Increasing Vocab - suggestions.

Question

I am trying to increase my vocabulary. (Spanish)

I now have Spanish TV and I there are hundreds or web-sites with flashcards and similar. My question is what is the optimum number to try and learn. I have been blasting myself with all sorts of words today in the hope that some will stick.

But, is actually really learning say 5 words a day a better way ? Problem is, I can't really learn a word, unless it is easy, in one day - it seems to take me a good few revision sessions. So progress is slow and frustrating.

Any tips on the best way to increase vocabulary - and I don't live in a spanish speaking country.

Answer 1

Have you seen our flashcards? They are very attractive with pictures etc, sentences in use....have a look and tell us what you think.

Answer 2

The flashcards on here are great - by far the best on the internet and better than the course I paid for.

Someone must have done a study on the most efficient way of learning new words. Is it cover as many as you can and see what sticks, or dedicate yourself to learning 3 a day ?

any ideas '

Answer 3

Roger,

Since you asked, here's my .02.

What you described is the way we learn anything....we get it...for a few moments then forget...get it for a few moments...then forget--UNLESS some emotional event is connected with the learning.

Which is not usually the case with learning a new language.

But not to be discouraged. Consider that all of us are born into total immersion language learning, we hear hundreds of words a day from birth, and it still takes most children years before they can formulate much more than simple sentences.

Not everyone would agree that we adults can learn a new language faster than young children because we already know how to talk in at least one language. But I am sure that given the right approach for the individual, this is the case for most of us.

And the right approach probably differs somewhat for each of us.

For me, the hardest part of learning Spanish is tearing apart the language to see how it functions, because word order, sentence construction, grammar, etc., differ enough from English that the language construction still too often throws me, even when I know the words in the sentence.

Compared with getting this feel for how the Spanish language functions, vocabulary seems easy.

But that's me. I've been trying to learn Spanish quite seriously since last August, and I'm impatient. But I hear impatience is par for the course for us adults.

For myself, I am with you, that blasting the brain with a couple hundred or more words a day, a few times over each, if one can find the time, is the way to go. Some can be new words some not, to keep oneself from being discouraged. I'm with Heidita, and you, too, that the Spanishdict flashcards are a fun way to get into vocabulary. And they are there the next day to go over again (and over again and again), the next day, too, and the next and the next and the next...for however long it takes. And here you can make your own flashcards, as well, if you want.

And this next may not be right for everyone, but personally, I went through all Paralee's lessons in a few days. This is not to say I learned each one hook, line and sinker, but each cleared up a lot of stuff for me, and I did get the initial exposure I wanted. I only wish she'd already completed through Spanish 4!

Spanish TV sounds like a great idea. Because the next hardest thing, at least for me, is understanding native speakers. The sounds of the Spanish alphabet are quite different from the sounds in English.

Do you get closed captioning for the deaf? (I don't, and eventually we may buy a newer TV just for that.)

¡Bienvenida! a spanishdict

Answer 4

At a certain point in my studies I realized that my progress was becoming slower and slower, especially regarding vocabulary. When I didn't get the same word or expression repeated, it disappeared from memory. And that obviously happened when the new words I came over were not in the "basic" vocabulary.

So I started using flashcards, but! - and this is important - I used a flash card program that automatically kept track of how well I remembered each individual word. And by the way, this is also a good idea for this site to implement.

Now I have more than 5000 words in the flash card program, and every day I have to repeat the words the program deem correct to repeat for that day. It's a somewhat challenging task, since I always get words that I've almost forgotten. The program keeps track of my progress because I grade how well I did after each word.

Try a Google-search for something along the lines of "spaced repetition flash card", and you'll see a few implementations of such programs. I'll advise you to be careful in the beginning, though, you'll quickly have more than enough cards to remember.

Good luck

Answer 5

Spaced repetition is obviously a more scientific way of keeping your vocab up -once you have got one ! I signed up for the 200 words a day course, which is I guess somewhat like that - but i just don't really like the program.

Answer 6

Since there are an infinite number of words, many of which are not in freequent usage, It is more germain to my learning of spanish to read. I read novles mostly, translations or spanish authors such as Rudolpho Anaya or Isabel Alliende. I use the dictionary to look up all words that I don"t know. I never keep a word list. The next time I see a word, if I don't know it, I look it up again. The advantage is that I don't wast time on words that are rarely used and spanish grammer becomes intuitive. In addition, for me at least, this method is painless.

Answer 7

For me its coming up with a mental hook. For example Carretera, imagine a road all covered in carrots. Seems bizarre but it works. Another I could never remember was "siempre". I would look at this word and "always" got it wrong - ha! there's the hook... Buenos suerte.

Answer 8

Well I cant say how many to do. It depends on you. If you want to try 5 words at a time, maybe you should practice them for 3-5 days and put them into sentences. That may help.

Answer 9

All of us learned our native tongue by listening first.
With that in mind, I have found it sooooo helpful to listen to as much Spanish as possible. I am much like a baby/toddler just learning my "new" language.

Listening to Spanish music, cartoon, movies, news clips has fast forwarded my learning.

Notice that when learning a new language that all the words sound like they run together, akin to sounding like gibberish. If you are persistent and just keep listening (Movies in Spanish with English subtitles), short Spanish news clips, cartoons, etc., your brain will quickly adapt and remap and soon you will truly hear the separation between words. It's weird and wonderful!

I highly recommend the adorable Pocoyo cartoons that can be viewed on YouTube. Type in "Spanish Pocoyo" and the cartoons (hundreds of them) will pop up. Pocoyo, more than almost anything else (other than Paralee's fabulous instruction, of course) have been critical to my learning. The cartoons are geared for children, of course, but they are incredibly clever and humorous and they totally capture your attention. I add new vocabulary each and every time I watch a Pocoyo.
By the way, Pato, the duck is my favorite character

Answer 10

I did look up Pocoyo on YouTube, and I love it! Of course my kids want to watch the English versions instead. Thank you for the tip. You are right, when I listen right now, it all sounds gibberish, since I am just starting. But now I have a resource for Spanish movies.

Answer 11

The nice thing about watching Spanish Pocoyo cartoons is that they are so sweet and funny that it makes it easy for your brain and ears to hear and record the Spanish vocabulary.

Any time emotion is involved, and certainly hearty laughter is part of Pocoyo, then you will remember! The imbedding process for the language is much easier and painless this way.

I also keep a pen and paper handy. Now that I am at the point where I can "hear" the separation of words while watching Pocoyo, I write them down. Later, I look them up. I may have an idea of what the word means by its use in context, but it is nice to look these words up later and then....watch the cartoon over again.

Answer 12

Lee, I am enjoying Pocoyo, and am starting to hear the different Spanish words. It is exciting when I hear a new word that I hadn't heard before, or a vocab word I just learned. My kids are enjoying it too, and I make them watch in Spanish. Though occasionally they beg for the English versions.

A question for you, what is the bird's name? The English versions say "sleepy bird", but I can't grasp what the Spanish name is. Can you help me?

Muchas gracias!

Answer 13

Hi Tonya!

I think the bigger bird's name is Pajaro with the accent mark over the second a? Of course, in Spanish it means "bird". But, I think the little bird in the cartoon is called Pajarito (again with the accent mark) (don't have Spanish keyboard!)

It does seem like in the beginning when Pocoyo is introducing his friends that he is calling the sleepy bird by a slightly different variation of the name Pajaro. And your hearing is good! because I too have listened to that name over and over and cannot figure it out. So we are hearing the same thing!

Still, throughout the cartoons, you mostly will hear the narrator or Pocoyo saying Pajaro or Pajarito. Now maybe someone else here can help us out and tell us how to say "sleepy bird".

I think I have watched all 100+ Pocoyo cartoons. I hope some new ones are added onto YouTube. These are so much fun to watch.

What do you think of "Pato" the duck? He is SO cute! I love the way he is able to stretch his neck and swing his bill around his head LOL! And he has wonderful "shifty eyes!"

Glad you are enjoying the cartoons! My wish for both of us is that we will eventually learn to speak and understand Spanish!

Hasta Luego,
lee (littleleers)

Answer 14

Has anyone else used "Linkword" language courses? I have just started - 2 weeks ago. It uses the mental hook technique - e.g. el ladron (The thief) imagine a thief running down the street with a ladder on his back! La espalda (The back) imagine someone spilling hot water on your back... worked for me. The website has a taster course and I think it's good, give it a try.

Buena suerte

Alan

Answer 15

Try to write the words many times over. Write the words on a piece of paper and how to say them and revisit them constantly.