Comments on: How to Memorize Foreign Language Vocabulary

on 5/13/2008 Wildy future diplomate United Naions

on 3/16/2008 I found that using picture flashcards was very effective and fun when increasing my vocabulary. I have posted several different languages and blank flashcards at www.foreignlanguageflashcards.com. Everything is free, take a look and at me know if you have any suggestions.

on 8/21/2006 Learn with a friend. You can practice questions and answers more effectively and it will be a lot more fun. Translate simple songs into another language. Poems or anything else you can remember easily work too.

Don't think "Gato means cat". Think "The gato is my pet". Try to use words in context with English or words you already know. Find a fun language. Stick with it. After 5 and a half years of Spanish, French is a bit confusing. But if you like it, stay with it. Don't keep switching back and forth.

The earlier you learn something, the better it'll stick. I learned Chinese at a tender age. However, it's a lot harder to pick things up now.

on 3/17/2006 Some words in foreign languages do sound really stupid- for example in Russian, "brave brother" sounds like "smelly brat". There are a lot of words that sound funny but are still really useful so make fun of them and you'll never forget!

on 11/22/2005 Since English is based on almost every language you think of, I like to remember cognates. Also, instead of thinking of it as a new language, you can think of it as adding new words to your vocabulary. When speaking, think of how you would say the words in the foreign language. Instead of memorizing, make sense of common phrases and always keep detailed notes.

on 11/22/2005 Watching TV and listening to stations in a foreign language really helps memorize the vocabulary since you will get used to the daily spoken words.

I know some guys who learned German by only watching German movies everyday.

on 11/22/2005 Try to translate a paragraph or an article from a newspaper or a magazine to your native language. You will learn a lot of new words.

on 11/22/2005 As you know you have some foreign words with the same (or similar) pronunciation in your own language but with a different meaning. For example; the word card in my language means knife in yours. So, here I have a knife and a card. Make a sentence in either your own language or the language you are learning. Mostly, the sentences are really funny and it helps in sticking the words in your mind. Try it!

on 11/22/2005 Reading children's books can help you learn new vocabulary. Pick a book that is easy enough to understand, but challenging enough that it presents some new vocabulary, too. I suggest picking a book that is rather short, so that it can be reread frequently and quickly. For example, a book of 150 words with about five new words in it can be reread in a matter of minutes, each time reinforcing the new vocabulary. Don't feel silly about reading a children's book. Pick a book on a topic that interests you. You can borrow the books from the library. You'll learn useful vocabulary because children's books usually start with immediately useful, relevant words and expressions.

I studied French at a university and reached a good level. But I found there were a lot of gaps in my French, especially when it came to talking about things in my daily life. Reading children's books helped to fill these gaps, and because I could reread each book in one or two minutes, I remembered the new material more easily.

on 11/22/2005 Look for a penfriend who speaks that language, and preferably also your own! There are websites that allow you to advertise free for foreign email penfriends.

You can learn to discuss the kind of things that matter to you - your job, studies, life, family, friends, hobbies, etc. You also learn how people really say things (not just the official forms), and useful phrases or bits of slang.

If you write things in a word processor and use the foreign spellchecker, it will indicate where you have made mistakes, so you can correct yourself and see what you are doing wrong.

on 11/22/2005 Here is an example of remembering a German word.

"Teller" means plate. Teller suggests to me a bank teller counting out money. So that's the first part. Now I have to get a location for the bank teller. Since teller means plate, where would you find a plate in your local town? I would think of a restaurant. So now I imagine the bank teller counting out money onto a huge plate in my local restaurant. I can hear the sound of the money hitting the plate and can smell the money too! I can even hear the bank teller counting.

I familiarize myself with my local town and use that to remember foreign words. I got this from http://www.memorymentor.com/techniques.htm (click on foreign languages).

I hope this helps! It works for me!

on 11/22/2005 Get index cards and write the vocabulary word on one side and the definition on the other side. It works great with sign language. Just draw the sign on one side and the word on the other side.

on 11/22/2005 I've found that it helps to pick one or two new words a day, and practice using those words. Memorizing vocabulary is one thing, but committing it to memory is a whole other story. If you use the word, you'll remember it much more easily.

on 11/22/2005 Going to the place ultimately works the best, as well as speaking the language a lot. Post-it's are a great help. You can also buy some dry erase markers and write vocabulary on your bathroom mirrors, where you're sure to spend time at least twice a day. Try drawing pictures, using the word in a sentence, or generally connecting the word with its actual meaning instead of the English equivalent, which will ultimately get you stuck. Even if you aren't listening actively, put on some music, or your language instruction tapes when you're falling asleep or just doing errands. Eventually you will get the sound and feeling of the language and learning new words will be much much easier. Good luck!

on 11/22/2005 I remembered my foreign lingo vocab by setting the words to classical music - waltzes and marches for German vocab, flaminco for spanish