How to remember words, that won't stick
Does anyone have a problem remembering simple word?. Like today I was talking to this lady I worked with who only speaks spanish, and I was doing ok, but I would forget simple words like I couldn't remember how to say anything, and I couldn't remember how to say bad, or tired. I've also looked those words up a 100 times but for some reason some words just don't stick as well as others. Does anyone have any tips for this?
6 Answers
The best way I have found to remember words is to find them in context. Straight brute memorization is tough, and can be very frustrating because it can seem like the words leave you as quickly as you can read them. Don't worry, chances are they are still there, and their meaning will come to you the next time you run across them. You may not be able to produce them right away, but your be surprised how easy they may come after a few exposures to them.
Also, music can be a big aid to some people in memorizing vocabulary. There have been some studies that relate learning a language to learning anything musical. Everyone has those days where they cannot seem to get a silly song out of their heads. There are also times when we are amazed when we remember the lyrics to songs we haven't heard in ages. By listening to music in spanish, while at the same time reading the lyrics, can help stick some words into our stubborn noggins. Pick slower, basic songs that are easy to follow along with. Music has a powerful way of sticking with us.
As far as those words which you have read/written a thousand times and can still not recall during conversations, don't sweat it. Keep trying to use them as much as possible and they will eventually become part of your instant vocabulary. Everybody has those words that enjoy playing hide-and-seek with our minds.
Best of luck!
I know this is going to sound crazy, but talk to yourself. Have conversations in the shower, in the car, and particularly in front of the mirror. Ask and answer your own questions with your vocabulary words. ¿Como esta? Estoy mal. Estoy triste. Estoy bien. Estoy cansada. Estoy feliz. Whenever you answer (particularly in front of the mirror), make the faces or act out the adjectives. Putting a visual association with each one may help your memory. Oh, and ham it up if the spirit moves you. The more outlandish each one is, the more likely it is that you will be able to remember it.
I was once told that a study of language skills found that the average person needs 51 exposures to a word before it is fixed in that person's vocabulary. So don't get discouraged just keep talking. I also find that words that get lost like suggested above tend to stick soon after "getting lost" because we subconsciously put more effort in to remembering our mistakes.
Another key thing that helps when communicating in another language is description words. There are many times that I don´t know or forget words, so I have to figure out a roundabout way of saying it.
I didn´t know the word for fence, so I said "the border wall that goes around the yard."
I didn´t know what the word for "eyelashes" was, so I said "the little hairs around your eyes."
In high school we used to play a fun vocab game in which we´d sit with our back to a partner, be given a word, then have to describe it without saying the actual word. Like the tv show "Password" but in Spanish! It was a lot of fun.
Don't beat yourself up about not remembering words. It's normal. I agree with "tenacity" about talking to yourself. Say things over and over again to get the fluency. Practise having simple conversations with yourself. Even if you have to write it down beforehand and read it aloud. Read it as if you are practising for a play. And as JKT says it helps to find the words in context. I am also an early learner and have found that there are some words that just don't stick. I have recently bought simple bilingual stories such as Capercita Roja (Little Red Ridinghood), Las Tres cerditas (The Three Little Pigs), El Gato con Botas (Puss in Boots) etc. I try to read the stories every day over several times to get the fluency. It helps if the books have cds to go with them so you can hear what it is supposed to sound like. Try to join a Spanish meetup group to have simple conversations with people. Don't be intimidated if you have to fumbled around for words to start with. People will help you. The more you expose yourself to the language and get out of your comfort zone, the sooner you will learn. It takes many years to learn a language. Just think how long it took you to learn your mother tongue. I am sure we can all improve on our ability to speak our own language. ¡Buenas suerte!
During the first 3 months of studying Spanish, I had the same problem. However, two month later, I am much better. I think there is a cumulative effect, after a while, you just wont forget those frequently used words anymore. They may not be simple words, but they are most frequently used words.
I do not use flash cards to memorize words, I just read novels. However, for many people flashcard works. Here is one called anki. There are existing Spanish card decks already.
