What Words are Important to Learn in your Target Language?

When learning a new language, it is important to learn the vocabulary of that language. In school, you are given a vocabulary list to memorize to pass a test. A lot of words on that list are useful in general, but are they useful to you? 

Even native speakers of a language do not know all the vocabulary of their native language. That is why in all classes throughout our lives we are constantly learning definitions of words. For example, my vocabulary is not strong in English (my native language) about how to fix a car or scuba diving. I don’t use those words in my day to day life like mechanics and scuba divers do. If I don’t use those words in my native language, why would I want or need to learn them in the language I am learning? 

Words That Are Important and Useful to You

While it is important to learn the basics of a language and common vocabulary, it is also important to learn vocabulary that you know you will use in your daily life. That is the cool thing about language learning. You are allowed to learn the vocabulary that you want. 

Learning words in subjects you know a lot about will also make it easier to speak in the target language because you already feel comfortable with those topics. 

Synonyms

Once you know the words that you want to use, it is also useful to learn synonyms of the words you know. Synonyms are words that mean similar things to each other. For example, happy and glad. Learning synonyms will not only expand your vocabulary, it will also make you sound more knowledgeable in the language. 

What New Vocabulary Will You Learn?

What words do you need to know for your job? What are your hobbies? What do you find yourself always talking about with your family and friends? These are questions that will help you focus on what vocabulary is important to learn for you.