How to remember Spanish words
One of the biggest frustrations we all face when learning a foreign language is having to learn the same words over and over.
As a Spanish language teacher, here are 4 tips I’ve found will help you stop forgetting the words you’ve come across:
1. Learn new words with audio material rather than from print only
The difference between learning new Spanish words by reading them in your lesson’s glossary and hearing them said by a native speaker is abysmal.
Hearing new words said by a native speaker, preferably with their English translation afterwards, will not only make you familiar with those words substantially faster, but it will also allow you to remember them more easily.
There are dozens of good Spanish courses with audio material on cd, dvd, cd-rom, podcast and videocast that can help you do just that; and most of them are very affordable.
Check out this example of a vocabulary lesson online, on mp3 and videocast.
2. Learn new words in context
Whenever you learn a new Spanish word, make sure you also hear it in context. Remembering lists of words without context is practically impossible for most of us, because the human brain works best by making associations. In my view, dialogs are the most effective tool for learning new vocabulary.
As an example, here’s the dialog where you can hear all the new words listed in the vocabulary lesson above. You can see and hear it in three formats: online, as an mp3 and a videocast.
3. Find similarities between words
If you can find a similarity between a Spanish word you’ve just come across and another Spanish word you already know or, better still, an English word, you won’t forget it easily.
For instance, when you first see the word encantado (pleased to meet you) you can associate it to enchanted (which it’s related to), or el vino (the wine) to the vineyard.
Other associations are less strong, but they can still help you a long way. Here are some Spanish and English words with the same origin:
la noche (the night) – nocturnal
tener (to have) – tenure
mandar (to send, to order) – mandate
el ordenador (the computer) – order
lo siento (I’m sorry) – sentiment
la vaca (the cow, the beef) – vaccine
I find this way of learning new words so effective that I’ve included word associations throughout my Spanish course, and continue adding new ones to the lessons whenever I find them.
4. Review your vocabulary with audio material regularly
The secret of success, when it comes to mastering Spanish, is to review your material regularly. Listen to your dialogs and vocabulary lessons as frequently as you can. Repeat them out loud, along with the recordings, with and without the printed text in front of you. In other words, make reviewing part of your study routine.
Reviewing always pays off. The more often you review what you’ve learn, the more solid your knowledge will be, and the faster you’ll be able to learn and remember new words.
Hola! I'm Maria Fernandez, an experienced native Spanish teacher, author of the Spanish courses at Spanish Bookworld & the popular Spanish Podcasts for Beginners on iTunes.
