#language learning technique

i pick an italian video, i personally like easy italian (because their videos are fun and have subtitles) and then i write down everything they say in a document on the computer. using my script i then play the video a couple times and read along.

I’ve been studying Spanish since high school, and my education has covered all communication aspects of the language: reading, speaking, listening, and writing. This past semester I took my first advanced Spanish class (Composition & Conversation), and that was when I noticed how stratified my language apprehension is. Reading and writing is a breeze; in-class compositions rarely left me stumped, and I was reading novels in Spanish outside of class. But oh my goodness when I had to describe my weekend to the class I’d freeze every time. Years of study and understanding would fly out the window. We also had a few homework assignments that included conversations with native speakers, and the same thing would happen. I described my struggles in a previous blog post, particularly how I apparently like to swim in the ocean in the wintertime. Matarme.

Now that it’s summer break I have some free time on my hands to continue studying Spanish and to explore new methods and techniques of language learning. I desperately want to patch the gaps in my conversation fluency, and I read that a technique called sentence mining can be a helpful method to do so.

Sentence mining is a language learning technique that focuses on memorizing sentences that can be quickly recalled and used when writing or conversing in a different language. The technique focuses less on vocabulary and grammar, and more on being able to use “pre-made” sentences to make conversing easier and more fluid. This is a technique that should be used in conjunction with exercises that focus on sentence-building; a language student cannot rely entirely on sentence mining to become fluent in a language.

After reading about this technique on a few language learning websites I realized that this was actually something we had used a little bit in class this semester. We had to give a few presentations for the class, and were able to use notecards to help us with our speeches. Our professor encouraged us to write and memorize the speech, which is essentially using sentence mining for that specific presentation. In those presentations I was able to describe something with various verb tenses, something I struggle with during impromptu conversations.

Using Duolingo to begin sentence mining

This is the method that I’m using at the moment, but it certainly won’t be my only source of Spanish sentences. To those who aren’t familiar with Duolingo, it’s a website and app that helps students learn languages, mostly through sentence translations and matching vocabulary to pictures. I began to write down the sentences that applied to me or those that I would use in everyday conversation. Here are some sentences I’ve written down:

Llamaré a la policía. I will call the police. Esta experiencia quedará por siempre en mi memoria. This memory will remain in my memory forever. El tren llegará a la estación en quince minutos. The train will arrive at the station in 15 minutes. Lo voy a permitir. I will allow it. Llegaremos allí en dos horas. We will get there in 2 hours. Ella dice que te llamará luego. She said she will call you later.