When you want to learn an abstract word, you have to learn it in the context of a sentence in the foreign language. In order to do that you have to know the meanings of the other words in the sentence.
This works passively as well, if you see a sign and you understand 90% of what's written on it but there's one word you don't understand, you will much more easily remember that word later because you can place it in context.
This works passively as well, if you see a sign and you understand 90% of what's written on it but there's one word you don't understand, you will much more easily remember that word later because you can place it in context.