How to master a word or phrase with Word Workout

You know a word when you read it. But can you say it at a counter, to a real person, with no time to think? That is a different skill. Word Workout trains it.

In a Word Workout, Uyen asks one question at a time. Each question is a new scene: a new place, a new person, or a new time. Your answer must use your word. Uyen does not say the word in the question, so you must find it yourself. When you get three good answers in a row, the word is yours.

Why it works

When you say a word in only one sentence, you learn that sentence. When you say it in many different scenes, you learn the word. Each new question makes you find the word in your memory and put new words around it. You need that skill in a real talk.

Pick what to train

You can start a workout in three ways:

• One word from your talks. Tap an underlined word in Practice or Recent practices, or tap a word on Words. Then select Word Workout. Use this for the word that you forgot in your last talk.
• A word or phrase that you type. Open Words. Under Level basics, select Custom workout. Type the word or phrase, then select Start. Use this for a phrase that you need soon, such as «la cuenta» before a dinner out or «je voudrais» before a trip.
• All your Level basics. Open Words. Under Level basics, select Workout all. Uyen uses all the basics that you did not ignore, in a random order, like a quiz. Each word gets one question before a word comes again.

Uyen opens Practice with a new talk. Tap the orb. Uyen speaks first and asks the first question.

A short workout

This is part of a Beginner workout for «quiero» (I want) in Spanish:

Uyen: At a café. Ask for «un café».

You: Quiero un café.

Uyen: Good. You can say: «Quiero un café, por favor.» At a shop. Tell the clerk you want this bag.

You: Me gusta esta bolsa.

Uyen: Almost. You can say: «Quiero esta bolsa.» At home. Tell a friend you want to sleep.

You: Quiero dormir.

The second answer is good Spanish, but it does not use «quiero». Thus it is a miss, and the count starts again from zero. This is the important part: Uyen gives you the word in a new scene each time, until you can find it with no help.

The box at the top of Practice shows three dots. Each good answer fills one dot. A miss empties all three. When all three dots are full, Uyen says "That is three in a row. Well done." and the talk ends.

Six tips for good answers

1. Do not say the word alone. «Adiós» is not an answer, but «Adiós, Ana» is. At Beginner, one or two more words are enough.
2. Give a new answer each time. The same answer again is a miss. The same answer with only one small word added, such as «Hola», is also a miss. Change one real word: «Quiero agua, por favor» after «Quiero café, por favor» is a new answer.
3. Use the exact form. A workout for «quiero» needs «quiero», not «quiere» or «quería». To train a different form, start a workout for that form.
4. Answer the question. A good answer uses the word with its meaning and answers the scene. A different detail is fine: when Uyen asks you to order a coffee, «Quiero un té» also counts.
5. Do not worry about small errors. A small error in a different word still counts. Listen to the correct way that Uyen gives you, and use parts of it in your next answer.
6. Ask for help when you are stuck. Tap Assist, ask for help, or say that you do not know. Uyen asks the same question more simply and gives you an example answer. That question does not count as a miss.

Go up one level

Your difficulty sets the size of the answer:

• Beginner: Uyen tells you a short scene in your Current language. Answer with your word plus one or two words.
• Intermediate: Uyen asks in the language that you practice. Answer with one short sentence.
• Advanced: Uyen asks in the language that you practice. Answer with a full sentence that has more detail.

At Intermediate and Advanced, some questions are about the word itself: what kind of word it is, what it means, or when people say it. Answer with a sentence that uses it, for example «Digo adiós cuando me voy».

A good plan is to start a new word at Beginner. When you get three in a row, change the difficulty to Intermediate and tap New. Uyen keeps the same word and starts again at zero. You can also change the difficulty during a workout. Uyen uses the new level from the next question. See Adjust speed, difficulty, and wait.

Words and phrases are different

A short word has many natural uses, so Uyen has many questions for it. A long phrase has fewer. Uyen asks only a question whose honest answer uses your phrase. It does not make up a strange question. When Uyen has no new question, it tells you, and Practice shows No more questions for this phrase.

If a long phrase runs out of questions, train its short parts. For «¿Me puede traer la cuenta, por favor?», start a workout for «la cuenta», then one for «me puede». Each short part gets more scenes, and the full phrase becomes easy.

Keep the word after the workout

Three in a row means that you know the word today. To keep it for next month:

• Tap the word and select Needs more use. In your normal talks, Uyen then asks questions that give you a chance to say it. After you use it on your own 3 times, the mark goes away.
• Look at the Words tab. A word goes from New to Fragile, Growing, and Steady as you use it on your own on different days. See Track your words.

A short daily routine

1. Open Recent practices. Find one word that you forgot, or that Uyen corrected.
2. Start a Word Workout for that word at your usual level. Get three in a row.
3. Go up one level and tap New. Get three in a row again.
4. Mark the word Needs more use, so that it comes back in your next talks.

For all the details, see the Word Workout guide.

Uyen is on the App Store and Google Play. If you have a question, use the form on Support or write to [email protected].