Which sentences are worth saving (and which are not)
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The quality of your deck depends less on how many sentences it holds than on which ones. A bad card gets reviewed just as often as a good one but teaches far less. These criteria help you decide in two seconds whether a sentence is worth it.
The “one new thing” rule
The ideal sentence is one you understand almost entirely and that contains a single new element: a word, an expression or a grammar pattern. It is often called an “i+1” sentence: your current level plus one step.
If the sentence has three unknown words, the card will be hard and you will not know what you are getting wrong. If it has nothing new, you learn nothing. A single unknown lets you work out its meaning from the rest of the sentence, and that is exactly what makes it stick.
Signs of a good sentence
- It is short: four to twelve words is usually ideal.
- It makes sense on its own, without needing the previous scene.
- You could say it yourself in a real conversation.
- It contains a word or expression you have already heard more than once.
- The audio is clean: one voice, with no music or noise over it.
Sentences better left alone
- Proper names, places and terms invented for the show.
- Very long sentences with several clauses: better to wait until the same word turns up in a shorter one.
- Very specific or dated slang you will neither use nor hear outside that show.
- One-word replies such as “Okay” or “Really?”, which carry no context.
- Sentences you cannot understand even with the translation in front of you.
Do not be afraid to let a word go. If it is common, it will come back, probably in a better sentence.
Check the translation before saving
Machine translation is right most of the time, but it cannot see the scene. An ironic line or an idiom may come out translated literally. Before saving, read the translation and fix it if it does not reflect what was actually said. In Galigo you can edit it in the capture window itself.
And if after a few reviews a card still will not go in, or you find it was not that useful, delete it without regret. A well-kept deck is a pleasure to review.