[hpbd]

I want to learn a language but I don't think I'll be using it with anybody anytime soon. But I'd be happy to understand a newspaper or Wikipedia. What would be the recommended way to learn vocabulary if Anki is not an option?

I've been using Duolingo but it really feels like a glorified Anki

[andai]

Content! Find video (movies, series), audio (-books, radio, podcasts).

The best way is to get exposed to the language as much as possible (some people prefer humans for this, some people prefer multimedia), and then you can use Anki on the side.

For example, I'm recently watching Fullmetal Alchemist in Japanese. I don't speak Japanese, but I've picked up 50 or so phrases. Sometimes I get a phrase stuck in my head without knowing what it means, or I'll wonder how to say something (that I know I've heard but forgot), and later that day my brain will dig up the answer from the depths (essentially a much longer version of the 'active recall' that Anki uses).

I'm a big fan of the Input Hypothesis (Stephen Krashen) which says the best way to learn a language is "input before output", in other words, immerse yourself in the language for a long period (say, 6-12 months) before trying to produce output (writing or speaking).

In this way, by the time you speak or write, you will know what it sounds like, how the grammar works, and will be able to self-correct, rather than forming bad habits.

We all know people who've lived in a country for decades and their grammar & pronunciation is awful despite constant use. The argument here is that they were forced to produce output (speak) before they were ready (got enough input to develop a workable model of the language), and were not corrected, typically out of politeness.

The key point is that the brain does this modeling on its own, given the input. Explicit learning (eg. Anki) is unnecessary, but it does "cement" knowledge and accelerates things.

If you'd like to read more on this, AJATT (All Japanese All the Time) is a great blog (a bit rambly though) on this method and also goes into spaced repetition quite a bit.

"You don't learn a language, you get used to it."

http://www.alljapaneseallthetime.com/blog/

On the other end of the spectrum you have the exact opposite approach, traveling and going out to pubs and speaking the language from day 1: Benny Lewis, Fluent in 3 Months

https://www.fluentin3months.com/

It's basically introvert versus extrovert.

They disagree on whether output comes first or last, but they agree that you want to get as much input as possible.

Happy hacking :)

[hpbd]

Thank you

[andai]

I must add: Listen, even if you do not understand. In time, the sounds become familiar, and in more time, effortless and automatic.

[chongli]

English is my first language. I didn't use Anki to learn English vocabulary. I learned by reading books and talking about them to people.

For language learning, I'm skeptical of any method that doesn't resemble real-world use.

[roel_v]

"For language learning, I'm skeptical of any method that doesn't resemble real-world use."

How many languages that are not English have you learned?

[hpbd]

So I should find very basic books? Because for me newspapers or even my mobile phone's interface are unintelligible.

[chongli]

Start with basic books but try to move up quickly to more challenging material. I read through Lord of the Rings in second grade. It was slow and frustrating at times, but the fact that the book is so engaging helped a lot. I learned so much vocabulary in such a short time this way.

Don't be afraid to keep a hard-copy dictionary of the language you're studying handy.