At Jaleo Madrid we are concerned that you increase the number of words in your Spanish. Although grammar is a fundamental part when we learn a language, knowing the right words on a day-to-day basis can save our lives, for example, but not when we go to the bakery. The baker will understand us better if we say “pan”, than “pretérito imperfecto de subjuntivo”.
One of the best options to learn is through games. By getting “pequeños premios” we forget about the “castigo” that is often associated with studying. One of the places where we can find more games is the Internet. So uninstall your Candycrush, and try some of our bets to improve your vocabulary.
Babadum: A classic recommendation for our students. This website, which has several languages to learn, has different games in which we can practice our vocabulary by listening to it, reading it and writing it, while relating it to images. Do not forget to use these words after learning them, they will stick better in your memory.
Tinycards: Do you know Duolingo? If you are a fan, you will love this app as it is developed by the same team. If Duolingo focuses more on structures, in Tinycards we find the typical cards to learn words. At Jaleo Madrid we are not very fans of this learning style, but not all people study in the same way. We can have the cards with sound or written, and we will even have to translate them. Feel free to download it from the app store.
Memrise: In this line of games with memory cards we find Memrise. This application has a large number of words and themes, and its artificial intelligence programs the time that passes between each appearance of the word (between the first time you see it and the second, there are five minutes; between the second and the third , ten; and so on). This is a strong point of the app, however, we ran into similar problems as Tinycards. We are missing some data and we would be learning without much reflection. In any case, we consider this application as a complement to a Spanish class with a teacher.
Cram: An interesting review of flashcards. This web page collects a huge number of these cards, with the purpose of memorizing certain topics. You have different options within the web. You will be able to read them, you will be able to listen to them… and most importantly, you will be able to play with them to try to improve your memorisation.
Apalabrados: A very popular application among natives. If you know the popular Scrabble, we don’t need to explain more. In this app you will face native speakers trying to write the longest word with a limited number of letters. After all the learning work you’ve had with all the applications we’ve reviewed, with this game you’ll be able to put it into practice.
It is very easy to enjoy and learn with these games, in the subway, on the train, waiting for a friend or sitting with a good coffee. There are no excuses! Enjoy your games a lot (and learn almost without realizing it). If you want to show off your vocabulary and put these words into practice, we recommend that you take part in one of our courses at Jaleo Madrid. We will wait for you.
