Vocab is often separated under different topics so it is easy to work through and you’re able to associate the different words together. There are many ways of learning vocab depending on your preferred method but the key is repetition. This can be done through the use of flash cards or simply writing them repeatedly. I find that using them in sentences helps a lot. This reinforces their meaning and their use. The key is not to overload your mind with so many new words within a short period of time. As your vocab grows, you will need to revisit the older words from time to time. Obviously the words that you use the most often are being practiced there and then.
It can be quite daunting know where to start, having to learn a new word for everything. There are the obvious sections such as family, home, food etc. After that it is really up to you where you want to go. This is one of the great things about learning languages on your own. You can choose what to learn according to your interests. By learning according to your interests, it gives you motivation to remember the words and won’t be as tiresome. You will always be picking up new words in whatever you do within that language. The important thing is to look up a word that you don’t understand when you come across it. That way, you can build up words that you wouldn’t think to learn or slang/ common phrases.
One of the things that put people off from starting a new language is the tiresome task of learning of grammar. It is one of the most demotivating things that has to be done and that is never ending (in its practice). When starting your grammar, it’s pretty essential to start early. With so much to cover, there has to be a plan of what to learn otherwise you’d just be lost and give up. Another important thing that doesn’t occur to a lot of people is to learn the meaning of each tense and how it’s used. Through this, you’ll have made a start and it won’t seem so alien to you. Obviously we first learn the present tense and then the past and future. We’re clear on what they mean and how they’re used…or we should be. After that, there isn’t a strict list to follow.
A crucial thing to note is that you’re learning as new language and so its grammar rules and other various rules do NOT have to fit into what you know within your native language. By trying to learn a new language within the parameters of what you’ve learnt for your own language will hinder your progress. Obviously when you’re learning a language that’s close to your own (for me – English), such as French, Spanish etc, then it’s possible to follow along and learn grammar according to what you know.
Anyway that’s enough for now I think.. Good luck!
Till we next meet,
Anon Online.
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