SPANISH VOCABULARY, LEARN IT WITHOUT ABSURD LISTS

Why is it so difficult to remember new spanish vocabulary and how to fix it?

If spanish vocabulary is a handicap for you, stay with me here, on my blog, because I’m going to tell you how you can solve it once and for all.

According to scientific studies, there exists a natural phenomenon related to the intensity of memory: the forgetting curve. It is a curve that illustrates how information disappears from your brain over time. In fact, the more intense a memory is, the longer it stays.

Later, I will tell you more about the forgetting curve.

Students often feel frustrated because they can’t remember the spanish vocabulary that they studied last week. Let me explain to you where this feeling of frustration comes from and the best way to deal with it.

The speed with which we forget the spanish vocabulary depends on these factors:

• the difficulty of the language: it is not the same if an Italian studies Spanish than if a Japanese does. It is obvious that while for a Japanese student most of the Spanish vocabulary do not make any sense, for the Italian a lot of them do.
• the representation of the word: for this, the mnemonic rules are very effective, either using colors, illustrating the spanish vocabulary with a photograph or associating it with an already known word.
• stress and sleep: they can contribute to a short durability of newly learned spanish vocabulary. That is why it is very important to take the study of a foreign language seriously. Avoid studying when you are stressed out or if you haven´t slept well. This will not to only save you money invested, but also a lot of time.

Why do we get frustrated?

The frustration that I was talking about before is explained by the basal forgetting rate, which is practically the same for all people, only that some students have an easier time remembering rules or vocabulary due to their former school performance. This last factor is personal and subjective, which is why teachers usually refer to the idea that some students learn more quickly than others.

The solution is called spaced repetition

To smooth out this curve there are several methods, but I will present to you one very effective, free and easy to use: It is called Anki, a software for memorizing spanish vocabulary using flashcards.

Anki, an app to help you study vocabulary

You can install this software on your mobile phone, either iOS or Android, and use the spaced repetition technique, about which I will tell you three things later.

You can generate as many cards as new words you want to learn; you can even accompany them with a representative illustration of the word and a sound file to listen to the pronunciation. These cards will repeatedly appear over time with different frequencies depending on how you value them, «good», «easy» or «very easy».

While Anki is widely used for language learning, it has also been shown to be effective in other subjects such as geography or remembering complex scientific concepts.

As I mentioned before, Anki is based on spaced repetition: a set of learning techniques that consists of actively studying in increasing intervals. This approach makes you easily become familiar with the new words and helps your brain to efficiently store them in your memory.

To achieve this, periodic repetitions are carried out and, while the memorizing process in your brain takes place, the interval of the repetitions become longer and longer. For example, when a foreign word is learned most people need to repeat it within ten days to guarantee 95% retention.

From here on, you can set the intervals in the app.

The role of apps in language learning

You can learn new words with Anki, Duolingo, Babbel and many other applications, but in no case will they teach you to speak Spanish. To do this, unquestionably, you need the help of a teacher.

My friend speaks Spanish, what if we do a tandem?

A Spanish teacher is a professional who knows grammar, how to apply it correctly and has the ability to design didactic units, with appropriate Spanish vocabualary included, that favor your learning based on your interests, your performance and your schedules.

To be honest, many of my Spanish friends do not know grammar and, therefore, are not trained to answer some of the most common questions regarding Spanish. I once did a test and asked three of my friends what the difference was between “muy” and “mucho”, and when to use them. They all made up an answer.

One to one classes

I have more than 8 years of experience as a Spanish teacher in groups of more than ten students and I have found that group classes are great for meeting new people, sharing interests and having fun, but not for learning Spanish effectively.

I have seen how the students repeated the courses over and over again because, after more than a month, they did not achieve the expected level. This translates into paying over and over again to repeat the same level, with the same content, the same method, the same exercises, and the same books.

I have seen how many students did not have the opportunity to intervene in class, because their other classmates had doubts and monopolized the hour and a half of class or they felt insecure when they spoke Spanish in front of other colleagues who spoke a little better.

In contrast, one-to-one classes perfectly adjust to your needs. As a dedicated teacher I always design each class exclusively for my student to guarantee highly-effective learning.

Have you ever thought about taking private Spanish classes? Let´s talk!

Together we agree on the number of classes, the duration and the contents, so I can guide you and make your Spanish learning experience as pleasant and fun as possible.

In conclusion, there are many different methods to learn Spanish, and combining them will help you remember spanish vocablary and learn more efficiently. However, none of the techniques or methods is able to replace a native teacher who will accompany you and help you overcome the different difficulties that may arise on your way.