How to Build Your Spanish Vocabulary

If you really want to become fluent in Spanish, you'll need make a concerted effort to build your Spanish vocabulary and use that vocabulary until it becomes second nature. Unfortunately, if you're not living in a Spanish speaking environment, it can be hard to find ways to learn more Spanish words. It can be done though. Here's how you can increase your Spanish vocabulary wherever you are.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Spanish language reading material
• Spanish grammar text book
• Internet access

1. Use Spanish vocabulary lists. It's often easier to learn vocabulary organized by theme, such Spanish for food and cooking, giving directions or banking. Take advantage of the many Spanish vocabulary lists online, too. By scanning other people's lists, you can collect words you may have overlooked when creating your own.
2. Study the way Spanish words are built. Understanding prefixes and suffixes can help you figure out the meaning of Spanish words. Many affixes used in English, such as anti- and inter-, are the same in Spanish, so they're easy to remember. At the very least, they can tell you the word's part of speech, like -dad and -miento for nouns and
   -mente for adverbs. Practice by choosing a word root and seeing how many other Spanish words you can make with it.
3. Learn cognates carefully. English and Spanish share many cognates (words that have similar sounds and meanings) such as "romántico," "necesidad" and "distancia." With these, you can build your Spanish vocabulary just by browsing the dictionary. Always check how the word is used in Spanish, though. The basic meaning may be the same as in English, but there are likely to be differences in nuance.
4. Sign up for a word-a-day email service. Many Spanish learning websites offer email services that send one Spanish word a day. Choose a service that provides some background on the word, such as etymology and whether it's formal or slang, along with examples of how to use it. Avoid services that just send a Spanish word with a one-word translation.
5. Make Spanish a necessity in your life. Do what you can in Spanish even if you struggle at first. Get a cook book in Spanish and try out a few recipes. When you buy a new product, read the Spanish language instructions first. If you use a telephone information service, such as banking by phone, choose the Spanish language option when you call.
6. Communicate with Spanish speakers. It's hard to build your Spanish vocabulary unless you can use the language to communicate on a regular basis. Even passive practice like watching movies and reading newspapers won't help as much. For more Spanish practice, attend talks and workshops in Spanish and chat with the other attendees or do volunteer work in Spanish speaking neighborhoods.

Tips & Warnings

• If you really can't find any local Spanish speakers, get online and look for people you can voice chat with.
• Don't go overboard with vocabulary lists. Choose about ten words to learn each day and really get to know how to use those words. For instance, if you learn "cama" (bed), also learn "hace una cama" (to make the bed).