Are you struggling to memorize vocabulary? Well, you might not be the only one. Vocabulary, obviously, is an essential part of learning a language. But many people learn it through memorizing lists of words and their literal meaning. Maybe they apply it in sentences during the class exercises, and that’s it.
The truth is there are better ways to learn and practice that vocabulary. Many of those have to do with the immersion method, which consists of being involved in the language and interacting with it, so you absorb it.
In fact, we recommend that more than just memorizing it, you acquire it.
That being said, here are 3 strategies to learn vocabulary, or even better, to acquire vocabulary.
Apply the Vocabulary to Your Life
If you have a vocabulary list written on a sheet of paper, try to apply each word to your life and everyday situations.
Think deeply where a word could apply into your life. For example: If you have the Spanish word “cocina” (kitchen), think about when you have to cook, where do you do it?
You can either just think of the situations where it applies, or – even better – use it during those moments. So when you go to the kitchen, say “I’m going to the cocina”.
This will help you memorize and truly learn the words and their meanings. It’s better than doing the boring task of sitting down and repeating the words over and over again until you learn them. This way you add the vocabulary to your own personal context.
Read
One of the best immersive ways to learn vocabulary is through reading! This activity will allow you to learn words and phrases through context. You’ll see how a word or a phrase works within a sentence, paragraph and a whole story.
This way you will not simply memorize a word and its meaning. No, you’ll truly learn when to use it, the different meanings it can have, and the situations where you can apply it.
Plus, it’s a super fun way to learn!
We recommend you read everything you can in your target language: News, blogs, short stories, books of different genres, social media posts, and so on. No matter how small a text is, it will help you acquire vocabulary and truly understand it.
Of course, you will not remember every single word you read. But as you keep on reading, you’ll see many words again and again until they stick to your brain.
Watch Netflix Shows and Movies
Another fun way of acquiring vocabulary instead of just memorizing is to do a very common activity you probably already do anyways. Watch Netflix!
Just pick any series or movie in your target language, prepare yourself some snacks, and watch the tv. This way, it won’t feel like you’re studying at all. It’ll be fun, like any other moment where you watch your favorite shows and movies.
Of course, there will be the language factor. At first it might be difficult to understand everything, which will make learning vocabulary tougher. In those cases, you can put the subtitles.
Once you’ve trained your ears a bit more and feel more comfortable listening to your second language, turn off the subtitles. You will still have some trouble grasping every single word. But watching what the characters do on the screen and what’s going on will help you get the idea.
If you have a specific reason to learn a second language, look for shows and movies related to that reason. For example: If you want to learn business English, watch a show that’s related to the business world. That way you’ll get to learn more words and phrases related to business.
Little by little, you’ll see how you understand more and more vocabulary. Until you acquire and even start using some new words and phrases. This is also another way of learning vocabulary through context.
Practice Your Vocabulary with TruFluency
If you want more tips to learn new vocabulary or now you need to practice it, take our second language classes!
TruFluency offers completely online language lessons with flexible schedules, so you can study with use wherever you are. We have many different languages for you to choose from!
On top of that, we have native teachers that customize the lessons to your language needs and goals. So we’ll gladly help you with your goals of learning words and phrases in a fun way.
The best of all is that we base all our classes on the Bellieu Method. It consists of encouraging students to speak in every class in their target language using everything they’ve learned. It’s the best way to truly achieve language fluency!
So you’ll definitely practice your new vocabulary with us.
Take two one-hour trial classes now! You’ll see how committed we are to your language journey.
