Have you ever thought about the time you were taught something only to forget it once you become rusty after training for some time? Imagine that there is an effective method to remind your mind only of aspects you are likely to forget and then forget it, but not bore your brain with things you already know. This is possible with spaced repetition.

Spaced Repetition & Long-Term Memory

Spaced repetition can be described as a method to learn new information before reviewing and retaining this material at intervals of space. Spaced repetition is usually accomplished with flashcards. Cards that you can remember efficiently (i.e. simple material) are reviewed less frequently, while the ones you fumble over and are unable to remember (i.e. the hard material) are reviewed more frequently.

Anki is a game-changing flashcard system that leverages the power of spaced repetition. This free, open-source platform allows you to create custom flashcards for any language, from popular choices like Spanish and French to more obscure ones like Hungarian or Navajo.

In essence, spaced repetition is an enhancement of the old technique of learning by flashcards. Flashcards rely on cramming the material into the learner’s memory regardless of how many times the learner successfully memorizes the material. This makes the learning process inefficient and exhausting. Spaced repetition addresses this flaw by presenting the material to the learner with a frequency that is inversely proportional to his or her ability to memorize it. This way, the learner will ideally be presented with the learned material right before he or she is about to forget it.

Getting Started with Anki

Anki is free, open-source software available for desktops, mobile devices, and even web browsers. The word “Anki” in Japanese means “memorization.” It is an application developed by Damien Elmes in 2006 that uses an algorithm called SM-2, developed by SuperMemo. The software seems to offer many features while maintaining a reasonable level of simplicity. Its user-friendly interface makes it easy for beginners to jump right in. The online community offers a wealth of pre-made decks for various languages, giving you a head start on your learning journey.

To start using Anki to learn languages, you can use the premade Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and French Anki decks.

For each language, we provide two products that go hand-in-hand:

• Book: covering six graduating levels from beginner to fluent, provides an intuitive path to effortlessly improving your language comprehension, memory, and grammar skills. You can also check our grammar lessons online.
• Anki Package: Featuring an incredible collection of 5,000+ Anki flashcards that you can use independently or hand-in-hand with the book, and contains audio elements to help you pronounce words and use grammar like a native speaker.

Case Study

Here are two examples on how to use the books and the accompanying Anki decks:

1. Personal “a” in Spanish

Read about the grammar rules on when to use the personal “a” in Spanish from the book or the lessons on the website:

Then, test your knowledge with examples from the customized Anki cards made to strengthen your understanding of the fundamentals of that lesson:

2. Portuguese Alphabet

Read about the Portuguese Alphabet  on their own or in the context of Comparative Gramar of Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and French:

Then, test your memory with the Anki examples and make sure you master the pronunciation: