"It' not what you gather ..." Many people approach learning a language as if it were something that needs to be "learned" -- like a set of words and rules that when you memorize enough of, the job is done. Sort of like learning history: you learn facts, and then you know them. Learning history (and other subjects), is largely a process of inputting information. But language is not. Learning a language (especially at early stages) is mostly a process of output -- using the patterns of the language to communicate, thereby impressing the template of the language into your unconscious mind (so you can use the language without thinking about it.) The other day I saw some pretty great wisdom stenciled on the wall above the bathroom at a Wal-Mart (seriously). It said: "It's not what you gather, but what you scatter, that says what kind of life you lived." Learning a language is like this. Using the language to communicate (scattering) is what matters. Gathering more words (that may not be immediately useful), and expecting things to "stick", does not work. I would prefer to have 3 conversation Topics deeply carved into my mind as a habit or reflex and ready to use, over 1,000 words that I may or may not need.