Thread: How many words to learn?

This is a very interesting topic, and I have been wondering about it.

Originally Posted by Ramil

https://www.quora.com/Can-fluency-in...-words-learned

It gives these rough figures:
1. 400 - 500 words are necessary for basic conversations.
2. 800 - 1000 words are necessary for basic reading.
3. 1,500 - 2,000 words are enough for all day activities and sufficient enough for average reading.
4. 3,000 - 4,000 - enough to read newspapers and specialized reading.
5. 8,000 words and more is enough for nearly fluent conversations, reading and listening.
6. 10,000 - 20,000 words - active vocabulary of a modern European.
7. 50,000 - 100,000 words - passive vocabulary of a modern European.

I don't think this is accurate. I have recorded all the words I learn in a flashcard app. So far I have memorised 6800 words, and I am absolutely unable to read a newspaper article without having to use the dictionary very repeatedly, without which I wouldn't grasp a lot of the information. I have read in other sources that newspapers required something in the magnitude of 18,000 words, which seems closer to my own experience...