Learning a new language can be exciting but it is not always easy. There is a lot to remember and memorize including vocabulary, sentence structure, grammar, and pronunciation.
Paying attention in your language class is often not enough for the new words and rules to sink in. You may also find that if you do not use the language for a while, you begin to forget key aspects of it you previously knew well.
some tips to memorize vocabulary
Keep an organized notebook
Whilst everyone learns in different ways, most people benefit from having a record of vocabulary and language rules that they can refer back to and revise.
Notes you make in lessons may be messy or unorganized, as you are hurriedly writing down everything you learn as you go.
Have a separate notebook for organized notes, where the language content you need to know is easy to find, categorized, and readable. Use tables, diagrams, and different colors to connect related content.
Making the notebook will also act as a revision task in itself as you will need to go back through everything you have done in your lessons and it will make you think about what content you need to know for your language exams.
You will be thankful for organized notes when you are studying for the exams and you can enjoy having a handy reference book in the future.
Go back over the vocabulary
To truly master new vocabulary, it’s not enough to simply write the words down—you need to continuously engage with them to commit them to memory. One effective method is to create a plan where you regularly review a list of new words every few days. Challenge yourself to recall them and test your memory. Don’t just passively recognize the words—say them aloud or mentally sound them out, in addition to memorizing how they look in writing. By incorporating multiple senses—sight, sound, and speech—you increase the likelihood of retaining these words in your long-term memory.
Additionally, try associating the words with context, images, or stories that make them more memorable. This process of active engagement helps reinforce your learning, allowing you to recall the vocabulary more easily in the future. The key is consistency: the more often you expose yourself to new words and use them, the stronger your grasp will be.
Record yourself
Not everyone enjoys listening to the sound of their own voice but it can actually be very useful to do so! If you have a set of vocabulary you are learning, record yourself saying these words and using them in sentences. You can listen to your recording wherever you are, helping to drill in the vocabulary.
Try speaking along with yourself to further bury the words into your mind, or leave a designated gap in your recording to vocalize them and try out saying them in different sentences.
Don’t try to learn too many at once
When learning a new language, you may get excited and want to learn a lot of content at once. Perhaps you will be able to retain this new information in the short term, but in the long run, you will struggle to remember it all.
Be realistic about how much you learn in a day. Set a certain amount of new words or grammar rules to memorize and go over and over these many times before moving on to different content.
Try a variety of activities
Another good technique to memorize vocab yourself and rules is the use of puzzles, games, and activities.
A word search of new vocabulary will get you thinking about the spellings of words, and a crossword will combine this with learning their definitions. Try activities such as labeling images of objects with what they are named in the language you are learning or completing sentences with the correct word.
You will be able to find plenty of these activities online. Vary which types of activities you use or narrow down which ones you enjoy the most and help you learn the best.
Learn words’ definitions and put them into sentences
It is all well and good to memorize a list of vocabulary but do you know all of the words’ definitions? It is no use knowing countless words if you cannot implement them into your writing or speaking because you don’t know what they mean.
As you are learning new words, make sure you are also memorizing their definitions. It is okay if this means you have to shorten the vocabulary list you have challenged yourself to learn!
A good way to test if you understand what words mean is to try and put them into sentences. If you are trying to memorize the words for different articles of clothing, for example, put them in sentences describing the parts of the body they go on. Make sure you say your sentences aloud as well as write them down to help you remember even better.
Practice memorizing techniques
Brain training and improving your memory in general will in turn help you learn a language. Keep your mind active and flexible by solving puzzles and riddles. You can find many online or you can buy books full of them from beginner to advanced levels.
A great memory game is laying out a load of everyday objects in a row on a surface and giving yourself a set amount of time to try and remember what they are and the order they are in. After the time is up, cover up the objects and attempt to recite them all in the correct order. It is a frustrating challenge but one you can improve on – just like your ability to learn a language!
Want to put your new memory skills to the test by learning English? Enrol in a General English course or learn English for Specific Purposes with Think English.
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