side, Dutch translation on the answer side. That's the way I test myself. This way I've become so good at Spanish that I now can handle Spanish - Spanish sentences. So; a Spanish sentence on the question side, and an explanation of difficult words in that sentence.... in Spanish. I just look up the definition in the RAE dictionary or write an explanation myself.

I have a pretty big vocabulary and a good understanding of grammar, and I never had to work for it so far. Just sentences with my SRS and massive input like music, books, audiobooks, etc. This proves that the sentence method works two ways: learning vocabulary AND grammar (maybe you can't explain the grammar, but you know how it works and that it's correct).

Just my two cents.

[Jane]

:twocents:
Over the years, I´ve learnt that in language learning, what works for one person doesn´t neccesarily work for another, so, I always say that every individual should identify how best he or she learns and work with it. Of course, there is always room for discovering better methods and improvement.
Grammar for some people is not the first step towards learning a language, but I´ve come across people who from the beginner´s course never stop asking question about the grammatical structure of every simple sentence. And according to them, it doesn´t make sense to them if they can´t identify and understand the structure.

[Ramses]

Yeah, but I strongly believe that there's a general path someone can (or should) walk in order to become fluent. When you speak English, do you think about grammar all the time? Maybe once in a while, with complex sentences, but not in general. Learning a language is all about growing an intuition. People who say they *need* to understand *each and every* piece of grammar before they can be fluent are talking BS. You can't be fluent when you think about stuff like grammar all the time. Natives just rule regarding their native tongue because they don't think about the correctness of their language.

They grammar-loving people you've come across: are they near-native fluent? I guess not, because that impossible. Sure, you can be a grammar lover, but please only be one when you're already fluent at the language in question (concentrate on the hows first, the whys will come later).

[poli]

Yeah, but I strongly believe that there's a general path someone can (or should) walk in order to become fluent. When you speak English, do you think about grammar all the time? Maybe once in a while, with complex sentences, but not in general. Learning a language is all about growing an intuition. People who say they *need* to understand *each and every* piece of grammar before they can be fluent are talking BS. You can't be fluent when you think about stuff like grammar all the time. Natives just rule regarding their native tongue because they don't think about the correctness of their language.

They grammar-loving people you've come across: are they near-native fluent? I guess not, because that impossible. Sure, you can be a grammar lover, but please only be one when you're already fluent at the language in question (concentrate on the hows first, the whys will come later).

Recuerdo cuando aprendí manejar una bicicleta. Al principio tuve que
recordar como aplica los frenos, como mantener veloclidad, como balancear, como diirgir. Ahora, ni tengo que pensar nada cuando uso una bicicleta. Iqualmente recuerdo cuando tenia que concentrar comunicar en el español. Not tiene que saber todos los detailles fastidiosos gramátcas pero el conocimiento de la gramática basica me ayudaba y todavía me ayuda o sea menos.

[Ramses]

Vale, saber la base de la gramática está bien, pero no es fundamental para poder hablar una lengua. Mira: ¡LA BASE! Mucha gente estudia la gramática profundamente, pero no puede hablar bien. ¿Por qué? Porque concentra demasiado en la gramática.

En mi clase de Español la mayoría prefiere estudiar gramática para aprender Español, pero no puede hablar bien. Yo no concentro en la gramática y puedo hablar bastante bien.

[Jane]

Yeah, but I strongly believe that there's a general path someone can (or should) walk in order to become fluent. When you speak English, do you think about grammar all the time? Maybe once in a while, with complex sentences, but not in general. Learning a language is all about growing an intuition. People who say they *need* to understand *each and every* piece of grammar before they can be fluent are talking BS. You can't be fluent when you think about stuff like grammar all the time. Natives just rule regarding their native tongue because they don't think about the correctness of their language.

They grammar-loving people you've come across: are they near-native fluent? I guess not, because that impossible. Sure, you can be a grammar lover, but please only be one when you're already fluent at the language in question (concentrate on the hows first, the whys will come later).
Note that I said; Over the years, I´ve learnt that in language learning, what works for one person doesn´t neccesarily work for another, so, I always say that every individual should identify how best he or she learns and work with it. Of course, there is always room for discovering better methods and improvement
Everyone must not learn the way you do..., at least from my experiences as a language teacher.
And, to answer your question,They grammar-loving people you've come across: are they near-native fluent? I guess not, because that impossible.
Yes, some of them are quite good, infact, very good! Nothing is impossible.:)

[María José]

:twocents:
Over the years, I´ve learnt that in language learning, what works for one person doesn´t neccesarily work for another, so, I always say that every individual should identify how best he or she learns and work with it. Of course, there is always room for discovering better methods and improvement.
Grammar for some people is not the first step towards learning a language, but I´ve come across people who from the beginner´s course never stop asking question about the grammatical structure of every simple sentence. And according to them, it doesn´t make sense to them if they can´t identify and understand the structure.
I do agree with you here. We all try at times to impose our own methods, but I've always said there is no perfect teacher and that it's good for students to have different teachers to get different approaches.
I often tell my students they have to learn to love English their own way, through the things they like, whether those are songs or racing car magazines I don't care. Anything will do.

[Tomisimo]

I do agree with you here. We all try at times to impose our own methods, but I've always said there is no perfect teacher and that it's good for students to have different teachers to get different approaches.
I often tell my students they have to learn to love English their own way, through the things they like, whether those are songs or racing car magazines I don't care. Anything will do.
Very true. I think learning depends a lot more on the student than on the teacher.

[María José]

Very true. I think learning depends a lot more on the student than on the teacher.
I think both have a certain responsibility.
The teacher has to guide the students and be there for them, and also should make the subject sound fun, practical and interesting.He should awaken their curiosity.He should let them create and cooperate.If a student gets bored he's not going to learn.
Of course sometimes you do your best and still fail. We are not miracle workers...
I guess it's easier for me because my students are mostly adults.
Then again, a keen student will learn even from the most atrocious of teachers.:)

[poli]

I've always thought that a good teacher works as a catalyst who motivates students to learn, but ultimately it is up to the student to learn, and as María José said if the student is truly motivated they will learn
even if the teacher doesn't do a good job. It sure helps to have a good teacher, though.

[eulandria]

I think I'll try the sentence technique. Trying to remember a list of vocabulary is very boring and maybe counter-productive for me. I've been listening to reggaeton, salsa, bachata, and latin hip-hop for over a year now. I've also found that reading parallel text books (English on one page and Spanish on the opposite page) can be very helpful.

Thanks for the tip Ramses!

[María José]

I think I'll try the sentence technique. Trying to remember a list of vocabulary is very boring and maybe counter-productive for me. I've been listening to reggaeton, salsa, bachata, and latin hip-hop for over a year now. I've also found that reading parallel text books (English on one page and Spanish on the opposite page) can be very helpful.

Thanks for the tip Ramses!
Good for you! Everything helps, but the best thing (they say) is to find yourself a Mexican, Colombian.... Spanish boyfriend...Just kidding!;) But not completely, even if you don't speak very fluently (you say you are a beginner), jump head on and use your Spanish whenever you can.
Si quieres yo te escribo en español.:) No es lo mismo que hablar con Antonio Banderas, pero ayuda.

[Anna]

Flash cards* work really well and for more difficult words or words that I just cant get into my head...I write the word on several pieces of paper and stick them all over the house (on the fridge, on the front door, inside my wardrobe door, on mirrors etc) so that Im constantly reminded and eventually learn the word! ;-)

FLASH CARDS = on a small piece of card write the Spanish word on one side and your language on the other. Hold all the cards in your hand, Spanish side face up. Look at each Spanish word in turn and try to say it in your language. Check the other side of the card to see if your are correct. If yes, place the card to one side (because you know it now) and if no, place the card to the bottom of the rest of the cards in your hand (so that you will have another chance to guess it). Keep doing this until all the cards are to one side. NEXT!....the harder way....repeat the exercise with YOUR language face up and try to guess the Spanish word. Once all the cards are to one side - you know the words very well!!! ;-)
(This is a very powerful method for learning anything!)

Anna