Learning vocabulary can sometimes seem a little overwhelming no matter what level you are working at. You can sometimes also have a sinking feeling when you feel you have mastered an expression and see an alternative way of saying this - argh! However, this is absolutely normal and one way to approach this is to be mindful of expressions that you want to be aware of passively (so that you can understand them when you hear or read them) and those expressions that you want to use actively in your own spoken or written French.
For example, you may frequently use the expression ‘je veux’ to say ‘I want’ and then encounter the lovely expression ‘j’ai envie de’, which also means ‘I want’ (as well as I feel like / I fancy). These two expressions can be used almost interchangeably so you could decide to continue using ‘je veux’ and just be aware of ‘j’ai envie de’. That’s fine! Or you may choose to try to add this new expression into your own spoken and written French. This will require more work as you will have to make a conscious effort to use this new phrase regularly until it becomes as natural as your well-mastered ‘je veux’. The main thing to remember though is that the choice is yours!
If you do learn a new expression and want to integrate it into your own spoken French, it is very helpful to write this down and then start using it immediately by writing down some short phrases of this in use. Contextualising vocab and phrases and making them as relevant to you as possible can help so much. Here is an example of how you could record this:
You then also need to try to make a real effort to almost ‘overuse’ the expression until it embeds naturally into your ‘active’ vocab. I am currently doing this with the word ‘bluffer’ which is a more familiar way of saying ‘impressionner’ (to impress) and which I had never heard of until listening to a recording that my French friend had done. At the moment for me, everything is ‘bluffant’!
As you progress with your learning and become exposed to a wider range of vocabulary and structures, you will encounter more instances like this. But you can pick and choose, and you can manage this by being selective about what you want to be aware of and what you want to use. Just remember that the latter requires more effort. But the effort is worthwhile!
I find that being more selective about the vocabulary you want to use 'actively' can really help ease the pressure of vocabulary building.
I hope this helps!
Sarah xx