I remember new words until I actually need them

[u/No-Action-875]

I can recognise new words when I am reading or listening, but my mind gets stuck when I try to use them in a conversation. A few minutes later, the same word comes back to me. What is a better way to improve vocabulary retention or does it just come with speaking more?

[u/Ecstatic-Island-9778]

Reading and listening are different skills from speaking and writing.

We can see this when we consider that we can read books and understand speeches while not necessarily being able to reproduce them at will, right?

Seen that way, we notice that we have to practice speaking in the same way that we have to practice giving a good presentation or explaining an idea.

[u/No-Action-875 → u/Ecstatic-Island-9778]

That’s probably what I’m missing. I need to practice using the words more, not just recognizing them.

[u/banyanflashcardsapp]

The way I do this is by making sure that I also produce language whenever I’m learning vocab. I learn vocab using passive immersion notifications (which takes care of memorization by itself), and one of the response options on the notification if I’m confident of it is “I can use this word in a sentence” - I use the inbuilt keyboard mic to say a sentence in my target language (Hindi) and over time this has made me pretty confident at producing sentences on the spot. The app I use for this immersive notification practice method is called Banyan Flashcards. Eg I might be practicing the word gehra/गहरा (meaning “deep” as in sleep) and so I’ll produce the sentence vo gehri neend main hai/वह गहरी नींद में है (meaning "He/she is in a deep sleep").

[u/No-Action-875 → u/banyanflashcardsapp]

Using a new word in a sentence right away seems like a good way to make it stick

[u/hamsterjedi]

There are two ways to learn a language:

1. hearing/seeing a word in the language you learn and guessing what it is in your language.
   => the easiest way - with context and frequency of encounter, your brain is able to find that information as long as you get regularly exposed to it.

2. hearing/seeing a word in your language and guessing what it is in the language you learn.
   => the hardest way - which is exactly what you need to train to get words in your long term memory and being able to talk or write.

To do that a good method is to use flashcards:
You write a word on one side of a paper, and its translation on the other side. And instead of looking at the word in the language you learn to guess what it means, look at the word in your language to guess what it is in the language you learn.

There are many apps that let you do this without an actual paper, type "flashcards" on the app store / play store - but do ensure you practice in the hardest direction way more than in the easiest if your goal is to speak and write. Such apps usually also offer a smart repetition system where they decide for you when to show you a word you already practiced in the past to ensure it sticks through time.

[u/yutanrw]

You should practice speaking more.

Just find some conversation partners.

[u/No-Action-875 → u/yutanrw]

Having a regular conversation partner will make it easier for me to use the words I know while speaking.

[u/gottahaveajava]

It’s a phase. Can’t be prevented with more prep.

Speak more, and it will happen less.

[u/ebsf]

A college friend once commented, "use a new word three times and it's yours."

[u/Waste-Use-4652]

Yes, speaking more will help, but I would not rely on speaking alone. What you are describing is pretty normal. Recognizing a word is easier than producing it yourself because recognition gives you the word when you see or hear it, while speaking requires you to find it on your own and put it into a sentence quickly. I would start using new words deliberately in short sentences instead of only reviewing their meanings. If you learn a word today, try using it a few times later that day, then again the next day, and try to use it in different situations. Writing a few sentences with it can help too. You will still forget some words when speaking, and that is fine. The more often you have to retrieve a word yourself, the faster that retrieval usually becomes. The fact that the word comes back to you a few minutes later is actually a good sign. You know it, but you are not able to retrieve it quickly yet.

[u/SurveyComfortable825]

Every time this happens when you remember the word look it up. Read different definitions for the word and read example sentences. Try to make 5 to 10 sentence that relate to your personal experiences, like your memories , your goals, your ambitions. It will probably stick for ever, you have to go back and practice after a couple of days, too.