You learn ten words on Monday, and by Friday only two are left? That is normal: memory quickly forgets what it does not see again. Spaced repetition starts from this fact and turns it into a method: review each word at the right time, just before you forget it.
The principle: the forgetting curve
At the end of the nineteenth century, the German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus showed that we forget new information very quickly, then more and more slowly each time we review it. The practical conclusion: it is better to review a word several times, at longer and longer intervals, than to repeat it twenty times on the same day.
How to do it with simple cards
Take some paper cards: the foreign word on one side, the meaning and an example sentence on the other. Put them in three boxes:
- Box 1: new words or words you got wrong, to review every day;
- Box 2: words you got right once, to review every three days;
- Box 3: words you know well, to review every week.
A card you get right moves forward one box; a card you get wrong goes back to box 1. That is all. Free flashcard apps, such as Anki, do this calculation for you.
Cards that really work
Put a whole sentence rather than a single word: you remember a word better in context. Add a picture or a personal memory. And choose words that are useful to you: words from your job, your travels, your hobbies. If you are preparing for a trip, start with the phrases in our article learning a language for travel.
Mistakes to avoid
Making too many cards at once (twenty new ones a day is plenty), skipping days and then trying to catch up on everything, or never saying the words out loud. Saying the word as you review it also helps you find it when you speak: it is a first step towards more fluent speaking.
How much time a day?
Ten to fifteen minutes is enough, as long as you do it regularly. It is a small ritual that is easy to keep up, on public transport or with your morning coffee, and it is often what makes the difference before a language exam.
Frequently asked questions
What is spaced repetition?
A method where you review information at longer and longer intervals, just before you forget it, to fix it in your long-term memory.
How many new words should I learn each day?
Around ten to twenty is enough. Beyond that, the reviews become too heavy and you lose heart.
Do I need an app?
No: three boxes and paper cards work very well. A free app such as Anki simply works out the review dates for you.
Learning your partner's language
On the Passerelle, these tips serve a clear purpose: to better understand a supplier, a customer or a colleague in Vietnam, China, Thailand or France. A few phrases in their language build trust; for everything else, keep your writing simple: see writing to a foreign partner.
General advice, written for the Parlons Langues project and republished here by its author.
Originally published on Parlons langue.