Practical German learning guide
How to learn German vocabulary and remember it
A word is learned when you can retrieve it in the direction you need, recognise it in a sentence and know the grammar that travels with it.
Recall before you reveal
Look at the German and say the meaning before opening the answer. Then reverse the direction on another pass. The effort just before the reveal is the useful part; rereading both sides together removes that effort.
Learn the whole useful unit
For a noun, learn der Garten and die Gärten rather than Garten alone. For a verb, keep its key forms and a natural example. For a preposition, include the case. This prevents vocabulary and grammar from becoming two disconnected subjects.
Let difficult words return
Easy words can wait. Hard words need several successful recalls in the same session and another review soon. Honest Hard, Medium and Easy ratings give your time to the words that still need it.
Prefer frequency plus relevance
Common words create the broadest return, but personal relevance makes examples memorable. Mix a strong everyday core with smaller topic lists for work, travel, sport or whatever you actually talk about.
Use a fifteen-minute recall loop
Spend ten minutes answering Study cards, three minutes saying missed words inside new sentences, and two minutes replaying their audio. Keep fragile words in Study; move a comfortable set into Quick Quiz or Wort Rally to build faster access.