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Мне проще запомнить новые слова, когда я записываю их в дневник.

Мне проще запомнить новые слова, когда я записываю их в дневник.
It’s easier for me to remember new words when I write them down in a diary.

Breakdown of Мне проще запомнить новые слова, когда я записываю их в дневник.

я
I
в
in
новый
new
мне
me
когда
when
слово
the word
запомнить
to remember
их
them
записывать
to write down
дневник
the diary
проще
easier
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Questions & Answers about Мне проще запомнить новые слова, когда я записываю их в дневник.

Why does it start with Мне? Why dative instead of я?

Russian often expresses feelings/comfort/difficulty with a “dative experiencer” construction: мне + (adverb/predicative) + infinitive.
So Мне проще запомнить… literally means “To me it’s easier to remember…” = “I find it easier to remember…”.
You’ll see the same pattern with:

  • Мне трудно понять (It’s hard for me to understand)
  • Мне приятно познакомиться (Nice to meet you)
What part of speech is проще here?

Проще is the comparative form of просто in the “category of state” / predicative use (often taught as an adverb used predicatively). In this sentence it means easier / more easily.
Related forms:

  • просто = simply / it’s easy (depending on context)
  • проще = easier
  • самое простое (colloquial) = the easiest thing
Why use запомнить (perfective) instead of запоминать (imperfective)?

запомнить is perfective and focuses on achieving the result: to memorize / to learn (so that you remember).
запоминать is imperfective and focuses on the process/habit of memorizing.

In this sentence, проще запомнить sounds natural because you’re talking about successfully getting the words into memory (a result). If you said Мне проще запоминать…, it would emphasize the process and can also be correct depending on the intended nuance.

Why is there an infinitive (запомнить) instead of a finite verb like “I remember”?

Because the structure is мне проще + infinitive. The main “predicate” is the state проще (easier), and the action is expressed by an infinitive:

  • Мне проще запомнить… = “It’s easier (for me) to memorize…”

This is a very common Russian pattern for “It’s (easy/hard/possible/necessary) to do X.”

What case is новые слова in, and why?

новые слова is accusative plural (direct object) because it’s what you’re memorizing: запомнить (что?) новые слова.
For inanimate masculine and neuter nouns in plural, accusative = nominative, so слова looks the same in both cases.

What does когда mean here, and how does the “when” clause work?

когда introduces a time/condition clause: when(ever) / when.
Here it describes the condition under which memorizing is easier:

  • …когда я записываю их в дневник = “…when I write them down in a diary/journal.”

In English you might naturally say “when/whenever I write them down…”, and Russian когда can cover both, depending on context.

Why is записываю imperfective?

записывать / записывать (imperfective) is used for an ongoing/repeated action: writing things down as a habit or routine.
So когда я записываю… implies “when I write them down (as I do it / whenever I do it).”

If you used perfective (когда я запишу…), it would more strongly point to a single completed action in a more specific situation, often with a future sense (“when I write them down [and finish]…”).

What does их refer to, and why is it placed where it is?

их = “them,” referring to новые слова.
It’s a pronoun in the accusative/genitive form их (the form doesn’t change by case for this pronoun).

Placement: Russian often puts short pronouns before the prepositional phrase:

  • записываю их в дневник is very natural. You could also say записываю в дневник их, but it’s less neutral and usually used for emphasis or specific rhythm.
Why в дневник and not в дневнике?

Because в + accusative is used for motion/direction “into” or “to”:

  • записывать в дневник = “to write (something) into a diary”

в дневнике would be в + prepositional, meaning location “in the diary”:

  • Это в дневнике = “It’s in the diary.” Different idea: location vs “putting” information into it.
Is дневник a “diary” or a “journal”? Could it also mean “school gradebook”?

дневник can mean: 1) a personal diary/journal (common in adult contexts), and
2) a student school diary / planner (where homework and sometimes grades are written), especially in school contexts.

In your sentence, both are possible; the meaning is usually clear from context (learning words suggests a language notebook/journal, but дневник is still plausible).

Why is there a comma before когда?

Because когда я записываю их в дневник is a subordinate clause, and Russian normally separates subordinate clauses with a comma:

  • Мне проще запомнить новые слова, когда…

This is standard punctuation, similar to English but more consistent/mandatory in Russian.

Could I swap the word order? For example: Когда я записываю их в дневник, мне проще запомнить новые слова.

Yes. Russian word order is flexible, and fronting the когда-clause is common:

  • Когда я записываю их в дневник, мне проще запомнить новые слова.

Meaning stays essentially the same; the first version puts the main statement first, while the fronted version sets the condition/time frame first.

Is проще interchangeable with легче here?

Often, yes:

  • Мне легче запомнить… also means “It’s easier for me to memorize…”

Nuance: легче is the more direct “easier” (as in less difficult), while проще can sometimes lean toward “simpler/more straightforward” or “more convenient,” though in many everyday sentences they overlap heavily.