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Anki- free program for memorizing foreign words
Vocabulary trainer for learning a foreign language
This program is designed to help you learning foreign languages
Program-simulator for delayed repetition of foreign words.
Anki computer program is a simple open multi-platform program for memorizing words, which is based on the technique of spaced repetition.
The main value of Anki is that it helps you remember new vocabulary for a long time. Like many programs, it has a beautiful and user-friendly interface.
Anki is a program for memorizing foreign words, a universal trainer with which you can learn words and expressions in many languages, including English, German, French, Italian, Spanish and many others.
Download, install, launch, enjoy for free
(Download Anki latest version: 0.9.9.8.5 for Windows)
Program size: 26 MB, Interface: Russian
Platform: Windows XP/Vista/Seven
Download a free program for learning foreign words
from the developers’ website and you can also get the mobile version of ANKI there
By the way, a distinctive feature of the program is the implementation of an algorithm for the gradual development of information, which greatly increases the efficiency (speed and strength) of memorization.
With daily use of this program, in a month you can easily remember 500 - 1000 meanings of words (phrases, sentences, terms, dates, etc.), and working with the program will generally take no more than 15-30 minutes a day.
In a year of daily practice, you will be able to master at least 5,000 - 10,000 word meanings. Vocabulary trainer will help you to radically replenish in the shortest possible time vocabulary when learning English, as well as almost any other language
In general, Anki is a program for memorizing foreign words... Russian interface is also available!
After all, today foreign languages are compulsory subjects in secondary schools, but not so long ago it was not given much attention.
How to learn English for free
As a result, we see many people looking for alternative ways learning a foreign language.
The method that we will talk about is no longer quite new, but due to its effectiveness it is successfully used in practice. This method is called “spaced repetition”.
The essence of this technique is that you learn new vocabulary (words and phrases) using special mnemonic cards, on one side of which, for example, our word is written, and on the back - its foreign equivalent.
First, you must familiarize yourself with a series of cards (the number is determined by you) and try to remember as many words as possible. Then you must distribute all these cards into several groups (depending on the degree of memorization).
For example, you can divide the studied cards according to three criteria: “didn’t remember”, “remembered poorly” and “remembered”.
Now you must put all the cards aside and return to studying them again only after a certain period of time.
Words that you “didn’t remember” can be repeated after a couple of hours (redistributing the cards accordingly if you remember successfully). Very comfortably!
And you can return to “poorly remembered” ones after 12-14 hours, and the repetition of well-studied ones can be delayed for several days.
Thus, thanks to this technique, you can learn more than 5 thousand foreign words in a year, devoting no more than half an hour a day to studying them (and this is according to the most conservative estimates :))!
But where can you get these “wonderful cards”? Yes, on the Internet, but the best way to work with them is using a wonderful free program with a modest name - Anki.
This program is both a client for ready-made sets of mnemonic cards and an editor for your own decks.
Anki program works according to the method of delayed repetition described above and at the same time operates with a number of its own concepts, which it would not hurt to familiarize yourself with before starting work.
So, a certain set of such mnemonic cards in the program is called a deck (or deck).
The deck consists of cards that can contain both text and graphic information. Each card has two sides, front or forward and back or reverse.
So, by analogy with real mnemonic cards, the definition is written on the front side, and the answer is written on the back. However, what I think sets Anki apart from analog flashcards is that once we press the Answer button, we can both see both parts of the map in front of our eyes.
That's it, enough of the boring theory - it's time to move on to practice :-)
Installing Anki does not require any special knowledge from you. Just open the downloaded archive and run the installer, which will do everything for you. After the installation is complete, the program itself will start:
There is not a single deck of cards in the initial database of the program, but we are given the opportunity to either create our own (more on this later) or import it from a text file (the words in it must be divided into two columns: the front and back of the card), or download the deck from the Internet.
The last method is the simplest, so let's start with it. By clicking the “Download” button, we will be taken to a new window with a list of available decks on the program server:
Now select any one you like and click “Ok” to start downloading. All you have to do is wait until the deck is fully downloaded and added to the Anki database.
And now, at the end of this short process, the “Deck Browser” window will be replaced by the “Training Settings” window:
Here you can set the number of cards to study per day, and also (if desired) enter a time or question limit. You can also configure some additional parameters by clicking the “More” button.
Well, if you are satisfied with the settings, you can start studying the cards by clicking the “Start viewing” button. The learning process will start and you will be given the first map for review:
Now the question (front side) will be displayed at the top of the card, and in order to see the back side of the card, you will need to click the “Show answer” button
The answer will be displayed at the bottom of the program window, and several buttons will appear that will allow you to immediately sort this card for later repetition.
And unlike the standard method, there are not three, but four levels of memorization and, accordingly, they have a fixed time for the next repetition. And after clicking on one of the buttons, you will move to the next card.
Another feature of the Anki program is that if you click the “Don’t remember” button, the marked card will not be counted towards you and will be repeated after reviewing all the cards (the number of cards not remembered is displayed in red in the “Remaining” counter).
So, if in the process of studying you need to leave for a while, you can turn on the pause by clicking on the button with the image of a stopwatch on the toolbar, which for some reason is called “Learning Options”.
Also, if during your study you find an error in the card, you can correct it by clicking the “Edit current” button.
After you finish viewing all the cards, you will see a message with short statistics of questions already completed and upcoming:
You can click the “Finish” button and go again to “Training Settings”. Here we now have our progress displayed, and the “Start Watching” button is replaced by a “Continue Watching” button.
If the standard 20 questions are not enough for you, you can always add the number of cards and view them again.
If you want to see detailed statistics of your achievements, click on the button with the histogram image on the toolbar:
As mentioned above, you have the opportunity to edit ready-made decks of cards and create your own! So let's start with this edit.
To access a new deck, click on the “List of all cards” button with a magnifying glass on the toolbar.
And you will see a complete list of all questions. When you click on one of them, it will be displayed at the bottom of the window, where editing is available. You can change the font type and its color.
You can also add an image or sound file to the new card. Among additional features- adding formulas and expressions using the LaTEX environment and a small HTML editor.
For creating own mnemonic maps, you will first need to click the “Create” button in the “File” menu, and then, when an empty deck appears, click the “Add new card” button on the toolbar.
Here the system is the same as in the previous version regarding editing. In the basic model of the card, we have two sides: front and back, which we fill out in accordance with our own needs.
It’s also worth adding that thanks to this system of delayed repetition, you can learn not only foreign languages, but also musical literacy! So, there are a couple of such decks on the program server.
Definitions from textbooks, poems, road signs- everything that can be remembered with the help of flashcards, but most often Anki is used specifically for memorizing words. Unlike Quizlet, this program uses a spaced repetition method.
Download (create) decks of cards for Anki
Anki is available for PC and mobile devices. The PC version can be downloaded from the official website. At first you will only have one empty demo deck called “Default”. To start learning words, you need to create a deck of cards; there are 3 ways to do this (they correspond to 3 buttons at the bottom of the program window).
Method 1: Download a public deck
The simplest, but also the most ineffective option. Click on “Download” and you will be taken to the public decks section of the Anki website. Select the desired category, find a suitable set of cards, download and practice.
Anki is used to learn more than just languages
The problem is that someone created these decks according to his own philosophy, and it’s far from a fact that they will suit you. The creators of Anki themselves, in the instructions, strongly recommend creating cards yourself, customizing them to your needs:
“Creating your own deck is the most effective way to learn a complex subject. Subjects like languages and the sciences can’t be understood simply by memorizing facts - they require explanation and context to learn effectively. Furthermore, inputting the information yourself forces you to decide what the key points are, leading to a better understanding.”
“Creating your own sets of cards is the most effective method learning complex material. Subjects such as languages and science cannot be understood simply by memorizing facts—effective learning requires explanation and context. Moreover, when you enter information yourself, you have to choose the most important thing, which contributes to a better understanding of the material.”
Method 2: Create a deck directly in the program
Click on the “Create Deck” button and add cards one by one. This mode has a lot of options for fine-tuning cards. For example, you can add a field (or several fields), making the card not two-sided, but three-sided. For example: word - translation - phrase with this word. You can attach pictures and audio recordings to the cards.
Anki has a lot of fine-tuning options. On the one hand, this expands its capabilities, on the other hand, it makes it difficult to master the program.
Method 3: Import deck from file
If you have a file with a list of words that need to be memorized, then you can not fill them in one by one, but import them in one fell swoop. Unfortunately, the program will not be able to digest any list of words, but only “text separated by a tab or semicolon” in UTF-8 encoding. The easiest way to create such a file for import is in the standard Windows Notepad program, the same one that creates files with the .txt extension - just remember to save the file in UTF-8 encoding. Words must be arranged in two columns and separated from each other by tabs (Tab key) or semicolons.
A list of words in an xls (Excel) table, for example mine, can also be imported. Copy the two columns of words into a txt file, save it in UTF-8 encoding and add it to Anki.
Spaced repetition method in the Anki program - learn words and don’t forget
Anki uses the spaced repetition method to learn words. Spaced repetition is a method of effective memorization; its essence is to repeat memorized information at certain intervals (without repetition, it will quickly be forgotten). The length of these intervals depends on how well the material has been learned.
I'll explain with an example. You took, say, 30 cards with words and learned them. Words will not be remembered firmly; very soon they will begin to be forgotten. Some words will be remembered better, others worse. Words learned “excellently” can be repeated after two weeks, words learned “satisfactorily” are best repeated after five days, and those memorized with a bad mark need to be refreshed the next day.
Now imagine that the 30 words you have learned need to be sorted by how well you think they were remembered and repeated at certain intervals. You'll just get confused. Moreover, in reality there will be not 30 words, but much more.
Anki itself sorts words in the right way and issues them for repetition in strict accordance with a scientifically verified schedule. This is very convenient, you take a deck of cards with words, learn a certain number of cards in one sitting (by default it costs 20 cards per day) and do not worry about repetition - the program itself will offer to repeat the words in right time.
The learning process itself looks like this:
1. The program shows one side of the card, you need to remember the answer and click on “Show answer”.
Cards can be viewed from language A to language B. To learn words from language B to language A, you need to make an inverted version of the deck.
2. By clicking on “Show answer”, you will see the correct answer; you need to note how easily you guessed it - “I don’t remember”, “Just right”, “Very easy”. Based on the statistics of your answers, the program will conclude which card and when to show for repetition.
“Very easy” cards will need to be repeated after 4 days. You can change the interval in the settings, but this is for advanced users.
I will also add that in Anki, unlike some other similar programs (for example, Quizlet), there is only one memorization mode. Nothing extra.
Is it possible to learn a language using Anki?
Short answer: No.
Long answer: with the help of Anki you can remember a lot of foreign words, which is very important in learning a language, but this in itself will not allow you to master the language (read, write, communicate).
Here's what the creators of Anki write:
“If you are a language learner, you may be tempted to download a long list of words and their translations, but this won’t teach you a language any more than memorizing scientific equations will teach you astrophysics. To learn properly, you need textbooks, teachers, or exposure to real-world sentences. […] if you attempt to study complex subjects without external material, you will probably meet with disappointing results”
“If you're learning a language, you might be tempted to download a long list of words with translations, but that won't teach you the language any more than memorizing scientific equations can teach you astrophysics. To study properly, you need textbooks, teachers, or exposure to real language. […] If you try to study a difficult subject without additional materials, you will probably end up disappointed.”
Vocabulary is an important, time-consuming, but not the only side of learning a language; it is impossible to fully master a language without devoting some time and effort to grammar and practice in reading, writing, listening, oral speech. Moreover, I believe that learning lists of words using flashcards is advisable when you are just laying the foundations vocabulary, you are taking your first steps in learning a language, or you want to improve some specific vocabulary topic.
Other programs for learning words
In fact, programs mobile applications There are a lot of words to remember. Many of them are not much different from each other. I will highlight two more, in my opinion, most remarkable services:
1. LinguaLeo.
2. Quizlet
Conclusion
If for some reason you want to learn fairly large sets of words, Anki is an effective solution. Anki is convenient if you want to load words into the program and let it teach. The program uses the method of interval repetition; it will itself “throw” the right cards at the right time to you in order to reliably fix the information in memory. It is also convenient that by registering in the system, you will have access to your cards both on the PC program and on mobile version, great for in between activities (in traffic, in line, etc.)
Nowadays, more and more people want to learn a foreign language. It's very fashionable now. But how can this be done more rationally? And is it even possible to try to at least master the basics of a particular language? We can make you happy: you can! With Anki you can master any language for free!
Anki is an absolutely free program designed for learning foreign words (phrases, sentences, etc.) using a step-by-step teaching method. This is a kind of simulator for memorizing foreign words for a very long time. The program has a very nice and user-friendly interface and is quite easy to use.
Installation
So, first you should download this program. No special knowledge or skills are required during installation. The archive will download, it will contain an installer, you just need to run it and wait for installation. After the installation is complete, the program will launch itself.
This program is unique in that you can learn foreign words using it using an algorithm for gradually memorizing and mastering information. This algorithm gives better results and increases the efficiency of memorization.
Program effectiveness
If you use this program every day for 30 minutes, then in a month you can master from 500 to 1000 words. Thus, in a year you can master from 5 to 10 thousand words, expressions, phrases, terms, etc. This unique program will allow you to master at a good level in a very short time English language, as well as any other. It is also worth noting that Anki has a Russian interface, which is important.
The best way to learn a foreign language is through the delayed repetition method. The bottom line is that words should be studied with the help of special mnemonic cards, on one side of which a foreign word is written, and on the other side their translation. Having studied the words on such cards, you need to divide them into 3 categories: “Remembered well”, “Remembered poorly”, “Did not remember”. Thus, words that you did not remember well need to be repeated after 2-4 hours, words that you did not remember well should be repeated after 12-14 hours, and you can return to repeating well-remembered words after 1 or 2 days.
Where can I get the training archive?
These mnemonic cards can be taken from the Internet and worked with them in the Anki program. You can download them by clicking on a special button in the program. You will be redirected to a site where you need to select “Russian language” and then download what you need. The page will present many different mnemonic maps.
So, download this program, study daily, and within a year you will know from 5 to 10 thousand foreign words. Good luck!
Comments to the post Free services for creating educational flashcards disabledI think many of us have created flashcards for various subjects. To memorize new words in a foreign language, many people make cards with the word written on one side and its translation on the other. Perhaps you made such cards on geography, and wrote the names of states on one side and the names of capitals on the other. Or in history, when on one side there was something important historical event, and on the other is its date. It is quite possible that you carried such cards in your pocket, or left them on the bedside table to look at before going to bed.
The services mentioned in this article allow you to create similar cards, only in in electronic format. They also have additional functions: use cards created by other users; share your cards with other users; add images or audio to cards; work with cards using mobile devices. Online cards can not only be flipped over, but also shuffled and combined into groups.
How to use online flashcards in learning?
- Students can create flashcards based on given topics.
- The teacher can create flashcards for students.
- Students can share created cards with each other.
Before you assign students the task of making flashcards, you need to familiarize them with all the features of the program you plan to use, and also create several sets of flashcards as a sample.
Quizlet is a flashcard creation service that allows you to:
- create your own cards, adding pictures and audio files to them,
- look for cards created by other teachers,
- embed cards on the website and share them on social networks,
- print cards,
- configure the visibility of cards (only for you, for everyone, by password, a specific class).
Using Quizlet, you can create flashcards for a variety of subjects, but I think the service will be especially useful for language teachers, especially since the audio is available in 18 languages.
Both teachers and students can use Quizlet's basic features for free.
You can purchase one of the premium versions, for students - for $15 per year, for teachers - for $25 per year.
You can find a detailed article about Quizlet.
StudyBlue
StudyBlue allows you to create study flashcards using a combination of text, voice, and images.
You can either turn the cards over to indicate whether you answered correctly, or turn a set of cards into an online test or printable. When re-studying cards, you can work with the entire set at once, or select only those cards in which you made a mistake.
When you create cards, you can see hints in the margins—variants of cards with the same word created by other users. This is very convenient, since the use of ready-made formulations allows you to very quickly create your own materials.
Basic features are available for free, but there is a premium version for $84 per year.
Anki is an excellent application that helps in learning foreign languages, as well as memory training. The essence of the program is to use cards with in foreign words and their translation. In the simplest cards, a word appears in front of you that you need to learn. After this, you need to click the “Show answer” button. The translation of this word or phrase will appear in front of you. Next, you will need to indicate how easy it was for you to remember the answer. This determines the next time you see this card. If you were unable to answer, you will see this card again during this session. Thus, the program creates an individual learning system that will help you quickly learn new words without forgetting the old ones.
The key feature of the application is its wide possibilities for creating and editing cards. You can add additional card fields. For example, by adding an “examples” field, it will be easier for you to remember a word thanks to the sentences in which it is used. By creating several fields, you can simultaneously learn words, their use in set phrases, and so on. This greatly expands the possibilities for using Anki. In addition, it is possible to connect plugins and view detailed training statistics. Cards can be downloaded from the Internet, making the learning process easier for yourself, and at the same time you can edit them as you need. The program is cross-platform, so there are no problems using it on different operating systems will not arise. It will take time to understand all the features of this application, but it is worth it.
