If you have reached the so-called intermediate level of proficiency in the language you study, you are probably very proud of yourself. You should be! You've come so far! You can communicate quite well, read, maybe even watch a movie. However, sometimes you feel that you lack vocabulary, since no matter how many words you know, there are always others you do not.

Many students at your level experience a plateau, when it seems like your vocabulary is no longer growing. If you wonder why it is happening and what to do to overcome this block, read on.

Why don't you learn new words?

Learning vocabulary, like any other learning, requires many things, one of which is motivation. Not the one when you tell yourself you need something, but the authentic push that you get from the outside. You can play with a ball all day and practice your moves, but unless you go out on the field and compete with other players, your learning will be quite limited. Similarly, to expand your vocabulary, you must really need those words to communicate with the world. For example, when you've learned some adjectives like BIG, BEAUTIFUL, SMALL, and the modifier VERY, you can explain yourself efficiently without having to learn such words like HUGE, GORGEOUS, TINY. Your interlocutors can use them while speaking to you, but unless you deliberately notice these words, you will never learn by listening as much as you could by using them yourself. So if you find yourself in this situation, it is time you changed your learning strategies. You can no longer rely on accidentally memorizing the lexicon, you'll have to put some effort into it.

Analyze your needs

Look at some words and expressions that you enjoy using in your native language, but never use in your target language. For example, if you like colorful adjectives (for example, wonderful, phenomenal, dazzling, etc.) or exclamations (for example, No way!, I'm in! etc.), try discovering their analogues in your new language. They will be easier to incorporate into your speech or writing, because they are already authentically yours.

Go with frequency

Try to notice the words and expressions that others use all the time. Normally, if you don't know their meanings, but you can understand the sentence in general, you wouldn't bother. Now it is a way to establish your priorities in learning the lexicon. When you identify the most frequent words and phrases, use whatever learning technique works for you to learn them. You can also consult our publication on vocabulary learning where we suggest some strategies to help you memorize words.

Turn off the screen

Although nowadays streaming services such as Netflix or AppleTV is the way many people spend their free time; and watching is an excellent practice for both listening comprehension and imitating the pronunciation and melody of the language, it is reading that can make your vocabulary expand. While watching a movie or series or your favorite video blogger, your main goal is to follow the plot. It means that you cannot allow yourself to stop and think of any word or expression that is unclear, unfamiliar, or unexpected in context. That's when books come in handy. You have all the time in the world to notice and analyze any word. Also, by associating the word with its written form, you create a stronger mnemonic node and increase your ability to retain the new word.

Last but not the least

All of the above are great ways to push your vocabulary through the plateau. However, the most important thing is the right attitude. You must get out of your comfort zone. While you can be quite fluent, using your regular vocabulary, don't be afraid to slow down or even pause to try and remember a less familiar synonym, so that one day it becomes easy to use too.