You study 50 words, feel good, return in three days, remember 10. Not a memory problem, a context problem. Words learned in real moments stick. Words from lists evaporate.
Why Video Context Wins
A word saved from a clip carries a face, a situation, a sound, an emotion. 'Aprovechar' from a travel vlog beats 'aprovechar = to take advantage of' on a card. Context is the mnemonic.
The Right Way to Build Vocabulary
1. Save Words Where You Find Them
In alya, tap any word in any clip to save it. It remembers the video, the sentence, and the gloss, far more recallable than an isolated list.
2. High-Frequency First
Top 1,000 words cover ~85% of conversation. Top 3,000 cover nearly everything daily. Save from Travel, Food, Work, your domains, not rare literary words.
3. Review Briefly, Daily
5 minutes of review beats weekly marathons. With Plus, vocabulary is unlimited, save everything, review what matters.
4. Re-hear Every Word
Tap to hear native pronunciation (Aura-2 selena-es). Slow to 0.75x. Mimic. Hearing + seeing + saving triples retention.
How Many Words Do You Need?
- 500 words: survival phrases and simple clips
- 1,000 words: casual conversation on familiar topics
- 3,000 words: most everyday situations and media
- 5,000 words: professionally fluent
- 10,000+: near-native
At 500 words you already understand a lot, with translations filling the rest. Don't wait to start watching.
"Vocabulary is the flesh of language. Get it from living content, not lists."
Build vocabulary from real videos with alya, free.
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