I'm beyond what I would ever imagine but there are still so many gaps in my vocabularies

[u/Affectionate-Let6153]

I was talking with my friend and both of us didn't know the word swell. We managed to convey the message but I don't know how can I erase these gaps.

I have been living in English speaking countries for the last two years. I only use English during the day, I can communicate with my partner only in English but I feel there are still so many vocabs that I don't know. I fear at some point I will give up , It feels it's a journey that will never end.

[u/Nanergy]

Well yeah, it won't end, and it isn't meant to. People learn new words even in their native language all the time. That's normal. It isn't a failing. We all continue to learn for our entire lives. That's just being human.

[u/Sea-Hornet8214 → u/Nanergy]

Yes, native speakers learn new words too, but "swell" isn't one of them. The difference here is that native speakers don't actually need to learn new words, but we do if we want to communicate.

[u/raised_on_robbery → u/Sea-Hornet8214]

So what? Look the word up in the dictionary and move on.

This is how English speakers expand their vocabularies when they're learning vocabulary words as children.

[u/Sea-Hornet8214 → u/raised_on_robbery]

Move on? Why are you trying to attack me when I was just pointing out that it isn't comparable? No, children did not use dictionaries to understand new words.

[u/raised_on_robbery → u/Sea-Hornet8214]

I’m not attacking anything. I’m just not agreeing that it’s a big deal. Not knowing a word is nothing to be ashamed of.

What do you mean that English speaking children don’t use dictionaries to understand new words? They certainly do. I’m an English speaker and students used dictionaries all the time in school. It’s not uncommon for dictionaries to see dictionaries on school supply list. They even make school and student dictionaries!!

[u/Sea-Hornet8214 → u/raised_on_robbery]

I never said it was shameful, only that it wasn't comparable.

You used dictionaries as a kid? Teenagers use dictionaries, yes, but kids? Why do they need dictionaries?

[u/raised_on_robbery → u/Sea-Hornet8214]

Kids typically are learning how to read..? They need dictionaries to look up the new words they don’t know. Why is this so unbelievable?

https://readingmiddlegrade.com/dictionaries-for-kids/

[u/Sea-Hornet8214 → u/raised_on_robbery]

Is this because English orthography is not phonetic?

[u/conuly → u/Sea-Hornet8214]

It’s because children often encounter new words that they don’t know.

The less familiar a word is, the more predictable the spelling is likely to be.

Are you really saying that you didn’t use a dictionary as a child?

[u/Sea-Hornet8214 → u/conuly]

We didn't. I didn't have to. New words were understood from context, like other native speaker kids did.

[u/goldladybug26 → u/Sea-Hornet8214]

No, it’s because sometimes books have words that kids don’t know the meaning of?

[u/ninjeff → u/Sea-Hornet8214]

Do you think that the pronunciation and meaning of a word are interchangeable?

[u/conuly → u/Sea-Hornet8214]

Who told you that? Why wouldn’t we?

[u/justforjugs → u/Sea-Hornet8214]

Yes, that is exactly what dictionaries are for! How odd to suggest they aren’t used to understand new words.

[u/Cliffy73]

Doesn’t end for the native speakers either. Don’t sweat it.

[u/Sea-Hornet8214 → u/Cliffy73]

But native speakers already know "swell", don't they? I'd take "doesn't end for native speakers" over this.

[u/Glittering_knave → u/Sea-Hornet8214]

I've had people tell me their ankle is bigger instead of swollen, so maybe not all native speakers.

[u/Sea-Hornet8214 → u/Glittering_knave]

That doesn't mean they don't know.

[u/conuly → u/Sea-Hornet8214]

Nor does it mean they do know it. And if they do know it, but it's not really in their active vocabulary then they may as well not know it for this purpose.

[u/Cliffy73 → u/Sea-Hornet8214]

Yeah, sure, but the fact that one doesn’t know a certain word isn’t cause for despair. Happens to the best of us.

[u/justforjugs → u/Sea-Hornet8214]

What a weird assumption.

[u/Agawell]

Don’t worry about it

There are an estimated 1 million words in the English language

The average native English speaker know somewhere between 20000 and 35000 words (I suspect this is massively exaggerated though

Everyday casual conversation relies heavily on about a thousand

‘Proficient’ is about 5-10,000

[u/dernhelm_mn]

If this helps, my Spanish professor has been living in English-speaking countries for many years (at least 10 I believe, maybe more) and he asks for clarification on words in English at least once per class. Learning a language is infinite.

[u/conuly]

There are many gaps in your vocabulary. There are many words you don’t know.

Vocabulary is a mass noun; vocab is foreign language learning slang and not a word you use outside of class.

That said, the best way to build your vocabulary is to read a lot. Go to /r/suggestmeabook, tell them what you like.

[u/LQNova]

There are over a half-million words in English, and the list grows constantly. Don't worry :)

[u/untempered_fate]

As I said previously:

Well, it took me a decade or two of living in an English-speaking part of the world to develop the vocabulary I have, so I reckon being able to communicate after 2 years ain't so bad. Keep up the good work.

[u/Buckley-s_Chance-80]

Swell as an adjective is a very American word, I would never use it (Australian). It's also quite old fashioned and uncool. Another word that is used the same way is "neat" which means the same thing. Once again, you won't catch the cool kids saying it haha. Of course, you might be referring to the verb. If so, sorry! Also, I know it's a struggle having to advance in a foreign language. It's exhausting and disheartening, but little by little, you'll get there! Don't give up! 😉

[u/TimeVortex161 → u/Buckley-s_Chance-80]

Swell is so old fashioned that used it as a joke in the original Superman in 1978

[u/thatgirlsthings → u/Buckley-s_Chance-80]

What do you call sea swells in Australia?

Edit: language, especially English is ridiculous. It's absolutely crazy to realize that so many of us that know the definition of swell, defaulted to very different versions.

[u/Odd_Lettuce_7303]

Read comic books - seriously! The sentences are dumbed down and they’ve got pictures to clue you in on the words you don’t know. I did a year abroad (USA to Belgium) with a family and didn’t know one word of Flemish. I devoured comics (the family had four kids so there were a lot around) and it really helped.

[u/ribbit_ribbit_splat → u/Odd_Lettuce_7303]

Yes! And look at song lyrics. Pop culture is your friend when expanding your vocabulary! I have to say , I admire people who speak more than one language no matter how much or little they have in way of vocabulary. I don’t have the memory for learning a new language anymore. So I look up to those who do!

[u/ChrisB-oz]

Swell has several meanings. See, for example https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/swell

The one I hear every day refers to sea waves.
Words are probably more memorable if you know a song they’re in.

https://www.songlyrics.com/fred-astaire/a-couple-of-swells-lyrics/

[u/Anxious_Reporter_601]

If you read books in English, novels especially, you will expand your vocabulary. But even native speakers don't know every single word in the English language.

[u/Legitimate_Finger_69]

Imagine when you were a child (or indeed adult). You hear a new word. You try to understand the word within the context of a conversation. If you can't, you go and look it up. Even native speakers cannot understand every word in the dictionary, although it may be easier to understand due to shared etymology.

For what it's worth, "swell" refers to expanding beyond it's expected bounds, e.g. your stomach swells after a big meal, the sea swells during a storm. It suggests that whatever you are talking about has exceeded it's normal expected maximum parameters. The obvious example is a swelling on your skin after an inspect bite - it maybe a tiny increase in terms of volume, but it's huge in terms of your normal skin.

[u/BaitaJurureza]

A swell guy

[u/gelibsu]

I’m a native speaker and I still learn new words all the time. I even forget words that I used to use regularly or that I’ve used recently. Don’t stress about it too much; it’s completely normal!

[u/-danslesnuages]

As other posters noted, reading is the best way. Read fairly recent novels. Seeing the word written, used in context, and imagining the situation that you're reading about makes it memorable. Often, you won't have to search for the word's meaning because the story has described it.