Best way to master another language

by Rosie
(Brazil)

I have just finished reading your visualization and association article. I was wondering if such a way would be really efficient in memorizing both English & Spanish Vocabulary, since I am a language learner.

There are so many synonyms and antonyms, indeed sooooo many. Besides, I have no one to practice English with . All I can do is reading and listening, but this only adds so many words to my dictionary, without being able to memorize them ALL or practice them daily.

Sorry for bothering you with such particulars. If I am to sum all this story in one question, it is : what is the most efficient and practical way to MASTER the languages I am studying, & not merely memorize words.

Doug's Reply: I think the best and only way you can master another language is by immersing yourself in it.

For example, if I wanted to master Russian, I would have to either move to Russia or move to a community where a lot of Russian is being spoken.

It is a real problem that you have no one to practice English with. I think you should try and find a way to make contact with some English speakers. That would help immensely.

Regarding memory techniques, the visualization and association method combined with the Link Method for the definitions certainly can help. You can read more about this technique on my Memorizing Languages page at:

http://www.memory-improvement-tips.com/memorizing-languages.html

(Copy and paste into your browser)

Regards,
Douglas
Memory-Improvement-Tips.com