Size of a person's vocabulary

Question

I took an English vocabulary test and learned that the average basic vocabulary (not counting conjugated forms, etc.) ranges from 22K to 35K words for native speakers and from 2K to 9K for non-native speakers.

I'd be interested in learning what the average "non-native" vocabulary size is for Spanish speakers. Right now I feel that vocabulary is my biggest obstacle to understanding Spanish.

Any thoughts? Any estimates?

Thanks.

Answer 1

The English File courses teach about 1000 words a year. So the elementary one is 1000 words, at pre int you should have 2000, int you´re going for 3000 etc. I assume it works the same way in Spanish. I´m reading a graded reader at the moment which is supposed to be like 3000 words or something.Fortunately, as English speakers, we already know thousands of words that English and Spanish have in common. It´s a lot harder for people who´s first language is something like Russian, where there are almost no "freebies"

• Thank you for this. - mtmonadnock Jan 25, 2012
• Actually, once you know the Russian alphabet, there are an awful lot of "freebies," too. Even better, there are almost no "false friend" cognates. - territurtle Jan 25, 2012

Answer 2

I would guess that I am somewhere toward the bottom of that 2K to 9K range.

I have enough vocabulary to have meaningful conversations, but I

1. have to remember what I know during that conversation so I can use it
2. have to be able to understand what is being said back to me

But even if I knew 20K words in Spanish, my biggest obstable is still listening - well, not actually "listening" - I can listen all day long... it's the comprehending that I have trouble with.

9 times out of 10, when they tell me what they said, I knew the words... I just didn't comprehend them.

• Same here. I think listening comprehensino is the biggest problem for all of us. - Jadey7 Jan 25, 2012
• same here too :) - ian-hill Jan 25, 2012

Answer 3

link

• Very interesting link. Thanks Lorenzo! - kdrinning Jan 25, 2012

Answer 4

Football managers claim that 50 words is ample...

• 50 words isn't even enough for a crack dealer. . .;) - lorenzo9 Jan 25, 2012
• Craxck dealing is probably alot more complicated, and less well paid.. - annierats Jan 25, 2012
• True Annie, but we´ll have to find someone who has both dealed crack and managed a professional football team in order to confirm it. - rabbitwho Jan 25, 2012
• *dealt - rabbitwho Jan 25, 2012
• Maybe one can find a peson who has done both? These footballers are probably cracked up to the eyebrows... - annierats Jan 26, 2012

Answer 5

I would think that Spanish would have a lot smaller vocabulary than English for the native speaker. Many vocabulary words can mean multiple things.

I can believe that for the non-native speaker in any language, the vocabulary number would be a great deal lower than for the native speaker. People learning a foreign language learn only enough for their purposes (unless they are a language major or something similar). For the native speaker, their education teaches them words that they would probably never use.

Very good discussion. Interesting!

Answer 6

I think better than finding out the average vocabulary is to know where you "rank", is. to get to the point where you can understand the language at the speed of speech. You will know that you got to "that point" when you don't have to translate in your mind, or scavenge for words to use. The foreign accent is not really that important as soon as the other person can understand what you are saying. You will also know that you got to that point, when you don't get tired of a conversation after a few minutes. That means that you are understanding as you hear and your brain is not going into "overdrive". I experienced several times the weird sensation that I thought people were speaking in Spanish(even on T.V) when they were actually speaking in English. Then I realized that I was totally understanding the conversation without translating in my mind.

• Sigh. I eagerly await that stage in my verbal comprehension! ;)) - territurtle Jan 25, 2012

Answer 7

I wonder how much I know