Learning vocab!

I'm doing AS French and Spanish and I was just wondering if anyone had any good tips for learning vocab as I'm going to have a lot to learn. I never really had to learn vocab at GCSE level so I don't really know how. Any help would be really appreciated.

Reply 1

k-boz

u never had to learn any vocab for gcse?! I learnt everyword in the specification (call me sad if u will, but it got me my A*)
What i did was write the words with the english on the back, on flashcards and go through them everyday U pick them up quite quickly. I started a few weeks before the gcse!

Reply 2

t-meister

I never learnt vocab at GCSE, actually, what am I talking about, I never sat and learnt vocab for Alevel! I did learn words, but just through using them, eg, politics vocab learnt through my essay. Anyway, words which I did try and learn for the odd vocab test (well, one test on environment!) I just wrote each one out five times and said it out loud everytime, then I would go through the list of english and write the german, then go through the german and write the english. I wished and begged for vocab tests as I wanted to learn more words but they would do one and then next week forget to do one.

My technique was a bit like in first school when u spelt a word wrong and had to write it over and over again in the back of your book :p:

Reply 3

no1mohsin

If i come across a new word, I firstly look it up in the dictionary: do this even if you know what the word means (if it's a new word); it somehow sticks easier and longer, don't know why.

Then try using the said word in a sentence. Maybe three or four. It just sticks after a while and you use the word like any other standard word.

Reply 4

Fleece

I have a whiteboard on my wall, and I just write down 15 or so words and go through them, taking time to say each one a few times aloud.

Because it's on my wall, then I can always see it, so it's more likely to stick.

Then just change the words every week or few days or whatever :smile:

Reply 5

Geminus

t-meister

My technique was a bit like in first school when u spelt a word wrong and had to write it over and over again in the back of your book :p:

Hehe, that's what I always used to do! I started with a huge list, and split it into groups of ten words. Then for each group I'd cover up the English, and write the German word for it. Then I'd cover the German and write the English for it. Then I'd check both, and write a new list with the words that I got wrong and continued doing this over and over until I got them all right.

This was when I remembered to do all that!

Reply 6

kellywood_5

I like the flashcard idea. Make some flashcards with English on one side and French/Spanish on the other and get people to test you, or just go through them yourself if you can be trusted not to cheat :p:

You'll quickly identify which words you find harder to learn and you can focus on those.

Reply 7

Fleece

Yeah. That idea is good. Also, if you can't remember one, then put it into a pile. That can be your 'difficult' pile, and then you can focus on learning those ones.