Help

How to learn with WordDive

Easy and efficient learning is our goal. In a nutshell, this works as follows:

1. Go to the Exercise tab and click the Exercise button.
2. An exercise window opens. You see a picture.
   
3. Write what comes to your mind in the Answer field. For example, if you are studying Spanish and see a picture of a breakfast, write "el desayuno" (breakfast in Spanish) and click Try.
4. If you do not know the answer or are unsure, do not hesitate. Just write what comes to your mind or leave the Answer blank and click Try. The correct answer is shown to you.
5. Nobody except you and WordDive will know whether you answer right or wrong. Simply looking at the correct answer is more efficient than spending a long time trying to figure it out. After a few tries, you will find that the picture brings the answer to your mind automatically - in the right language. The picture and the study item have become associated, and you are learning the target language directly.

The answer is entered in its basic, uninflected form, but in the example sentence it can be inflected in the way that it normally would in that situation. This way, you will also learn one way to use the study item you are learning.

Listening and repeating the answers aloud will enhance your learning, so we recommend doing both whenever you are studying in an environment where you can keep sound on.

You can quit and start again whenever you like. WordDive remembers your progress and will tailor each exercise just for you.

How WordDive works will tell you in more detail how the service works and what makes studying with it so effective and fun.

Quick Guides

Download the Quick Guide for the language you are studying from here. The Quick Guide will help you to get started, and for languages that may require it, includes instructions for installing writing system support.

Supported Systems

WordDive can be used with any PC (Windows, Mac or Linux) connected to the Internet. The supported browsers are:

• Mozilla Firefox, version 8 and newer
• Microsoft Internet Explorer, version 7 and newer
• Apple Safari, version 5 and newer
• Google Chrome, version 16 and newer

In general, newer versions of a browser work better, excluding possible beta releases.

Mobile devices (pads, mobile phones with browsers) work better all the time. There is no official list of supported devices yet, but you can try the following:

1. Activate a free course (https://www.worddive.com/en/purchase) and try it.
2. A normal course will work similarly in your device. There are no technical differences between free and normal courses.

Parts of speech

The point of the icons is to give a hint about the part of speech of the study item. There are small differences in how parts of speech are taught in different languages, but on a general level, these are the ones used:

Icon	Part of speech	Examples
	noun name of a thing What?	la manzana (apple), el niño (boy), Nueva York (New York)
	adjective a quality of a thing What kind?	rojo (red), redondo (round), curvado (curved)
	pronoun a substitute for a noun or an adjective	El niño corre. El tiene once años. The boy is running. He is eleven years old. ¿Quién eres? Who are you?
	numeral number or amount How many?	uno (one) cien (one hundred) quinto (fifth)
	verb doing, being or happening What is happening or being done?	correr (run), saltar (jump), llover (rain)
	other1 adverb, particle or adposition	adverb: Ella lo hizo rápidamente. (She did it rapidly.) particle: rojo y azul (red and blue) adposition: al otro lado del puente (across the bridge)
	abbreviation2 shortened form of a word or phrase	PIB (producto interior bruto, GNP i.e. gross national product) IVA (impuesto sobre el valor añadido, VAT i.e. value added tax)
	expression2 typical way to express something	¡Hola! (Hello!) ¿Cómo estás? (How are you?) ¿Cuánto cuesta esto? (How much is this?)
	grammar2 a rule of the language	el mejor (best, superlative of the adjective ’good’) los dientes (teeth, plural of the noun ’tooth’)
	character2 a letter, syllable or meaning	a (Latin letter ’a’) ф (Cyrillic letter ’ef’) あ (hiragana character ’a’) 字 (kanji character ’JI, aza’)

1. It is not necessary to know all the parts of speech when starting to study a new language. This is why smaller parts of speech have been combined. Here is a short description for those who are interested:
   
   • Adverb modifies the verb or the whole sentence. Typically, an adverb describes time, place, reason, manner or method.
   • Particles are function words (such as yet, however, anyway). In WordDive, interjections (hi, hello) are included in expressions, even though they are particles as well.
   • Adposition expresses the relation of a thing or being to another thing or being. An adposition that comes before its complement is called a preposition (before Monday) and an adposition that comes after its complement is called a postposition (the storm last night).
2. Character, abbreviation, expression and grammar are not officially parts of speech. They are specific to the WordDive service and are meant to facilitate learning.

Settings

All settings have practical default values, so you can get started without paying them any attention. However, after studying for a while, you might want to adjust the settings to suit your learning preferences better.

Click the Settings tab and adjust the settings as you like. There is a brief description of the functions of every control, but you can also experiment freely with different settings and find the ones that work best for you. You cannot break anything by changing the settings and none of your results will be lost. Just go ahead and find your own learning style.

Hints

Listen first

When you do not know the answer or answer incorrectly, the correct answer will be shown to you. This is the easiest way to learn to use the service. When you have gotten off to a good start, we recommend changing the First empty answer setting to Listen to answer on the Settings tab. This way you will only hear the correct answer after the first empty answer, but you will not see it written. Answering on the basis of what you heard will make learning more effective and give you Correct by Listening points. After the second empty answer, the correct answer will be shown just like before.

Recommendations

Learning with WordDive is very intensive, so using it often in short sessions is more effective than one long session. A 15-30 minute session at least twice a week is optimal for most people and sessions longer than an hour without breaks are not recommended. However, even studying for a few minutes is useful.

The choice of how often and how long to study is all yours. What feels the most natural to you is likely to be the most efficient for you. However, try to set a studying routine where you study at least a bit every week.

Using WordDive when you are very tired is not recommended. Intensive studying just before bedtime can also make it difficult to fall asleep.

How to cancel a WordDive subscription

1. Log in to your PayPal account.
2. Click the Profile link at the top of the page. The Profile link can be found on the My Account tab.
3. Click My Preapproved Payments in the Financial Information column.
4. Click the name of the merchant (WordDive).
5. Click Cancel or Cancel automatic billing and follow the instructions. In a Cancel Profile popup window, select Cancel Profile. Your subscription will now be canceled.