Memory going bad
Not sure what category this belongs in but I have finished the first chapter Spanish 1 but I am having a hard time remembering a lot of the things I have learned. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to keep more things inside my head. I am 45 and I don't know if this is age setting in because I always thought of myself more brighter than what I feel right now. Any "games" or practice skills I could do to retain more?
5 Answers
I assume by chapter 1 you are speaking about the lessons we have on this site. I suggest that you do them over again, at least 2 or 3 more times for everything to sink in properly. It takes time to start learning, so don't be discouraged if you find that you're not learning as fast as you'd like to be.
It took you about 2 years to form great sentences in English and you were very, very young then! ;o) So give yourself at least that long.
They say that you have to have things repeated at least 50 times to keep it in memory. I've been over the lessons many, many times. I also say things out loud to practice, not just say it in your head. Practice what you learn with somenone. It is a little harder to retain the later you wait to learn, but it is also that that you can learn faster.
Great advice so far. The only thing I would add is to integrate the vocabulary you are working on into your daily life. Flashcards are helpful, but I find that I pick up words and word usage much faster if I encounter it in a conversation, hear it in a song/podcast/etc. on a regular basis, refer to an item or room around the house in spanish as I am going about my daily routine, and so on.
I can empathize, by the way. I would like to soak this stuff up much faster than I currently am. My brain will only do so much, however, so I just do the best I can.
One great trick to remembering things is to use Flashcards for vocabulary, prepositions, etc.
Make a set of 25 and look at them right before bed and right when you wake up. Switch out with the next 25 when you feel comfortable with those words and/or sentences.
As for listening comprehension, I'd suggest an online Spanish radio station. Even the commercials, as obnoxious as they are, will help you with sentence structure.
With regard to speaking, I can only recommend a native speaker as a Skype tutor...they are the best.
I'm 47 and started Spanish about 3-4 years ago and I was pretty advanced before I moved to Guatemala last fall. I went through periods where I studied a lot and periods where I was just tired of looking at books. Go with your own flow and it'll come!
I agree with Maldito23 - great advice so far - I add from a different perspective. Stress has a way of draining desires or attention spans, and even focus. Perhaps see if you are under a large stress load and where you can relieve it some.
BradyLaduba and Katydew are right on about the repetition; if you find that you are not retaining, maybe give yourself a break and do something else.
Take it easy. Take your time. Follow Mariana's outline. Make it fun, too. Also find out if you're a visual learner, audio learner, or kinesthetic. KiwiGirl posted a good answer to the question (type this in the search box): Should I Quit SpanishDict ???. Hers is the 8th answer down, click on the link she has provided.
Hope this helps you out.
