This is the only way I've had any luck, and it's fairly diametrically opposed to what most people recommend (I have an ally in S.D.Krashen (http://sdkrashen.com/main.php3)).
I read stuff.
Lots of stuff.
I listen to lots of stuff, especially if I can get my hands on the written version to listen to while I'm listening to the audio (audiobooks are good for this, but pop music is good too).
I don't concern myself overly much with grammar, although in a classroom context that's pretty much a necessity; what I focus on is building up my own internal subconscious model of how the language works, which requires exposing myself to a whole lot of content. Sometimes I have to look up almost every word, and that's okay, because after a while I'm not looking up almost every word any more. Obviously it's better to start with children's stories than Dante's Inferno, but for sufficiently simple texts it's usually possible to muddle through with just a dictionary.
To successfully learn a language, most people need waaaaay more input than the average class provides, which is why almost everybody is skating by, learning just enough to regurgitate for the test.
Mnemonics and the like have never worked for me; I have to learn things in context, and that context is way more helpful than coming up with some arbitrary association for vocabulary words.
no subject
I read stuff.
Lots of stuff.
I listen to lots of stuff, especially if I can get my hands on the written version to listen to while I'm listening to the audio (audiobooks are good for this, but pop music is good too).
I don't concern myself overly much with grammar, although in a classroom context that's pretty much a necessity; what I focus on is building up my own internal subconscious model of how the language works, which requires exposing myself to a whole lot of content. Sometimes I have to look up almost every word, and that's okay, because after a while I'm not looking up almost every word any more. Obviously it's better to start with children's stories than Dante's Inferno, but for sufficiently simple texts it's usually possible to muddle through with just a dictionary.
To successfully learn a language, most people need waaaaay more input than the average class provides, which is why almost everybody is skating by, learning just enough to regurgitate for the test.
Mnemonics and the like have never worked for me; I have to learn things in context, and that context is way more helpful than coming up with some arbitrary association for vocabulary words.