When I look in the LingQ library, I find lot of lessons where the new word percentage is low, below 10%. Is it a waste of time listen to these? Or should I try to find lesson with higher percentage of new words?
When you have a lesson at the right level of difficulty, it feels good to work on it. Sometimes a lesson with 20% or more new words is fun because it’s about something you want to explore. Other times, the easier content covers things you already know from a new angle, and improves your grammar and ability to find words when speaking.
I use the new words tab on my phone to check out the vocabulary in the lesson. If the words don’t look very interesting or useful for my current stage of development, I move on until I find a lesson at my level.
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I would say it also depends on the number of LingQs already created and the duration of your lesson. However, if you like the content, go for it anyway!
In my case I’m studying English and have created 2.3 k LingQ’s and have abt 12 k Known words. I’m able to understand most of a hour long podcast where a native English person talks about politics.
I think those content with even 0% new words or even 100% known words can be useful for solidifying things you already know. It is still good practice in using the language.
That content may have previously lingQed words that you could upgrade to Known if you notice now that you know them.
There might be some grammatical structure that you could use more practice reading, or is totally new.
There could be some new idioms/expression in there, a phrase you want to add as a lingQ.
Even a known word can mean something different in a different context/sentence. Words with multiple meaning. So it is good to see them in multiple context.
So no, it is not a waste of time.
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I rejoin Hsingh opinion here. When it’s easier, you won’t increase your number of known words but you can pay more attention to group of words and create linqs for them. It’s quite interesting to go back to a book you have already read.
Word hunting : Increase your passive vocabulary.
Idioms/expression hunting: Increase you inner knowledge of the language.
Is it worth it for you ?
It depends on your goal and your analysis of your weaknesses.
If you often see situations when a word blocks your understanding go for highest % number.
If vocabulary is not an issue but nuances are. You are not struggling with vocubalury but struggling to understand it in context. Some word combinson are obscure. You can take take lessons with low % of unknown or review old lessons.
If vocabulary is OK for you and lots of idioms/expressions are OK, go for volume of reading/listening. % of unknown word won’t be that important long term. Number of words read is more important in that situation.
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I agree with the other answers.
Bear in mind that LingQ statistics are misleading. You might know the words, but you might never have seen them used in certain ways. For example, a given verb with a given preposition, or a given verb used with a meaning you are not familiar with. Or it might have an expression or saying where you know all of the words, but the meaning is new to you. Letting the tail wag the dog is an example.
Input with few unknown words exercises and reinforces your existing knowledge.
Input with a lot of unknown words can be very useful, as long as those words are repeated in that video, and in other videos. If you don’t come across them again, you won’t learn them.
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