Vocabulary
All Davilo articles about Vocabulary — practical, level-oriented, and ready to use.
3 articlesUnderstanding Unknown Words Without Looking Them Up in a Dictionary
When learning German, you do not need to look up every unfamiliar word immediately. In many cases, you can understand the meaning from the context or from the parts that make up the word. This strategy helps you read faster and more independently while also expanding your potential vocabulary. Only important words that you cannot understand from context should be looked up.
Active, Passive and Potential Vocabulary: What Is the Difference?
Why can you often understand more words when reading or listening than you can use yourself? The answer lies in the different types of vocabulary. Active vocabulary includes words that you can use when speaking and writing. Passive vocabulary consists of words that you understand but do not actively use. Potential vocabulary includes words whose meaning you can work out even though you have never consciously learned them. If you want to speak more fluently, you need to actively turn passive vocabulary into active vocabulary.
Learning Vocabulary: Why Words Stick Better in Context
Flashcards and vocabulary lists are useful learning tools, but they are not enough on their own to retain new vocabulary permanently. When you learn words in isolation, you may know their meaning but not how to use them correctly. A more effective approach is to learn new words in sentences, with images, in thematic groups, and through regular repetition in context.
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