Learn a language with spaced repetition

Vocabulary is a spacing problem

Language learning mixes immersion, grammar, and production. For core vocabulary, spaced repetition is one of the most efficient drills: you see each word at the edge of forgetting until it sticks.

HippoCampus is not a replacement for conversation or input (podcasts, graded readers, classes). It is the engine that keeps thousands of lemmas from sliding down the forgetting curve while you get that input elsewhere.

What to put on your first cards

Start with high-frequency words and phrases you will actually say: greetings, pronouns, common verbs, question patterns, and domain-specific terms for your goal (travel, work, family).

Prefer short prompts that test production:

• Prompt: “How do you say ‘I would like the check’?” — Answer in the target language.
• Prompt: “Use although in a sentence about the weather.” — Answer with a grammatical example.

Avoid cards that only show a translation pair without context unless you are bootstrapping absolute basics.

One card, one idea

Split meanings. Bank (river) and bank (finance) deserve separate cards with different example sentences. Combine audio in your head by speaking answers aloud; voice grading works the same as for other subjects.

If a word has irregular forms, separate cards for present, past, and participle until the pattern is automatic — then merge or drop duplicates.

How many new cards per day

A sustainable pace for most learners is 5–15 new cards per day, depending on review load and whether you study every day. Each new card creates several future reviews; adding fifty new words in one sitting creates a review cliff a week later.

Use your session stats: if overdue reviews pile up, pause new cards until the queue feels manageable. Spacing only works if you actually complete reviews.

Grammar without drowning

Grammar rules fit spaced repetition when phrased as examples, not textbook paragraphs:

• “Fix the error: She go to school yesterday.”
• “Complete: If I ___ (know) earlier, I would have called.”

Pair one rule with two or three varied sentences on different cards. Understanding deepens from repeated production, not from reading the rule once.

Immersion plus spacing

Schedule listening and reading outside the app. When you meet a useful phrase in the wild, add it as a card the same day while context is fresh. Spaced repetition preserves what immersion surfaces.

For pronunciation, say answers aloud even when typing is allowed. Override grades when you know you mispronounced a tone or vowel the grader cannot hear.

Long-term maintenance

After a course peaks, drop specialized cards you no longer need and keep a maintenance deck of high-value vocabulary. Intervals stretch to weeks — that is success, not neglect. Occasional immersion still refreshes colloquial usage that flashcards never captured.