Summary

Swedish-Flashcards.com is a fast-loading, useful site for Swedish learners to manage and practice vocabulary lists (words and sentences). There are many existing word and sentence lists created by other users that you can snag and use right away. You can also create your own lists and sentences on-the-fly and test yourself until you know them all. As a result, this resource works for Swedish students of all levels, beginner to advanced. The self-testing is done via built-in flashcard software that you control.

The website has an integrated dictionary that gives explanations of terms and includes examples of how these are used in real sentences. In addition, when you view a sentence, you can scroll over the words and view annotations. NB: You can copy and paste any Swedish text you want into the site's Text Analyzer and it provides you with what you see below (see grey scroll-over pop-up in image for glosses).

Something I have found incredibly useful is the Sentence of the Day email that you can subscribe to on the site. This sends a different sentence every day and is complete with a translation of the sentence, plus a link to hear a native speaker say the sentence.

If you upgrade to a premuim membership (~$5/month) you can also hear audio for the sentence. In fact, the only thing you cannot do without a membership is hear the audio on the site. Other than that, it is full-featured and incredibly quick and helpful for learning Swedish through memorizing words/sentences and their constituents.

Bravo Oliver for this excellent site and keep up the great work!

From Website

Study Swedish from Home

Introduction

Since our first flashcard website started in 2005 a lot of time has been invested to design an efficient system which enables you to learn a new language in the shortest time possible. Make sure to read this introduction carefully so you understand how the system works. Once you know how this website works and you use it regularly it will become an important tool to learn Swedish. Ideally make time each day for 2 or 3 sessions a day, each lasting about 10 - 15 minutes.

Once you have created your own account you can set up your own word list. You can either add words manually or automatically to your own word list.

Automatic Mode

If you choose this mode then the system will choose random words for you to practice. Within the "Automatic Mode" there are two different choices. The first is "completely random words" and the second is "frequent words first". Obviously if you are a beginner you should focus on those frequent words first, if you chose the level "Complete Newbie", "Basic" or "Intermediate" the system will just do that. If you chose the level "Upper Intermediate" or "Advanced" completely random words will be added to your word list.

Manual Mode

If you would like more control over which words you learn switch to the "Manual Mode". In this mode you choose which words you want to learn and not the system. There are a few ways to add words manually. The first is to use the search function in the navigation bar on the left-hand side. You can search for Swedish or English words. On the result page every found word has an "Add Word" link next to it. Click it to add this word to your personal list. After you click it the link text will change to "Remove Word", so you can immediately remove the word from your list if you have added it by mistake.

The second way to add words manually is to click the link "Add new Words" in the navigation. This will show random words for you to add.

Finally you can add words by clicking on "Public Word Lists". These public lists normally have a common theme, like "Animals", "Computer", "Fruits", etc. You can either pick some words of these public lists or copy the whole list.

By default you are in the "Automatic Mode". If you do not want to add words automatically you can change this in the settings. In the "Automatic Mode" you can also add words manually.

The Loop

The main problem of learning new words is that over time word lists grow very big. This means that the learner feels overwhelmed and the time between word repetitions becomes too long. To solve this problem a so-called "Loop" is used.

The Loop consists of a subset of only 30 words out of your word list. This means you can concentrate on a few words only, until you have memorized them properly. To keep a flashcard in the loop click on the "Loop" button.

If you have become familiar with a new word which is in the Loop click on "1 day", "7 days", "30 days" etc. Which means that the word will be shown only after the indicated time has passed. If you know a word very well click on "30 Days" or "3 Months" so the word will be shown only after a long time. After the indicated time has passed the word will be put into the Queue.

Once you remove a word from the Loop another one will be put in the Loop. The system will first check if there are any words in the "Queue". If the Queue is empty and you are in "Automatic Mode" the system will choose a new word for you and add it to your word list and into the Loop. If you are in the "Manual Mode" the system will tell you that you need to add more words in order to continue. It is important not to let the queue grow too big, otherwise the system will become increasingly inefficient. Your every day task is to clear the queue and add 5 to 10 new words to your list.

If you click "Remove" then the word will be removed from your word list. "Block" will do the same except that it will also prevent the word from coming back in the "Automatic Mode" where the system chooses words for you. By default there are 30 words in the loop. You can change the number of words in the loop in the settings.

Word Lists

If the Loop system sounds too complicated to you, then you can also set up simple word lists. To do this click on "[Manage Lists]" in the navigation. Then click on "[Add List]" to create a new list. If you want to share this word list with other users select the box "Public List". If you want to immediately add new words to this list select "Also Activate". You can create as many lists as you want. In the navigation bar you can always see which list is active at the moment. Words will be added to the currently active list.

Visit Swedish-Flashcards.com

Guest Article about Google Translate

While there are a slew of online translating sites to aid you in your abilities to properly translate any small document which you are not sure of, you need to remember that these sites are not meant to directly translate. Conjugations and the like are difficult for computer applications to recognize, and these programs work best when translating simple words.

Online translations have been in existence for the past decade and have been used by many students in an attempt to counteract their Spanish assignments in high school. However, most teachers can recognize the attempt at an online translation because typically, the translation is literal instead of the easy-flowing translation which it should be. Trying to translate an idiom is a completely separate endeavor and cannot be done through this method. However, Google has paved the way for an increased method of translation between the more difficult languages like Arabic and Farsi, which are hard to find translation books for.

While online translation sites were originally intended to help people visiting foreign nations or people attempting to translate small sentence fragments, they have since blown up into a way in which we can understand foreign nations. With this type of scenario, we do not need an exact translation, but just need to understand the gist of what is being said.

The creation of these sites, especially Google’s transition into them, has allowed many of us the opportunity to determine what is being said in different languages around the world. While it is always best to learn the language in question, most of us are not destined to be polyglots and Google has helped us in our endeavors to understand bits and pieces of many different cultures.

About the Contributing Author

This post was contributed by Caitlin Smith, who writes about associates degree programs. She welcomes your feedback at CaitlinSmith1117 at gmail.com

Here are a couple of Caitlin's latest language-related articles from her associates degree blog:

100 Excellent Language Lessons on You Tube
100 Professors You Should Follow and Learn from on Twitter

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Summary

LoMásTV.com is a commercial service for Spanish video immersion. The ever-growing video library touches a wide variety of interests, including culture, music and local spotlights. Supplementing the videos are quality tools for learning vocabulary and a growing list of free lessons (currently 181 available and counting).

Subscriptions for this premium service cost no more than $10/month, and provide you with constant new Spanish videos with real native speakers, a community of fellow learners and more. Have a look at LoMásTV and see how it will work for you.

From Website

Online Spanish Video Immersion

LoMásTv is an online video magazine for Spanish learners who wish to improve their Spanish skills. Authentic Spanish videos include television programs, music videos, interviews, documentaries, and travel. Only LoMásTv offers Spanish and English captions, pitch-correct slow play, integrated dictionaries and listening exercises.

Multi-Modal Immersion

The Yabla player was designed from the start to actively engage the listener. Listening, reading, watching, and interacting are far more effective for retention than passive listening alone. The integrated dictionaries and cloze listening game engage you in the learning process.

LoMásTV is Fun

When learning a new language, one of the biggest challenges is to stay engaged. LoMásTv provides a wide variety of entertaining programming, including music, drama, interviews, and travel, that will make you look forward to studying. Fresh programming is added monthly. Our goal is to provide content that is interesting to you. Learning a language is a bit like going to the gym. If it were universally fun, everyone would be in shape. We believe language learning shouldn't be a chore.

100% Native Speakers

Numerous studies done on language retention all point to the fact that the best way to learn is to become immersed in the language. Becoming versed in reading and writing is a good place to start, but you must also listen to native speakers. Most people don't have direct access to Spanish-speaking populations. Watching LoMásTv provides this access in an environment where you have full control.

Is LoMásTv Right for Beginners?

Exposure to authentic video is useful to all levels of language enthusiasts. Studies have shown that even rank beginners, given proper support tools such as those made available by the Yabla Player, benefit from exposure to native speakers and genuine culture. We provide a wide range of authentic content, ranging from quite simple to rather difficult.

Shouldn't I Study Grammar?

Recent research has shown that rote memorization of the rules of grammar is far less important than previously thought. Few people can read about subjects like the imperfect tense or the subjunctive mood, and have the ability to recognize or use it instinctively. We don't dismiss the importance of learning grammar, but research trials have shown that students who drastically shift learning time from studying with traditional methods to multi-modal immersion, actually outperform their peers in their ability to understand and use complex grammatical forms. In short, learning about a language is not the same as learning a language.

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Visit the French equivalent, Yabla French.