Advice on how to learn vocabulary
Vocabulary is undoubtably the most fundamental aspect of learning to speak a language. You can make yourself understood with just vocabulary but not with just grammar.
There are no short cuts to learning vocab. It takes time and effort. Some methods will tell you to do strange-sounding things like “find a similar sounding word with a different meaning in your own language. Picture the two things together. Now memorise this image…”, amongst others. This technique could have results - but only for certain people and certain words. The truth is that the best way to learn a new word is through frequent exposure and actually having a reason to use it.
Frequent exposure is relatively easy to deal with. Copy the words you wish to learn (better to have words linked by a topic, not just random words) onto a piece of paper with their translation. Choose words you find interesting or useful up to a maximum of 10-12. Now stick the words in a place you will look at numerous times throughout the day (computer screen? fridge door? bathroom mirror-my favourite) and read through those words every time you see them. It should take a week to know them well. Then make out a new list with some new words….
Having a reason to use a word is harder to create artificially. Unless you live in Italy, you are probably just learning for fun with absolutely no need for Italian except on holiday. A lame but still useful technique is to write a composition, based on the topic for which you have been learning the vocab. For example, if you are learning house vocab, write a composition about your house (how many rooms, furniture, what you do in the rooms etc). This is way more useful than wading through grammar exercises and is actually preparing you for speaking.
A final piece of advice - get a friend to test you periodically. There’s nothing like a bit of pressure to get the brain working!
