IWTYAL 159: Growing vocabulary at an intermediate level

Valentin asks: “I’m at intermediate level in Russian. How can I grow my vocabulary?”

In this episode:
1. There’s no quick solution – you have a large amount of vocabulary to learn, and that takes time
2. Firstly, make sure you can read Russian. It’s not too hard, and not being able to read is a handicap
3. “I can’t read books or read articles” – maybe not, but you can find material that’s graded

Tools that can help you read…
1. LingQ
2. ReadLang
3. My book of short stories in Russian

Also…
- Find speaking partners and use Russian socially – in Japan, speaking with others as much as possible was how I grappled upward to fluency
- Don’t ignore the option of taking classes – it can be a good, systematic way to improve
- Avoid using prepared lists or flashcard decks

Overall:
- The principle is to grow your vocabulary using material you enjoy. Why? Because by staying motivated, you’ll ultimately get more exposure.
- Try to enjoy the “struggle” — it’s your best friend!

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:
1. LingQ.com
3. Russian Short Stories for Beginners

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[stevekaczynski]

There are a couple of good frequency dictionaries of Russian around, one by Nicholas Brown, and another more recent, and they are effective for increasing vocabulary. Also check out Russian on Memrise.

[Tehui]

I still use flashcards, but the words that I put on there comes from material that I'm consuming through reading and watching videos. It's not a perfect system, but most of the new words slowly stick after a few months.

[learnenglishthroughinteres]

Wow! Thanks for the heads-up on readlang! It's the first I've heard of it and I'm gonna recommend it my students from now on I think, thanks!

[rosebarbaro]

Very epressive, I'll by the two books The Italian and the French.