Some people contend that 100 words typically comprise 50% of all words employed in spoken conversation. Not only that, this is supposed to hold true in any language, whether it’s English, German or French. As such, memorizing those first 100 words and taking them to heart has been at the core of many language learning courses, whether they be software-based, classroom-style or in other forms.
As a result of this, a large part of early language learning involves memory techniques. Being able to associate meaningless strings of syllables with things that actually make sense to you is the typical first step for any language learner. How you’re able to pull this off will depend on how you memorize things and there are literally dozens of techniques aimed specifically at that.
How good of a speaker will you be with 100 words in your arsenal? Not too good, most likely. Regardless, having that stock to draw on should let you go a long way towards fostering sensible conversations, even if the delivery, phrasing and other facets of speech still leave much to ask for.
Many beginning language learners bemoan the fact that entire lessons are devoted to nothing but memorizing. Without having those basic items committed to memory, though, growing in your language learning goals just isn’t going to happen. The next time you find yourself frustrated at the excessive focus on memorizing, just remind yourself that once you get those 100 words down, you’ll find yourself a long way ahead.