There are three main things that create difficulty for verb use in French:

1. Some French verbs sound like (and could also be spelled like) English verbs.  While that should be fine if it has the same meaning as the English sound-alike, a lot of them won’t.  As such, many second-language speakers use them mistakenly.
2. Some French verbs that sound like English verbs can mean the same thing.  However, they are used differently in French than in English.  For instance, a verb in English may be used to refer to people but is used strictly for non-human objects in French.
3. French verbs can change meanings depending on the preposition that follows them.  As such, it isn’t enough to memorize a verb’s definition, you’ll have to know how they are used with different prepositions, too.

The point is, if you want to speak French effectively, give due attention to verbs and the rules that govern them.  While it adds some extra study time on your plate, it’s totally worth it, as you’ll glean a lot of understanding about how the language works when you do.

Such is the nature of vocabulary building in any language.   Those words that you can recall when needed are now part of your vocabulary.  The others remain passive, requiring  a little more stewing, repetition and practice.

Most of the time, we’ll have no control which vocabulary items sticks out prominently.   So just wing it.  Don’t let the fact that you can’t remember certain items discourage you.  It’s par for the course — you’ll remember some, you’ll forget some.  The more you study, practice and apply the words, though, the more readily they will be available for next time.

Something I’ve been doing a lot of lately is just ignoring the passive items in my vocabulary.  If I happen to chance upon them in my latter wordlists (I do related groups of words), then I’ll include them for memorizing.  Otherwise, I just let them stew in the backburner of my mind and, sometimes, they magically just float up on their own right when I need them.

If you’re serious about your language lessons, we suggest planning a daily study routine.   There’s no need to do serious rearranging of your schedule either.  A short but daily routine is often all you need to keep the knowledge and skills fresh.

Why?  Two things.

1. Shorter study periods allow you to stay fresh throughout the whole session, letting you maximize what you can absorb of the material.  It also keeps your perspective clear, so you can focus on what matters instead of trudging through things blindly.
2. Daily study keeps you sharp.  A lot of things can be forgotten in a week.  What you learn today, though, is more likely to remain accessible to you tomorrow, giving you more opportunities to really etch in your brain.

Is studying enough?  Of course not.  If you want to truly learn a new language, you must use it.  Actively seek opportunities for interaction with native speakers and fellow learners.  If they don’t come, then practice by yourself.

Here are the main words you’ll use to express “no” in Spanish, each one of them appropriate for different questions and situations:

• Nadie (nah-deeh): nobody, no one
• Ninguno (neen-goon-oh): no, none
• Nada (nah-dah): nothing, zero
• Ni… ni (nee): neither… nor
• Tampoco (tahm-poh-koh): not either, neither
• Nunca (noon-kah): never

When using those words in sentences and phrases, here are some things to remember:

• As a rule, you place negative words before the conjugated verb.  Follow this and you will be doing it right most of the time (there are exceptions, of course).
• Double negatives (and triple and so on) are common in Spanish.  In fact, it’s widely used as a way of giving your negative response more emphasis.
• If you have two verbs in the negative answer, place “ninguno” before the conjugated verb and put another negative word before the other verb.
• You can put the negative word before the infinitive of the verb.
• If you don’t know what you’re doing yet (total beginner), you can just the negative word on its own.  There’s a good chance they’ll understand what you mean.

1. Use transcripts.  If the audio you’re listening to has transcripts, read it while listening.   Doing so will help you make better sense of what’s being said, especially if you’re still not comfortable figuring out the native accent.
2. Slow it down.  If the speaking style is a little too fast for you, slow it down.   Start it with 3/4 normal speed and slow down further if you still struggle.  The words should make better sense when you can listen to them enunciated more deliberately.
3. Chop it into bite-sized chunks.  Instead of listening to a 10-minute speech, how about cutting the audio up (there are free software that can do this) into 30-second chunks.  At the least, the shorter audio should be faster to listen to, allowing you to repeat it multiple times.
4. Parrot.  Try speaking (or singing, if it’s a song) along.  That could you improve not just your listening skills, but proper pronunciation and pacing, too.

There is immense value in studying grammar, though, especially if you’re serious about truly being fluent in a language.  While I don’t advocate diving into a grammar book and figuring everything out either, you might want to consider getting one as a reference material for your language learning.

Instead of killing your interest in the language by studying a grammar book in detail (and yes, it is a death sentence), you can use the grammar book as an occasional reference.  Say, you encounter a phrase, a sentence or a construction that baffles you — look it up and see what the exact rules are in the language for that situation.

When you first get the grammar, though, read it.  We don’t mean poring over it like a textbook back in college.  Instead, read it casually, as you would read the newspaper in the morning.  Doing so will give you a general, big picture idea of the important elements of the language, all while familiarizing you with the contents of the book.  That way, you’ll have a better idea of where to look when you need to reference it later.

A lot of newer games, especially those sold online by large publishers (e.g. Steam), are often available in numerous language packs.   Whether you’re learning Spanish, Italian, Russian or any other language, there’s a good chance you’ll find several games where a pack for that specific target language is being offered.

What should you expect?  In these “translated” games, the menus, user messages and other written components will usually be in the target language, allowing you to brush up on reading and comprehension skills.  Of course there’s a downside: that is, I’ve seen very few games where voice acting is dubbed in the target language.  Oftentimes, it stays in English, although they do add subtitles in the foreign tongue.

While it’s probably not the most active way to learn, using translated games is a nice passive addition to your other language learning activities.  This is especially true if you’re going to spend time gaming anyway — might as well help your language learning efforts while you’re at it.

1. Create a 10-item list of new words in the target language.  Make them related.  For example, you list ten parts of a car, ten names for kitchen appliances or ten evening salutations.   The more closely-related your list is, the easier you can make the connections with each other.  Hence, if you remember one word, there’s a good chance you can recall the rest.
2. Read through them, memorizing each word and their corresponding translations in your language.  Make pictures in your head, use mnemonics or whatever technique you use for memorization.
3. Once you feel confident, write a new 10-item list with the translation of each word in your language.  As you read through each item, recall what the equivalent in the target language is.  Don’t stop until you can name each one consistently.
4. As a last step, create another list to test your recall.  This time, you list both the word in the foreign language and the translation in English on the same line.

1. Start with a clearly-defined goal.  If you don’t have a specific and measurable goal, you’ll be floating around aimlessly.  Always start a language program with a concrete statement of what you want to achieve.
2. Set a modest plan.  Don’t go all out and schedule 2-hour a day language sessions from the onset.  Instead, start out conservatively.  Gradually build up the time you invest as you find yourself completing smaller targets.
3. Expose yourself to the language.  If you’re in a locale where the language is widely spoken, then regularly go out and use whatever little you learn.  If you’re not, then expose yourself in other ways, like books, music and movies.
4. Follow the lessons.  Whether you’re enrolled in class or using a language software, stick with the preset lessons if you’re a beginner.  While getting creative can help you at an intermediate or advanced level, you’re better off trusting tested structures when you start off.
5. Use it.  Any time you learn a new vocabulary item, pronunciation or phrase, use it immediately.  Even if you have to talk to yourself, it’s better than simply playing everything in your head.  Applying what you learn is the other half of the battle and it’s just as important as the knowledge itself.

Even if you memorize the pronunciation and meaning of 1,000 words, that doesn’t mean you’ll know how to use all of them.  Heck, you’ll probably struggle recalling them when you hear the words used by somebody else.

A better idea is to memorize words in context.  That way, you don’t just commit individual vocabulary items to memory — you learn them in the exact way that they are used in actual interactions.    Coupled with using the vocabulary items in actual sentences, you’re looking at an effective way to build up your second language skills.  Chances are, you can carry on a rough, but tolerable, interaction with just 100 words learned in this manner.

Contrast this to memorizing a random list of words that carry no significance.   Even if you manage to rattle them off one after another, you’re not likely to find them of much use, unless you’re taking a test where you match a word with its definition.  While the amount of items in your vocabulary does matter, more isn’t necessarily better.  Getting to know each item intimately and learning how to use them should serve you better.