Read a short passage for meaning, select a few useful unfamiliar words, save their context, then retell what happened out loud. The book supplies a reason to remember the vocabulary; review and speaking give you ways to use it again.
Choose a passage you can follow
Try a page before committing to a whole book. If nearly every sentence requires a dictionary, choose an easier text, a graded reader or a familiar story. You should be able to follow the scene while leaving some uncertainty for a second pass.
Read first, collect second
- Read the passage once without stopping at every unknown word.
- Choose a handful of words that block understanding, repeat, or describe something useful to you.
- Save each word with its article or verb forms and the original sentence.
- Check the meaning in that sentence: a common translation may not fit this use.
- Close the book and explain the scene in a few Dutch sentences.
Keep the chapter attached
A collection named after the chapter is easier to revisit than an undifferentiated list. You can find the passage again, check who was speaking, and see why the word mattered. In Spreek, scan the page or paste text, choose your vocabulary, and keep it under a named page in Your vocabulary.
Make tomorrow’s review small enough to finish
Before adding another large batch, review what you already collected. If the list keeps growing faster than you can recall it, reduce new additions. Try using two of yesterday’s words to describe a different scene rather than rereading their translations repeatedly.
For speaking practice, select your words in Spreek’s Practice your vocabulary mode. Or choose Free talk and describe the story. AI feedback can be useful, but compare surprising explanations with the book, a dictionary or a teacher.
FAQ
Should I save every word I do not know?
No. Start with words important to the passage or likely to be useful again. You can return for more once the first set is manageable.
Can I use class notes instead of a novel?
Yes. Notes, short articles and vocabulary lists can follow the same collect, recall and use routine.
