Like many Cafetalk users, I am currently studying another language: Spanish. Unfortunately, I do not get the opportunity to have long conversations in Spanish on a daily basis, which means that if I do not find ways to practice, I forget a lot of words and lose my vocabulary.

How to stop this vocabulary loss? Like any skill, I find that improving it is most effective when you do it every day. It can be difficult to remember to practice something every day, which is why I try to incorporate Spanish into my morning routine.

Many language teachers recommend reading the news in the language which you are studying. This way you can stay up-to-date with current affairs and also gain a perspective on how speakers of that language are talking about global events. It may be very different from speakers of your own language.

Although reading the news can be useful, I do not recommend it in the morning. When you have just woken up, you are particularly sensitive to other people’s ideas, and since news reports are often written in ways which are aimed to induce fear, panic, outrage or other negative emotions, reading them in the morning can significantly lower your mood.

What I would recommend, instead, is to find a way of inputting the language you are studying using something which you enjoy. If you are having a good time, you are more likely to remember whatever words and phrases you learn.

In my case, I enjoy reading fiction, so every morning I try to read a few pages from a Spanish-language novel. By immersing myself in the world of the story, I take on the words in a deep way, making the vocabulary easier to access later in the day.

You may not enjoy reading novels, but perhaps you are interested in listening to podcasts or songs in the language you are studying. Whatever you do, remember that the more you enjoy it, the more effective your learning journey will be.

If you are interested in continuing your learning journey by taking some of my classes, please feel free to book a class with me. 

Main picture by Nathan Lemon