What is the best way to remember words that you learn in spanish?

Question

I'm having trouble remembering the pronunciation of some Spanish words. I can’t seem to remember them very well and I was wondering if maybe I could get some tips on the best way to remember some of the sounds and words that I forget.

Answer 1

Like most people, you have to apply the knowledge in order to keep it. So, practice! I have learned most from being around people who speak Spanish. Studying from a book is great, but it can only help so much. It's actually getting out there and using it that helps you to learn, and much quicker. Just don't be afraid to make mistakes. I was surprised at how open and receptive people have been with helping me out.

Oh! And the best advice my Puerto Rican friends gave me is MUSIC! Listen to music. A lot of them did that to learn English. Pick a genre you like (I like reggaeton and bachata), listen to the song first, see what words and phrases you recongize on your own, then find the lyrics and study the song. Do a song a week. It's great because you get to learn pronunciation and the music helps to make the words easy to remember.

Answer 2

¡Flashcards!

Go to the top of this page and choose "Flashcards." You can make your own sets and the pronunciation is right there to help you learn and remember!

• The listen exercise says all the words, and even if you don't get more points, you can repeat them as many times as you want. - Stadt Oct 27, 2010

Answer 3

Welcome to the forum, mizzjaney.

How about making some flashcards? They don't need to be anything fancy or expensive, just pick some words or phrases you think are really important, and gradually build up more and more.

Also, if you can, put labels on things around the house.

My daughter was told that once one has repeated a word 16 times it will be remembered, I don't know how true that is. There are definitely some words that stick in my head better than others, for no apparent reason. Like 'murcielago' for 'bat' - there's only one letter in common and yet I remembered it from the first time I saw it.

Work on the tricky ones and be glad about all those you can remember easily.

Answer 4

I can not remember one word by repeat it alone. I use it with different sentences and only in sentences I can remember it. I advice you when you see a new word that you try to say some sentences using that word. I remember from my childhood when my mum forced me to read multiplication table 10 times every single day. I don't know multiplication table till nowadays.

• I cannot remember one word by simply repeating it on its own :) - FELIZ77 Oct 27, 2010
• Me niether Feliz i have to work it into a sentence,I try to make a joke of it. - ray76 Oct 27, 2010
• Ray, neither. What´s up with Australia. Are you no longer using English, hehe. - Eddy Oct 27, 2010
• Palabra del Dia helps me build vocabulary by helping me to see the word in several sentences, with pictures. - JoyceM Oct 27, 2010

Answer 5

"Use it or lose it". Listen to Spanish recordings, radio etc. Mutter to yourself in Spanish while cooking or doing some other task you are accustomed to.

My wife tells me I dream-talk Spanish which frustrates her because she doesn't know what I'm saying.

Answer 6

Hi,

while as a total novice I may not perhaps be qualified to respond, however, I would like to give some suggestions and share my personal experiences in endavouring to learn correct pronounciations and cadence.

I am an Indian and had learnt French in School. While the Teacher was very far removed from French in the sense that she belonged to Goa (an erstwhile Portugese Colony in India), as an Army cadet, I had also studied French and obtained a diploma which was an equivalent to a two years course from Alliance Francaise, in the early 70s. (I am now 62 years of age).

In a week's time, I have been able to very faithfully emulate, without any difficulty, the correct pronunciation of not only known / seen words and phrases but also lyrics of songs that I used to hear as a kid and cherish (albeit without understanding them).

Get hold of songs that you like and talk to yourself. Repeat while you drive and when you are alone...you'll be truly amazed at how easy it becomes to remember. Many songs of Santana, legendary Spanish song lyrics (such as Valencia, Perfidia, Quizas, Quizas, Quizas) etc. will help you enormously.

Hope that my experiences help you to achieve a level of confidence so that you could interact with Spanish locals and others for whom Spanish is the mother tongue.

It is truly a very beautiful language with a very fine, precise and unambiguous grammatical structure and a divine sweetness in it's cadence and music that reverberates even in the alien ear!

Cheers!

Answer 7

For me, a combination of flashcards and sentences work. Flashcards are great for revising a set of vocabulary and cramming it into my short-term memory, but I find if I don't use it practically, then it goes again after a few days. Currently, I seem to spend most of my day translating everything I think into Spanish, if I don't know how I would say it, I go and look it up.

Answer 8

We asked our teacher last week for her to pronounce the words in our lessons. She did so using vocaroo.com and we have been listening to different lesson vocabulary all week. This has been a big help for our exam over 3 chapters next week. It's easier to memorize the word when we know how it sounds. Then the spelling comes easier and finally really knowing the word.

Answer 9

I hate to say this, but public ridicule has been the most effective way for me so far. . .my wife still asks me to get "gay men with cheese" when she wants "patacones con queso".

• Where do they call them "patacones?" I know them as tostones. - JoyceM Oct 27, 2010
• Ecuador. - lorenzo9 Oct 27, 2010
• En Colombia también... - LuisaGomezBa Oct 27, 2010

Answer 10

There is no "magic" fix. There is no "magic" to learning. You must simply do it!! If you don't practice the words you are learning you will not learn. Practice, practice, practice!!

Answer 11

i would say every spanish word you learn you should put in flashcards and do those a couple times. it is a great way to remember.

Answer 12

For pronunciation, read out loud. It helps if you can read in front of a native speaker so that they can help you. Even if you can't, it will help you sound out words so that you can recognize words and say them faster and more accurately in the future.

Read anything you have, newspapers, magazines, text books, children's books, train schedules, anything.

• Great post Joyce! I believe your method is very effective! - Don_José Oct 27, 2010

Answer 13

I could summarize most of the posts so far by saying, listen, talk, and use the words you want to learn. I find it useful to group words into themes and learn related words together. Part of this technique is also to look at pictures related to the theme and talk or write sentences about the picture using the vocabulary you're studying. Also apply to what's important to you. When my Spanish teacher asks me about my life or preferences related to the relevant vocab, answering those questions (and getting his feedback) helps a lot.

Answer 14

like was said before keep practicing. practice makes perfect. use the vocabulary in everyday life. it will help alot. trust me.

Answer 15

duplicate post