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Hi thanks for the tips I am currently learning Spanish and I got into what lingQ recommended but it translates into English is it possible to choose another language? How do you do that? Thank you
1) Make sure you have a large vocabulary. The words you don't understand may be important. Read more. Read novels, not just short articles. 2) Write. Keep a diary. Use new words and phrases when you write. 3) Learn some handy key phrases to use in conversation. 4) If you are a LingQ member, save a lot of key phrases and then review them in flash cards, with your native language on the front, and the English on the back. 5) Don't worry and keep speaking. You will improve.
@@michaelvaguet3655 that makes absolutely no sense since there are peoples who know over 20 languages. Dont even think about trying to forget your native language lmao this is just ridiculous
Yep. I am a native English speaker and there are words which I never myself, but if I see them written I will understand their meaning. There's also a lot of words in English that I have no idea what they mean, simply because I rarely come across them and have no need to know them.
Michael Short there are studies based on this that I'm a tad too lazy to look up right meow. I think it might be 10,000-20,000 and like 30,000 words passively
@@Crashandburn999 Oh yeah. Especially in a language like english which has a lot of "combined" words (e.g., 'sunbathing' = sun + bathe) that make it easy for a native speaker to infer meaning the first time they see the word.
Hearing you say that forgetting is common is a lot more motivating than hearing about those who supposedly remember everything. I'm getting tired of these 'secrets' which only seems to work for those who share those 'secrets'
@LearningFrenchNow To me fluent just means comfortable, able to converse on a variety of subjects. Advanced means more, an ability to write and speak almost without errors, almost like a native. I am Advanced in French, Japanese, Mandarin, High Intermediate in Spanish , Swedish and German, Intermediate in Italian, Portuguese, Cantonese, Portuguese and Russian. High beginner, in Czech, (but able to read a lot), and high beginner in Korean. But I can improve!
Language learning is not a sport and not a competition. Language learning is personal. We learn for our own goals. The tests are relevant only for those who want or need to be tested. I speak 12 languages, and have only ever been tested in 2 of them.
It is a great measure IMHO. It mostly measures your reading activity, since you only count as "known", words that you have met and not saved for review. The more you read the more you learn. Furthermore, I often save for review many forms of the same root word. Different forms have different functions. For example, act, actually, active, inactive, activity, react, reactive, action, activate etc. are part of the same root word. If you know one, you don't you know them all.
People who have learned many words by listening and reading don't speak like that. They speak well. Students of French in Canada's school system are usually unable to even sound like Tarzan in French after ten years in the system.
I was only ever tested in French and Mandarin, almost 50 years ago. Since then I have learned to use 9 more foreign languages, without tests, and am working on two more. I have no need for tests. Karate and language learning? Most sports do not have levels or belts. People just play them and enjoy, like languages. What do you mean by words I am "supposed to use?" Don't understand test obsession unless you need them for a job or to get into a school.
Thanks Steve for showing that tests are artificial. I agree with you, tests for language level are only useful for work or school placement, such as, what class do we slot you in?
I realize this is 8 years later, but I think it's so funny how your videos keep on being recommended exactly as I need them! I am using LinQ to supplement my Chinese and this is helpful advice that I don't have to get so hung up on a word. Learn it and move on. If you see this, thanks a million!
For my German exam I had to learn 300 words a week. A technique I used was to associate the word with an image, not the translation into English. For example: I would attach an image of a bed with the word 'bett' and know bett as what it looks like, not the English word 'bed'
I'd like to add on that and say when you don't know a word your studying for go on google.(the nation goes here) i.e. google.de (for germany) select the image tab then type in the word to get an image for it. It's helped my recall immensely.
When I first started using LingQ I was really strict about which words I'd click as "known." After a while I started using Steve's more lenient method of clicking words that I recognize in a certain context. I find that this actually helps me to learn the words because when I see that I "know" it in LingQ it gives me a little boost of reassurance that the word actually is what I think it is.
@CorinWright I doubt if that is the case. Of course, using the words helps you remember them. it is always a tug of war between reading more to acquire more words, or starting to use them to help you remember them. All languages seem hard to to understand at first and gradually become clearer.
Thank you for this video, Mr. Kaufmann! I find that this is actually what's happening with my language learning journey right now. I used to deliberately learn the words and, often, I will not move on until I have learned or understood every single one in the article or dialogue. But it was too difficult, I progressed very slowly and very few words were actually retained in my brain. Several months later, due to lack of time, I decided to just go and take whatever I can of the journey. Meaning, I read stuff when I could, listened to the language as much as I could through podcasts, movies and songs because I just didn't have the time anymore to actually dedicate several hours in a day to sit down and focus on studying the language. In truth, I find that I do learn more new words this way. I can't remember how many times I have come across the word "설명" but it never stuck until I heard it in a drama and instantly, it's a new word that I now know. Anyway, I just wanted to stress the importance of "passive learning". Not to say that it can ever replace "active learning", but it's a great big help.
I just read and listen a lot, and words that I need to learn just naturally repeat themselves. I have no idea how often I need to see a word to remember it. This depends on the word itself and many other factors.
I like using that technique for Korean. Once you’ve learn enough you can then focus on pronunciation (with the right song), which will be my first kind of output for the language.
@usenetposts I have spent about an hour or two a day, mostly reading and listening. Words are learned mostly from context, incidentally, not from any deliberate word review effort.
Yes, after learning Russian with its Cyrillic alphabet, I am really enjoying Czech with its Latin alphabet. The tones are important but I just meant that it is hard to try to nail them in the beginning. Like most things, after enough exposure it will be easier. You need to get a feel for the rhythm, and as difficult as it seems, you will get better. Focus on listening, not speaking or pronouncing, at least for a long time. Then when you start speaking everything, including tones, will be easier.
@Neuroneos I first learn by reading (and LingQing) and most of the incidental words come from reading I think. I reinforce my sense of them by listening. You have to notice the words here and there for them to stick.
I developed my language learning techniques while learning Mandarin. Listen, and read, lots. Find things that interest you. Put in the time to learn the characters, and don't worry too much about the tones, they will come.
Dear Steve, you are so easy to listen to. I have not heard of Lingq until finding your channel last night. Seeing how much you work i think your website deserves some Love. hopefully i will be able to further my chinese and maybe motivate my partner to study Czech more :) both tricky languages in their own right. Thanks again for the pep talks ;) I enjoy them a lot and always feel better about one thing or another once im done listening.
If you have both the time and motivation to do so it is very achievable. I am an English teacher currently on vacation from work. I am learning +100 words a day on Memrise. 100 words is my daily goal but yesterday for example I covered 147 new words. If you convert new words into very memorable images and combine that with a spaced repetition program like anki or memrise like I'm using at the moment it becomes possible to both learn and remember a ridiculous amount of information. But, I have the time available to study for six hours a day for 5 days of the week this month. Obviously not everybody has that luxury.
For me it is. Using a spaced repetition program is the fastest way to learn vocabulary and retain it in your memory. A lot of people like to create decks using Anki for example. The process of creating your own cards on Anki can make the word more memorable for you. The problem I had with that was that making the cards took up more time than actually learning so I was wasting time instead of being efficient. On Memrise every deck you could want is already pre made, there are pre made decks for Anki as well of course, but the most beneficial thing for me was the fact that they have points and leader boards. Some people don't really care about that kind of thing but for my personality it allowed me to tap into my competitive side to keep me studying everyday to keep myself on top. That might sound stupid but you have to do whatever works for you. If I'm just studying for myself I am very lazy but I love to win, even if it's just meaningless points. You can also create your own pictures or whatever to aid you on Memrise like you would on Anki if some words are causing you particular trouble. What I suggest is learning how to use more powerful memory techniques like converting words and information into crazy and memorable pictures in your head. This seems to allow words to stay in your head longer than the usual graph for memory loss over time suggests. A great book I recommend reading is 'Moonwalking with Einstein'. It's about how a normal journalist trained for a year and became national memory champion. Also, 'Fluent Forever' which will teach you more or less the same techniques but geared specifically for language. It is the best book on rapid language acquisition that I have come across so far and you will learn a lot about how to study in ways that work with your brain instead of against it. Anyways, this was a long response and probably more information than you needed but hopefully I was able to provide you with some value. Best of luck in your studies :)
I too had the idea of sticking to only 10 words a day. But now you prove this method wrong and you are right sir. I was stuck to learning only 10 words which held me back and took forever. Now, I'm gonna continue learning words without worrying about them. You literally saved my day! I love your approach and mindset when it comes to learning languages.
I have been learning Japanese for 5 weeks and I already feel this is true. I study a few words or short sentences, but not for too long, and then move onto another topic or watch some UA-cam language videos. Then I read them again a few days later and they start to feel familiar and after doing this a few times I can remember quite a lot of them now pretty well. I feel like the harder I try to force myself to remember things, the more likely I am to forget.
I agree nariotto. I was reading Tolsty without a strong grasp of the declensions, and stil enjoying. I would save each form of the nouns in LingQ and review them. I would study the phrases where these words appeared. Their functions were different depending on ending. Gradually I got better at producing the cases correctly. So for me learning each form of the word as a different word was helpful.
I love listening to your videos. You are always right on point. And more than that you are honest, you do not have an agenda and you do not put down others in the business like I have seen on other videos.
Very good Steve, let's not get hung up on word counts. Once you learn the most useful ones the others will flow in with exposure. Understanding how words are derived or amalgamated from other smaller more common words is a key, I think, in any language. In learning Thai, this is very key, many words are just 2 or 3 smaller common words combined into 1 to form another word.
Here's where a study of the bits and pieces, i.e. the smaller words, will help in understanding the more complicated words. As I always I enjoyed this video. Keep up the good work ! :)
@easportsitsinthegam1 I LingQ a lot of words. Whether this is from lots of short articles or from longer articles , I just want a lot of yellow highlighted words when I read. I agree that at first short articles are better, and then as we improve we can handle longer lessons.
@Neuroneos I certainly cannot use them. If you listen to my video and read my blog post you will see that I can only recognize them in context. Most of them are learned incidentally through the massive reading and listening that I do. You do not learn words one day and use them, or even recognize them the next day. It is a gradual process of getting used to words. You do not know when they will stick.
Incredibly inspiring to hear this! As someone who struggles with learning new Japanese words for active usage, I shall take more pride in the passive words that I already know of as well as _new_ ones that I manage to remember about! And to not worry so much about _when_ or even _if_ I’ll be able to actively make use of new vocabulary.
Good discussion. However when I came here I was attracted by the title and curious how you do it in order to learn 100-150 words a day! Do you use flashcards, many rehearsals per day, or simply have a good memory on top of it...? It would be enriching if you could share what techniques you apply.
I just read and listen a lot and use LingQ. Most of my words I learn without realizing it. I don't think the deliberate study of words is as effective.
I was thinking the same thing, if every new word I come across I have to force to use in my daily conversation, I'll say a lot of nonsense just to make use of that vocabulary. what I find myself doing is, if I encounter too many times the same word I write it down to look it up later if the context doesnt give me any clues.
Hi sir! I am so happy to see your passion for the learning process. When we can start a conversation in romanian about this topic ? I will be glad to speak about that
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This video was really helpful Steve thank you ❤ I am trying to learn Russian and I try to know every word I see but after this video ill switch my method. 🙏
great video and great take on language learning in general. I speak english as my first language and at the moment learning German. When I listen to you're podcasts in German the message from this video really rings true. I can understand pretty much all of what you say to whoever it is that you are in conversation with but find it harder to follow what it is the native german speaker is saying. It's always very obvious that you are easily following the conversation but you're playing it safe when it comes to speaking. I actually discovered your channel about a week ago and it's such a great, easy system. And super addictive!
I agree with you 100%. I can read classical Arabic poetry, understand words in diverse Arabic dialects etc. but, I can't actively use those words. Still, I don't hesitate to say that I have a wide vocabulary in Arabic. Sometimes, when say in Iraqi friend uses an Egyptian or Palestinian dialect word, I fail to make the word and it's meaning, ie I don't recognize a word that I associate with a particular context when I come accross it outside that context.
Ultimately what these declensions are good for... They allow one to express stuff with fewer words. E.g. compared to English, using the right declension saves you an extra "with", "by", "through", "via", "using" etc. that you would need in English in order to successfully convey the meaning. You can also skip the subject (I, he, she, they, we etc.) in a sentence in many cases because the verb's declension expresses it already.
Which language and what do you mean my daily conversation? In English I would am for 8- 0,000 words. The most important thing is to enjoy the language, to listen to and read things of interest. The rest will take care of itself.
if you have taken the language in school for a year or 2, it won't be too hard to try this. find a list of 2000 to 3000 of the most frequently used words or word families of a language. write a set of about 300 words down with a translation and say them out loud as you write them and repeat the next week and the next so that every week you're reviewing the same 2000 to 3000 words for about a month. 6000 words and you'll be able to read and watch movies and understand at least 70 percent.
I learned about 450 words of french in two days, but I still needed to make a review because after a few hours I'd forget them. And I could tell all of them for a while, and once again, they would escape...So It's possible to learn more than 100 words, but you'll have to refresh them. As you keep doing this, learning more words gets harder because you'll have 200 more words every day to revise.
450 is a bunch, most people can't even dream of learning that many words but I know is possible... however you still have to revise them and learn them in context, otherwise you'll have a vague understanding of their meaning and all the possible ways they can be used. Anyway, learning that many words is possible and is really accelerates your learning process.
I was watching this and was agreed with him. And when the video was finish, i checked comments section and then i just see this video is 11 years ago!!!!!!!!!! and that was shocking because i trying to learn it now. I was watching this 24.November 00:06 to 00:17 and when i finish writing this i waiting to next minute to do this correct and the clock is now 00:26
Steve, I admire that you are learning my native language, It is really hard work. We learn czech language 9 years and still we are uncertain where ato use i or y. Přeji Vám hodně štěstí a radosti. Knihy , které bych doporučil napsal Karel Čapek. Jan
I'd say, both Neil and you are right, if a word can be used at will and/or be understood in a context, then it is mastered (which in a way makes the passive vocabulary grow). Besides, what you say from 6:00 is obvious, when some word/expression makes sense to you, since you heard/read/heard it, then you can use it without doubt. Thanks anyway for your video.
Thank-you Steve for this great video, I'm only semi-fluent in Spanish being a mixed blood but have been putting a lot of time with German, these are amazing tips.
@needmanshini Usage of keigo has to be done within a certain minimum maximum threshold. 3. Academic/literary Japanese is almost never used in coversations. These words often are reserved just for writing. That's why there are books on just writing in Japanese for Japanese and foreigners. 4. International students will always know grammar better than the Japanese people, but usually will not use Japanese on their level unless they are actively making an effort to increase overall fluency.
People often tend to complicate their lives. The Steve's method of learning vocabulary is natural and just beautiful because reading is beautiful activity. Is it realy important to learn (in the sense Steve has explained), say, 100 words instead of 50 a day ? Thank you for the wonderful video. Rysiek.
I completely agree with you Steve. As long as I can understand what is going on and respond intelligently (albeit using elementary words), then I consider recognizing in context as having learned the words. Active vocab will ALWAYS be substantially smaller than passive vocabulary, even in our own native tongues. I understand tons of words in English that I have never used personally in my lifetime and I know those, so what's the difference with foreign words?
Well I Think it really depends on your level of whatever language you are learning. I am probably an intermediate-advance in Japanese so i have a great understanding of the foundation of the language so all i need is to build my vocabulary. I have about 4 methods i study a day and one of them is i take a song in Japanese and take all the vocabulary i don't know and put it into my anki flashcard program. This has greatly helped me even though all the words are not useful for me as of yet.
thank a lot it really helps me a lot,i was so obsessed with to know much vocabulary in the languages that I am learning , I wanted to use the whole words I read on lingQ and Wikipedia it was very frustrating when I didn't remember them
I'm sure it was just an oversight, but regarding 1:41 , English nouns actually have 2 cases, not just 2--singular, plural, and possessive (though on an etymological level one could argue the possessive is a contraction of 2 words and therefore not a case, I suppose).
Estuve buscando técnicas de mnemotecnia y trucos para aprender rápidamente nuevas lenguas pero este consejo es nuevo para mi: 1º aprender vocabulario pasivo, no activo. ¡Gran consejo!
I'm great at learning/memorizing each single word by word instead learning a whole sentence at once, when i memorize the words, and THEN listen to the sentence, i can easily memorize that sentence, if that makes any sense. I used to be the worst in english, then i tried to simply .... memorize words, my goal was 1000 word, and i did it in about 50 days along with their spelling which took most of the time for me, but then, when i watched movies, TV shows, cartoon ....etc and saw how people use those words, it was so easy for me to learn that language. but that's me, and how I learned, now i'm trying to learn Norsk, my goal is again 1000 word, actually 1043 and i'm following the same technique and it's much easier for me this time because in a way, English is similar to most Germanic languages, what i mean is, if you can speak English, or English is your first language, you will have much better time learning, unlike if you were let's say speak Arabic or Indian and don't speak English, or one of the Germanic languages, if i want to clarify further i would say, it's like this , the way people use words there, are kinda the same, for example when you wanna say something like " i love you" you will need 3 words, the same in norsk "jeg elsker deg" but in Arabic it's " احبك" "ahabic" it's 2 in one words, another example is something like "the chosen one" that's 3 words, in arabic it's "المختار" "almuktar" , again, 2 in one, it's not a direct link but if your mind is used to use words like this, it will have a easier time learning, anyway... after i finish 1000 words, i will try to read, explore, chat, and i think everything will come naturally.
@needmanshini 5. the key to a high vocabulary in Japanese is overcoming the readings of the Kanji. Once one becomes accustomed to Kanji, adding simply one or two Kanji to one's overall memory bank is like mentally cutting through hundreds of words. And explanations in Japanese are simple once the reader starts comprehending basic grammar and Kanji since dictionaries usually write definitions in a basic~intermediate grammar level.
Thanks for post, interesting arguments. i'm gathering information on productive language learning. i want to learn english better then i'm doing now, want to grow my vocabulary because there are more opportunities in life when you learn international language. My native language is lithuanian, quite difficult language. Also I can read, speak and write in russian, because before our nation got independence we were in Russia's influence. So there were lot of people who spoke in russian and i grew up in such enviroment were i been able to listen and speak in russian. Later in school I choose Russian lessons and get to knew language letters and how to write them. Yeah I know my english grammar is not very good, so thanks for patience. Good luck in your pursuit.
I have been a martial artist for a long time, grading tests here and in learning in general are for other people to classify you. Thats all I can see. All the testing I did in martial arts was at others requests/force. Not testing did not stunt my learning nor did testing improve it, it only provided basis for someone else to label me. Whether I am learning martial arts or a language my enjoyment and self awareness of my knowledge are all that matter
Also it raises the question of passive vocabulary in our own native language (English), there might be 4 or 5 ways of saying the same thing, but we only need to use one of them and understand the other 4. That is perfectly normal EVEN in your native language. The only difference is, you might be more comfortable on using one of the others if you're a native speaker, but you can have that in another language too if you choose to work on that area. Right Steve?
Totally agree with what you said here but as someone who teaches ESL in a foreign country I find many of the students here, primary and in particular secondary school students, have a huge passive vocabulary however, they never push on and reach the stage of being able to use those words or grammar structures actively.
I came across this video in the right moment. I was starting to struggle in my target language because I have a good passive vocabulary but a can't use them well :)
Je l'utilise mes langues pour communiquer, soit en conversation, soit pour communiquer avec l'histoire, et la culture à travers lectures etc. Les conventions langagières, et la perfection grammaticale m'interesse beaucoup moins. Ma precision dans la langue dans tous ses aspects, s'améliore à fur et à mesure que je l'utilise.
Agreed. I was speaking recently to someone in German. My friend asked me later 'did you KNOW what they said?'. I said 'yes' because I understood and could tell her in English what they said. Whether or not I could have USED the words myself is a totally different thing.
And as for verbs in English vs Czech, since you've mentioned it.... And just to give people an idea.. To go - Jit -------------- I go - Ja jdu You go - Ty jdes S/He goes - On/a jde We go - My jdeme You go - Vy jdete They go - Oni/Ony jdou.
The point is to read a a plenty of books and magazines that talk about everything, because the frequency of repetition of a word increases, for instance it will stick in the long term memory
I really enjoy your videos Steve. I found what you said at 7:58 on this video very helpful - I've been trying to nail each word that I learn. I'm learning mainly Russian, but others too. I find learning song lyrics a good way of learning new vocabulary. I don't know if like me you find that some words stick instantly but that others just never seem to stick at all no matter how many times we try. By the way if you're interested in Scottish Gaelic I can help you.
Il se peut que vous m'ayez mal compris. Pour moi l'apprentissage d'une langue passe d'abord par la comprehension. Pour pouvoir lire, ou même écouter des livres sur le pays et sa culture, il me faut d'abord et surtout, des mots, beaucoup de mots. Une fois que je comprends la langue, le reste est plu facile.
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Hi thanks for the tips I am currently learning Spanish and I got into what lingQ recommended but it translates into English is it possible to choose another language? How do you do that? Thank you
1) Make sure you have a large vocabulary. The words you don't understand may be important. Read more. Read novels, not just short articles.
2) Write. Keep a diary. Use new words and phrases when you write.
3) Learn some handy key phrases to use in conversation.
4) If you are a LingQ member, save a lot of key phrases and then review them in flash cards, with your native language on the front, and the English on the back.
5) Don't worry and keep speaking. You will improve.
Native language in the front? You mean target language on the front?
many say you have to forget your language to learn the new one and here, you say use your own language, I am lost .....
You need your own language. You learn new things based on having a point of reference, languages you know.@@michaelvaguet3655
U take anyone English, he says we have to learn the way babies learn …. So I don’t know I’m lost and frustrated!
@@michaelvaguet3655 that makes absolutely no sense since there are peoples who know over 20 languages. Dont even think about trying to forget your native language lmao this is just ridiculous
Even in our native languages, passive vocabulary is much larger than active vocabulary.
Uhh you sure about that?
Yep. I am a native English speaker and there are words which I never myself, but if I see them written I will understand their meaning. There's also a lot of words in English that I have no idea what they mean, simply because I rarely come across them and have no need to know them.
Michael Short there are studies based on this that I'm a tad too lazy to look up right meow. I think it might be 10,000-20,000 and like 30,000 words passively
"Acquitted of all charges, Double-Jeopardy ruled to be at play."
@@Crashandburn999 Oh yeah. Especially in a language like english which has a lot of "combined" words (e.g., 'sunbathing' = sun + bathe) that make it easy for a native speaker to infer meaning the first time they see the word.
Hearing you say that forgetting is common is a lot more motivating than hearing about those who supposedly remember everything.
I'm getting tired of these 'secrets' which only seems to work for those who share those 'secrets'
There are no secrets, only hard work. Work. Work.
@LearningFrenchNow To me fluent just means comfortable, able to converse on a variety of subjects.
Advanced means more, an ability to write and speak almost without errors, almost like a native.
I am Advanced in French, Japanese, Mandarin, High Intermediate in Spanish , Swedish and German, Intermediate in Italian, Portuguese, Cantonese, Portuguese and Russian. High beginner, in Czech, (but able to read a lot), and high beginner in Korean.
But I can improve!
Language learning is not a sport and not a competition. Language learning is personal. We learn for our own goals. The tests are relevant only for those who want or need to be tested. I speak 12 languages, and have only ever been tested in 2 of them.
It is a great measure IMHO. It mostly measures your reading activity, since you only count as "known", words that you have met and not saved for review. The more you read the more you learn. Furthermore, I often save for review many forms of the same root word. Different forms have different functions. For example, act, actually, active, inactive, activity, react, reactive, action, activate etc. are part of the same root word. If you know one, you don't you know them all.
People who have learned many words by listening and reading don't speak like that. They speak well. Students of French in Canada's school system are usually unable to even sound like Tarzan in French after ten years in the system.
I was only ever tested in French and Mandarin, almost 50 years ago. Since then I have learned to use 9 more foreign languages, without tests, and am working on two more. I have no need for tests.
Karate and language learning? Most sports do not have levels or belts. People just play them and enjoy, like languages.
What do you mean by words I am "supposed to use?"
Don't understand test obsession unless you need them for a job or to get into a school.
Thanks Steve for showing that tests are artificial. I agree with you, tests for language level are only useful for work or school placement, such as, what class do we slot you in?
I realize this is 8 years later, but I think it's so funny how your videos keep on being recommended exactly as I need them! I am using LinQ to supplement my Chinese and this is helpful advice that I don't have to get so hung up on a word. Learn it and move on. If you see this, thanks a million!
For my German exam I had to learn 300 words a week.
A technique I used was to associate the word with an image, not the translation into English. For example: I would attach an image of a bed with the word 'bett' and know bett as what it looks like, not the English word 'bed'
Du bist stimmt aber bett ist ein bisschen einfach ja?
***** Good for you - but where would you put 50 new pieces each day?
I'd like to add on that and say when you don't know a word your studying for go on google.(the nation goes here) i.e. google.de (for germany) select the image tab then type in the word to get an image for it. It's helped my recall immensely.
Mcwsmurf1
May i correct you ;P?
"Du hast recht, aber Bett ist ein bisschen einfach, oder / nicht / oder nicht?"
+CountryBoyGay thanks :)
When I first started using LingQ I was really strict about which words I'd click as "known." After a while I started using Steve's more lenient method of clicking words that I recognize in a certain context. I find that this actually helps me to learn the words because when I see that I "know" it in LingQ it gives me a little boost of reassurance that the word actually is what I think it is.
@CorinWright I doubt if that is the case. Of course, using the words helps you remember them. it is always a tug of war between reading more to acquire more words, or starting to use them to help you remember them. All languages seem hard to to understand at first and gradually become clearer.
active words you can use, passive you understand
Thank you for this video, Mr. Kaufmann! I find that this is actually what's happening with my language learning journey right now. I used to deliberately learn the words and, often, I will not move on until I have learned or understood every single one in the article or dialogue. But it was too difficult, I progressed very slowly and very few words were actually retained in my brain. Several months later, due to lack of time, I decided to just go and take whatever I can of the journey. Meaning, I read stuff when I could, listened to the language as much as I could through podcasts, movies and songs because I just didn't have the time anymore to actually dedicate several hours in a day to sit down and focus on studying the language. In truth, I find that I do learn more new words this way. I can't remember how many times I have come across the word "설명" but it never stuck until I heard it in a drama and instantly, it's a new word that I now know.
Anyway, I just wanted to stress the importance of "passive learning". Not to say that it can ever replace "active learning", but it's a great big help.
I just read and listen a lot, and words that I need to learn just naturally repeat themselves. I have no idea how often I need to see a word to remember it. This depends on the word itself and many other factors.
Here's a tip. Take a song you like, get the lyrics, learn all the words in it, then go listen to it and sing along.
I like using that technique for Korean. Once you’ve learn enough you can then focus on pronunciation (with the right song), which will be my first kind of output for the language.
@usenetposts I have spent about an hour or two a day, mostly reading and listening. Words are learned mostly from context, incidentally, not from any deliberate word review effort.
@4RleF Keep reading and listening. You cannot use them all, and you are going to forget some. Don't worry about it.
The more I watch your videos, the more I find myself agreeing with your views on learning languages. Thank you for sharing your ideas!
Yes, after learning Russian with its Cyrillic alphabet, I am really enjoying Czech with its Latin alphabet. The tones are important but I just meant that it is hard to try to nail them in the beginning. Like most things, after enough exposure it will be easier. You need to get a feel for the rhythm, and as difficult as it seems, you will get better. Focus on listening, not speaking or pronouncing, at least for a long time. Then when you start speaking everything, including tones, will be easier.
@Neuroneos I first learn by reading (and LingQing) and most of the incidental words come from reading I think. I reinforce my sense of them by listening. You have to notice the words here and there for them to stick.
I developed my language learning techniques while learning Mandarin. Listen, and read, lots. Find things that interest you. Put in the time to learn the characters, and don't worry too much about the tones, they will come.
All your videos are terrific. I'm a language learner and your advices and comments have helped me a lot. Thanks!
Dear Steve, you are so easy to listen to. I have not heard of Lingq until finding your channel last night. Seeing how much you work i think your website deserves some Love. hopefully i will be able to further my chinese and maybe motivate my partner to study Czech more :) both tricky languages in their own right. Thanks again for the pep talks ;) I enjoy them a lot and always feel better about one thing or another once im done listening.
Which language to study is up to you. Try LingQ. There are 20 languages there.
Stephen is great. Such a good person to learn from. I’m listening intently to every word he speaks.
Got to agree. Listening to Steve talk about language learning is delightful in itself.
If you have both the time and motivation to do so it is very achievable. I am an English teacher currently on vacation from work. I am learning +100 words a day on Memrise. 100 words is my daily goal but yesterday for example I covered 147 new words. If you convert new words into very memorable images and combine that with a spaced repetition program like anki or memrise like I'm using at the moment it becomes possible to both learn and remember a ridiculous amount of information. But, I have the time available to study for six hours a day for 5 days of the week this month. Obviously not everybody has that luxury.
+Dogodomo is memrise really very useful?
For me it is. Using a spaced repetition program is the fastest way to learn vocabulary and retain it in your memory. A lot of people like to create decks using Anki for example. The process of creating your own cards on Anki can make the word more memorable for you. The problem I had with that was that making the cards took up more time than actually learning so I was wasting time instead of being efficient. On Memrise every deck you could want is already pre made, there are pre made decks for Anki as well of course, but the most beneficial thing for me was the fact that they have points and leader boards. Some people don't really care about that kind of thing but for my personality it allowed me to tap into my competitive side to keep me studying everyday to keep myself on top. That might sound stupid but you have to do whatever works for you. If I'm just studying for myself I am very lazy but I love to win, even if it's just meaningless points. You can also create your own pictures or whatever to aid you on Memrise like you would on Anki if some words are causing you particular trouble. What I suggest is learning how to use more powerful memory techniques like converting words and information into crazy and memorable pictures in your head. This seems to allow words to stay in your head longer than the usual graph for memory loss over time suggests. A great book I recommend reading is 'Moonwalking with Einstein'. It's about how a normal journalist trained for a year and became national memory champion. Also, 'Fluent Forever' which will teach you more or less the same techniques but geared specifically for language. It is the best book on rapid language acquisition that I have come across so far and you will learn a lot about how to study in ways that work with your brain instead of against it. Anyways, this was a long response and probably more information than you needed but hopefully I was able to provide you with some value. Best of luck in your studies :)
Dogodomo thanks a lot for the response and ur valuable time☺
Dogodomo will try memrise for sure
Dogodomo how do you create image associations? For example pato means duck. Do you see the word pot and imagine it on a ducks head?
I learned the word “subscribe” I know It and I can also put it in action:)
A new sub here!
I too had the idea of sticking to only 10 words a day. But now you prove this method wrong and you are right sir. I was stuck to learning only 10 words which held me back and took forever. Now, I'm gonna continue learning words without worrying about them. You literally saved my day! I love your approach and mindset when it comes to learning languages.
Excelente video de vocabulario pasivo y activo. Lo mejor que ví en internet. Gracias Steve. Saludos, Hernán de Argentina.
I have been learning Japanese for 5 weeks and I already feel this is true. I study a few words or short sentences, but not for too long, and then move onto another topic or watch some UA-cam language videos. Then I read them again a few days later and they start to feel familiar and after doing this a few times I can remember quite a lot of them now pretty well. I feel like the harder I try to force myself to remember things, the more likely I am to forget.
hows your japanese today?
I agree nariotto. I was reading Tolsty without a strong grasp of the declensions, and stil enjoying. I would save each form of the nouns in LingQ and review them. I would study the phrases where these words appeared. Their functions were different depending on ending. Gradually I got better at producing the cases correctly. So for me learning each form of the word as a different word was helpful.
I love listening to your videos. You are always right on point. And more than that you are honest, you do not have an agenda and you do not put down others in the business like I have seen on other videos.
Very good Steve, let's not get hung up on word counts. Once you learn the most useful ones the others will flow in with exposure. Understanding how words are derived or amalgamated from other smaller more common words is a key, I think, in any language. In learning Thai, this is very key, many words are just 2 or 3 smaller common words combined into 1 to form another word.
Here's where a study of the bits and pieces, i.e. the smaller words, will help in understanding the more complicated words. As I always I enjoyed this video. Keep up the good work ! :)
@easportsitsinthegam1 I LingQ a lot of words. Whether this is from lots of short articles or from longer articles , I just want a lot of yellow highlighted words when I read. I agree that at first short articles are better, and then as we improve we can handle longer lessons.
@cccEngineer What is higher than advanced?My 4 best are English, French, Japanese, and Mandarin
Passive vocab is super important when talking to natives.. they'll forgive you mangling words but they won't persist if you don't understand them.
@Neuroneos I certainly cannot use them. If you listen to my video and read my blog post you will see that I can only recognize them in context. Most of them are learned incidentally through the massive reading and listening that I do. You do not learn words one day and use them, or even recognize them the next day. It is a gradual process of getting used to words. You do not know when they will stick.
Incredibly inspiring to hear this! As someone who struggles with learning new Japanese words for active usage, I shall take more pride in the passive words that I already know of as well as _new_ ones that I manage to remember about! And to not worry so much about _when_ or even _if_ I’ll be able to actively make use of new vocabulary.
Totally life changing video. It takes so much pressure off, but also puts so much natural ability on! Спасибо большое!
So which second you learned
Good discussion. However when I came here I was attracted by the title and curious how you do it in order to learn 100-150 words a day! Do you use flashcards, many rehearsals per day, or simply have a good memory on top of it...? It would be enriching if you could share what techniques you apply.
I just read and listen a lot and use LingQ. Most of my words I learn without realizing it. I don't think the deliberate study of words is as effective.
I was thinking the same thing, if every new word I come across I have to force to use in my daily conversation, I'll say a lot of nonsense just to make use of that vocabulary. what I find myself doing is, if I encounter too many times the same word I write it down to look it up later if the context doesnt give me any clues.
Hi sir! I am so happy to see your passion for the learning process. When we can start a conversation in romanian about this topic ? I will be glad to speak about that
your solution to learn vocabulary is so great.you amaze me.i'm understanding a lot.thank you very much.
this was one of your best vids. thank you sir, now i feel more enthusiastic and also calmer.
Les leçons sont contribuées par nos membres. Ils doivent obtenir la permission de l'auteur ou créer des leçons eux mêmes. L'Hébreu est une language Beta: Nous ne faisons pas d'effort pour le soutenir. Eventuellement, si le nombre d'utilisateurs de notre site, et d'une langue particulière s'accroit, nous voulons essayer de mieux faire. Mais nous avons beaucoup d'idées et beaucoup de choses a faire; et nos ressources sont limitées.
Toujours un plaisir de rencontrer un passionné des langues!
This video was really helpful Steve thank you ❤ I am trying to learn Russian and I try to know every word I see but after this video ill switch my method. 🙏
great video and great take on language learning in general. I speak english as my first language and at the moment learning German. When I listen to you're podcasts in German the message from this video really rings true. I can understand pretty much all of what you say to whoever it is that you are in conversation with but find it harder to follow what it is the native german speaker is saying. It's always very obvious that you are easily following the conversation but you're playing it safe when it comes to speaking. I actually discovered your channel about a week ago and it's such a great, easy system. And super addictive!
James Heron Thanks and good luck.
Excellent explanation.
I agree with you 100%. I can read classical Arabic poetry, understand words in diverse Arabic dialects etc. but, I can't actively use those words. Still, I don't hesitate to say that I have a wide vocabulary in Arabic. Sometimes, when say in Iraqi friend uses an Egyptian or Palestinian dialect word, I fail to make the word and it's meaning, ie I don't recognize a word that I associate with a particular context when I come accross it outside that context.
Hard to say since I do not study Japanese on LingQ except the odd article. Any word I save has Kanji in it. Do whatever works for you.
Ultimately what these declensions are good for... They allow one to express stuff with fewer words. E.g. compared to English, using the right declension saves you an extra "with", "by", "through", "via", "using" etc. that you would need in English in order to successfully convey the meaning. You can also skip the subject (I, he, she, they, we etc.) in a sentence in many cases because the verb's declension expresses it already.
Which language and what do you mean my daily conversation? In English I would am for 8- 0,000 words. The most important thing is to enjoy the language, to listen to and read things of interest. The rest will take care of itself.
Every episode is a proof that you know topic from several directions like a highest level of dive in theme you learn
if you have taken the language in school for a year or 2, it won't be too hard to try this. find a list of 2000 to 3000 of the most frequently used words or word families of a language. write a set of about 300 words down with a translation and say them out loud as you write them and repeat the next week and the next so that every week you're reviewing the same 2000 to 3000 words for about a month. 6000 words and you'll be able to read and watch movies and understand at least 70 percent.
Very well said, watching this video is like listening to my own internal thoughts, I agreed with all of it.
I learned about 450 words of french in two days, but I still needed to make a review because after a few hours I'd forget them. And I could tell all of them for a while, and once again, they would escape...So It's possible to learn more than 100 words, but you'll have to refresh them. As you keep doing this, learning more words gets harder because you'll have 200 more words every day to revise.
450 is a bunch, most people can't even dream of learning that many words but I know is possible... however you still have to revise them and learn them in context, otherwise you'll have a vague understanding of their meaning and all the possible ways they can be used.
Anyway, learning that many words is possible and is really accelerates your learning process.
I learned 10000 words a day
I learned to talk Mandarin fluently backwards in 1 day.
I was watching this and was agreed with him. And when the video was finish, i checked comments section and then i just see this video is 11 years ago!!!!!!!!!! and that was shocking because i trying to learn it now. I was watching this 24.November 00:06 to 00:17 and when i finish writing this i waiting to next minute to do this correct and the clock is now 00:26
Just forget the blue numbers
Steve,
I admire that you are learning my native language, It is really hard work. We learn czech language 9 years and still we are uncertain where ato use i or y.
Přeji Vám hodně štěstí a radosti. Knihy , které bych doporučil napsal Karel Čapek.
Jan
You're the only one from whom i got the best suggestions... 👍❤️
Thanks for commenting.
Hi Steve !
Im From Brazil I learn many things and many words in English with you.
I'd say, both Neil and you are right, if a word can be used at will and/or be understood in a context, then it is mastered (which in a way makes the passive vocabulary grow).
Besides, what you say from 6:00 is obvious, when some word/expression makes sense to you, since you heard/read/heard it, then you can use it without doubt.
Thanks anyway for your video.
This is a fascinating topic that you have addressed. I've had this question in the back of my mind for years. Great food for thought.
Thanks a lot for your advice! LingQ is really helpful!
Thank-you Steve for this great video, I'm only semi-fluent in Spanish being a mixed blood but have been putting a lot of time with German, these are amazing tips.
@jjay75 People can Tag saved LingQs for root words or any other reason they want.
I would not get too concerned about phrasal words. Learn whatever words and phrases you come across in your reading and listening.
@needmanshini Usage of keigo has to be done within a certain minimum maximum threshold.
3. Academic/literary Japanese is almost never used in coversations. These words often are reserved just for writing. That's why there are books on just writing in Japanese for Japanese and foreigners.
4. International students will always know grammar better than the Japanese people, but usually will not use Japanese on their level unless they are actively making an effort to increase overall fluency.
What about learning "dead" languages like Ancient Greek or Latin? Any advice? Thanks.
Try an ouija bord
People often tend to complicate their lives. The Steve's method of learning vocabulary is natural and just beautiful because reading is beautiful activity. Is it realy important to learn (in the sense Steve has explained), say, 100 words instead of 50 a day ?
Thank you for the wonderful video. Rysiek.
I completely agree with you Steve. As long as I can understand what is going on and respond intelligently (albeit using elementary words), then I consider recognizing in context as having learned the words. Active vocab will ALWAYS be substantially smaller than passive vocabulary, even in our own native tongues. I understand tons of words in English that I have never used personally in my lifetime and I know those, so what's the difference with foreign words?
Well I Think it really depends on your level of whatever language you are learning. I am probably an intermediate-advance in Japanese so i have a great understanding of the foundation of the language so all i need is to build my vocabulary. I have about 4 methods i study a day and one of them is i take a song in Japanese and take all the vocabulary i don't know and put it into my anki flashcard program. This has greatly helped me even though all the words are not useful for me as of yet.
THIS IS A TRULY AWESOME VIDEO WITH A TRULY AWESOME MESSAGE
thank a lot it really helps me a lot,i was so obsessed with to know much vocabulary in the languages that I am learning , I wanted to use the whole words I read on lingQ and Wikipedia it was very frustrating when I didn't remember them
I'm sure it was just an oversight, but regarding 1:41 , English nouns actually have 2 cases, not just 2--singular, plural, and possessive (though on an etymological level one could argue the possessive is a contraction of 2 words and therefore not a case, I suppose).
Estuve buscando técnicas de mnemotecnia y trucos para aprender rápidamente nuevas lenguas pero este consejo es nuevo para mi: 1º aprender vocabulario pasivo, no activo. ¡Gran consejo!
MrDionaea Hay que buscar contenidos interesantes y gozar del idioma. Las palabras se aprenden naturalmente.
@Iceland1944 We can enjoy the language passively too.
I'm great at learning/memorizing each single word by word instead learning a whole sentence at once, when i memorize the words, and THEN listen to the sentence, i can easily memorize that sentence, if that makes any sense.
I used to be the worst in english, then i tried to simply .... memorize words, my goal was 1000 word, and i did it in about 50 days along with their spelling which took most of the time for me, but then, when i watched movies, TV shows, cartoon ....etc and saw how people use those words, it was so easy for me to learn that language.
but that's me, and how I learned, now i'm trying to learn Norsk, my goal is again 1000 word, actually 1043 and i'm following the same technique and it's much easier for me this time because in a way, English is similar to most Germanic languages, what i mean is, if you can speak English, or English is your first language, you will have much better time learning, unlike if you were let's say speak Arabic or Indian and don't speak English, or one of the Germanic languages, if i want to clarify further i would say, it's like this , the way people use words there, are kinda the same, for example when you wanna say something like " i love you" you will need 3 words, the same in norsk "jeg elsker deg" but in Arabic it's " احبك" "ahabic" it's 2 in one words, another example is something like "the chosen one" that's 3 words, in arabic it's "المختار" "almuktar" , again, 2 in one, it's not a direct link but if your mind is used to use words like this, it will have a easier time learning, anyway...
after i finish 1000 words, i will try to read, explore, chat, and i think everything will come naturally.
Abd -L- Azeez Then*
you're crazy person. is it true, admire you lot of
@needmanshini 5. the key to a high vocabulary in Japanese is overcoming the readings of the Kanji. Once one becomes accustomed to Kanji, adding simply one or two Kanji to one's overall memory bank is like mentally cutting through hundreds of words. And explanations in Japanese are simple once the reader starts comprehending basic grammar and Kanji since dictionaries usually write definitions in a basic~intermediate grammar level.
Thanks for post, interesting arguments. i'm gathering information on productive language learning. i want to learn english better then i'm doing now, want to grow my vocabulary because there are more opportunities in life when you learn international language. My native language is lithuanian, quite difficult language. Also I can read, speak and write in russian, because before our nation got independence we were in Russia's influence. So there were lot of people who spoke in russian and i grew up in such enviroment were i been able to listen and speak in russian. Later in school I choose Russian lessons and get to knew language letters and how to write them.
Yeah I know my english grammar is not very good, so thanks for patience.
Good luck in your pursuit.
I have been a martial artist for a long time, grading tests here and in learning in general are for other people to classify you. Thats all I can see. All the testing I did in martial arts was at others requests/force. Not testing did not stunt my learning nor did testing improve it, it only provided basis for someone else to label me. Whether I am learning martial arts or a language my enjoyment and self awareness of my knowledge are all that matter
Thank you, Sir , for learning Russian. Peace and Respect from Russia.... Have a successful and happy life, everybody !
Also it raises the question of passive vocabulary in our own native language (English), there might be 4 or 5 ways of saying the same thing, but we only need to use one of them and understand the other 4. That is perfectly normal EVEN in your native language. The only difference is, you might be more comfortable on using one of the others if you're a native speaker, but you can have that in another language too if you choose to work on that area. Right Steve?
Totally agree with what you said here but as someone who teaches ESL in a foreign country I find many of the students here, primary and in particular secondary school students, have a huge passive vocabulary however, they never push on and reach the stage of being able to use those words or grammar structures actively.
Thanks Steve!! great point!!
I came across this video in the right moment. I was starting to struggle in my target language because I have a good passive vocabulary but a can't use them well :)
Je l'utilise mes langues pour communiquer, soit en conversation, soit pour communiquer avec l'histoire, et la culture à travers lectures etc. Les conventions langagières, et la perfection grammaticale m'interesse beaucoup moins. Ma precision dans la langue dans tous ses aspects, s'améliore à fur et à mesure que je l'utilise.
Agreed. I was speaking recently to someone in German. My friend asked me later 'did you KNOW what they said?'. I said 'yes' because I understood and could tell her in English what they said. Whether or not I could have USED the words myself is a totally different thing.
Learn unconsciously in context ,thanks steve
@raydenovo Glad to hear it!
And as for verbs in English vs Czech, since you've mentioned it.... And just to give people an idea..
To go - Jit
--------------
I go - Ja jdu
You go - Ty jdes
S/He goes - On/a jde
We go - My jdeme
You go - Vy jdete
They go - Oni/Ony jdou.
What is wrong with that? As you speak more, the words that you have learned will come to you, but you will understand what people are saying.
The point is to read a a plenty of books and magazines that talk about everything, because the frequency of repetition of a word increases, for instance it will stick in the long term memory
I really enjoy your videos Steve. I found what you said at 7:58 on this video very helpful - I've been trying to nail each word that I learn. I'm learning mainly Russian, but others too. I find learning song lyrics a good way of learning new vocabulary. I don't know if like me you find that some words stick instantly but that others just never seem to stick at all no matter how many times we try. By the way if you're interested in Scottish Gaelic I can help you.
Il se peut que vous m'ayez mal compris. Pour moi l'apprentissage d'une langue passe d'abord par la comprehension. Pour pouvoir lire, ou même écouter des livres sur le pays et sa culture, il me faut d'abord et surtout, des mots, beaucoup de mots. Une fois que je comprends la langue, le reste est plu facile.
Thx for the info Steve! 教えてくれてありがとう！