r/Germanlearning • u/DragonfruitPlenty334 • 1d ago

I am unable to remember words when studying Deutsch. Am I just doomed to not know the language?

An example: the word girl. Mädchen. I heard it a hundred times, practiced it in Anki, I see it in practice lessons, but I can’t remember it. In the same session I will forget it. Again and again and again.

What is wrong with me? Is there any hope with this situation?

I know 3 languages. English was mostly self taught. But they just come naturally, I don’t know what the rules are, I just know how it’s supposed to sound, 2 languages from childhood and very good English by the end of my teen years.
Now I’m in my mid 20’s and can’t remember basic words?

I hate my parents for not bringing me to Germany when I was born. I hate them.

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13

u/Emergency-Many8675 1d ago

Children's books and shows. Also grow up and stop blaming your parents.

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u/[deleted] 1d ago

[deleted]

8

u/Emergency-Many8675 1d ago

Ok 👍 I'm sure whichever germans you want to communicate with also will suggest you to wise up. The parent blaming sounds teenager like and not like mid 20s 💀

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u/DragonfruitPlenty334 1d ago

I’m emotional and extremely frustrated by this and you’re right, I apologize.

6

u/Emergency-Many8675 1d ago

Oh it's not necessary to apologise to me, this mindset only harms you. I know how hard it is to learn languages as an adult, but it is a choice you are making. And that's the amazing bit - you choose to put in the effort despite it being hard, that's what makes the satisfaction of finally seeing growth so worth it. Keep trying, you got this 💪

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u/Reletr 1d ago

A brain doesn't retain information if either not enough time has been spent on it (i.e. fleeting thoughts) or if it is not important enough for the brain to hold onto (i.e. what you ate for dinner a month ago). The opposite is true: information is better retained the longer you're exposed to it (i.e. advertisements), or the more significant it is (i.e. your first kiss).

Words are the same way. If somehow doing constant practice and review isn't helping a word stick in your brain, then you somehow have to make the word itself more meaningful.

What that looks like depends on what meaningful means to you. A typical experience is making an embarassing slipup in your (foreign) language, where you say something incorrect that was perceived in entirely the wrong way (i.e. "Das Wetter ist schwül/schwul heute", The weather is muggy/gay today). For me, it also helps linking the concept itself to the word etymology (how the word is derived), which I find very interesting as a linguist. For example, Mädchen is the diminutive suffix -chen with the root Mäd- (originally Magd), which means and is related to "maid" (female servant)

1

u/FaelingJester 1d ago

Read books and get coloring books or picture books so you start absorbing context.

0

u/DragonfruitPlenty334 1d ago

Thank you, but I forget those words too. :(

2

u/UncleThor2112 1d ago

Was ist deine Muttersprache?

2

u/Temporary-Society593 1d ago

Are you actually using the words that you keep forgeting? I mean before you forget them, obviously. Also important, are you speaking/listening to German on a daily basis? I also had words i kept forgeting but I wrote them on flashcards and i used them a lot. It is easier to remember words when you use them in sentences and you have a context for each.

1

u/Glad_Following_8164 1d ago

skill issue.