Flashcards self-graded + alternating

Hello,
Asking for help here regarding setting up my flashcards.
For years I have been using self-graded + simple mode.
It prompts me the chinese, and tapping on the keys reveals the pinyin + translation. Simple.

That works beautifully specially when my focus is reading books, because I read the Chinese characters.
Recently I want to focus more on talking, and for that I feel that it would be better if my flashcards were alternating instead. Because very often, I would know the Chinese if I saw it written, but when I want to say it, I can't remember. So I want to also do flashcards from English to Chinese.

1. I can't do it somehow. Selecting Alternating always gives me the Chinese first (self-graded + alternating + test reading checked only).
My setting for "configure subject" may be incorrect? I want to show "chars only" OR "definition only" at first, and when tapping on the commands below I want the other one to display.

2. General question: If what I'm asking is doable, I am bothered that SRS will be affected. For a given word W, it determines that it needs 10 days to remember. But if after 10 days, it is the English that comes up, isn't this quite different in term of memory? I don't like so much the idea of a random alternating of Chinese>English and English>Chinese, but I can feel that my English>Chinese direction is really not good due to years of not doing flashcards in that direction.

Thanks :)
 

Shun

状元
Hi François,

I have just three points:
  • You can use different scorefiles for Alternating and SRS to make sure one doesn‘t affect the other.
  • Instead of using the Alternating function, you may already know I prefer to split categories into chunks of about 30, and then alternate the studying directions between Chinese-English and English-Chinese with the Simple subject selection. That also allows me to fine-tune the ratio of studying sessions in each direction.
  • I love how @leguan‘s sentence contextual flashcards train you in writing, reading, and a little bit speaking/language production at the same time (because one gets to read good example sentences which inevitably resonate in one’s mind). That way, you don’t need to split any categories, either. Of course, that‘s just general vocabulary, but lots of it.

Cheers,

Shun
 
Thanks Shun!
I guess you are right, I'll split into 2 scorefiles, it is more clean that way.

Normally I don't want to have any card limit, so if Pleco wants me to do 300+ cards per day I would do them.
But a while ago when I split into 2 scorefiles to do CN>EN and EN>CN, I found myself with 300+ times two to do every day and I couldn't handle it and gave up the EN>CN one...

I guess I'll start with a low daily limit on the EN>CN direction and see how it goes.

Pleco has so much to offer, but when you get comfortable using it one way, it's hard to change... I always used the "Self-graded" mode but I should give a try to the others some day...
 

pdwalker

状元
Francois, when you are faced with a shitload of cards, the nice thing about the Pleco tests is you can do it whenever you like, for as many as you'd like, and then put the app away.

I find that when I end up with a bunch of new cards, I can plug away at it all through the day and pick up from where I left off. So, 5 cards here, 10 cards there2 - and after a while, I'll be caught up.

Heck, even if I don't do them all, if I just keep plugging away at it, eventually I will clear the backlog and the ones already in the SRS will start to show up less frequently because I gotten though them.

The other way is to just put fewer cards in your deck and only add more when you've gotten through the first batch.

Don't overwhelm yourself.
 
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