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  • Welcome to the video. My name is Ronnie.

  • Today, I am going to teach you how to remember vocabulary.

  • One of the biggest, and most important things about learning a language, or just talking (laughs), is remembering vocabulary.

  • You might have new vocabulary that you've never heard before or it might be vocabulary that you've heard a hundred times and you always forget.

  • The very first rule when you're trying to learn a new language - the very basic - and a lot of people ask me: "Ronnie, how can I learn English?"

  • I'm a beginner in English, I want to learn English. The best way to begin learning English is to learn vocabulary; basic vocabulary and then go on to grammar.

  • Verbs would be a good way to start. I remember learning French when I was a child, I learned the colors first and then we went on to verbs and I was lost... (Chuckles) I can´t speak French.

  • I can teach you English, though. Today's lesson is on how to remember vocabulary. The number one rule is: Repeat, repeat and repeat.

  • The only way that I can remember new vocabulary (because I am a visual learner, which means I must see things to remember them) I have to write new words down.

  • As soon as I write the new words down, for some reason, my brain remembers.

  • Everyone has a different way of learning; maybe you are an audio learner, that means you learn from hearing.

  • If you are an audio learner you´re lucky!... Because you will be very good at languages and...because I'm more of a visual learner if someone tells me a new word

  • I don't remember the new word, what I have to do, like I said, is write the word down and visualize the word.

  • Repeat, repeat, repeat...

  • Two: A really, really good technique that I used (some of you may know) I lived in Japan for four beautiful years. I actually tried to learn Japanese

  • ...yes, yes, it was exciting and fun!

  • One way that I learned Kanji, (which is Chinese script) is I had a poster in my toilet of the different Chinese or Japanese characters

  • So everytime I went to the toilet, I would look at the poster; I am not physically consciously trying to learn it, we call it: "subconscious"; I´m subconsciously learning

  • the symbols because I´m seeing it everyday. Sometimes three times a day I would see that new vocabulary. It would help me to remember because I could repeat.

  • Eventually, I would understand it, I would get it. Another really good technique is to use a poster, as I said, (which is a big paper) and write down new vocabulary words

  • Or get small sticky notes. I think everyone understands sticky notes

  • They're about 'yay' big

  • And you stick them on something.

  • When I started to learn Spanish...

  • I'm still doing that..

  • I would take the sticky notes and I would stick them on the things that corresponded to the word.

  • For example, if I was going to learn about a chair.

  • I would take a sticker that said 'silla'

  • And I would put it on the chair. I would take my sticky note and put it on the chair.

  • So every time I looked at the chair I would remember the Spanish word.

  • But I forget now. I think it's 'silla'

  • I think it's my pronunciation that's bad, isn't it? Yeah.

  • So if you see the words or a group of words everyday, it will help you remember.

  • One very important thing to also remember is that you cannot learn 100 words a day.

  • I would limit myself to no more than 10 new words a day.

  • That's a lot.

  • I would go for 3, 4, or 5.

  • If you're a more advanced English learner and you're trying to learn a lot of new vocabulary. I would do 10.

  • But it's important to repeat, repeat, repeat.

  • So in 1 week (10 times 7) you're going to have 70 new words in your brain.

  • But if you don't repeat them you will lose those words.

  • Because I'm a visual learner I also like to draw pictures.

  • I'm a very good artist.

  • So one way I learn things is by drawing pictures, and putting the words inside the pictures.

  • If you like arts or you're good at computer graphics you can make little pictures or posters with English words exactly into the picture.

  • So if I was going to draw a picture of a donkey, I would write the word donkey and make the shape of a donkey.

  • So I remember from doing art.

  • The next one which is more of an academic way to remember vocabulary is to take a word that you've learned

  • make a sentence with the new word.

  • If I have the word donkey I can say "I want a donkey."

  • So what I'm doing is I am making a sentence, so I'm improving my grammar

  • And I'm also repeating, repeating, repeating the new vocabulary.

  • I can also say 'Hey, maybe I don't want a donkey'.

  • As long as you make a sentence and repeat the sentence, it's going to help you.

  • The last trick, which is fun, this is my favourite.

  • Your own native language can help you remember English vocabulary.

  • A very good example of this is, in Japan, there is a word called 'Bimbo'.

  • In Japanese it means 'broke'. It means you have no money.

  • When I went to Japan I heard the word 'Bimbo, Bimbo, Bimbo!' (laughs)

  • Why are people talking about stupid girls?

  • In English, 'Bimbo' means a girl who is stupid.

  • Or not very intelligent.

  • I couldn't understand why so many Japanese people were saying 'Stupid girl, stupid girl, stupid girl'

  • And then I asked someone 'What does Bimbo mean?"

  • And they said... this means no money so if you can use your own language.

  • and maybe there's even a word that sounds similar in your language like Bimbo.

  • I'm trying to learn Spanish...

  • (sigh) I'm not doing a very good job at it but if I hear a word that sounds like an English word, it helps me remember the word more.

  • I want you to try and think of your language and English. Even if the word sounds a little bit the same, your language can help you learn another language.

  • The word might even be the same in your language, if you're lucky!

  • If you need help in remembering vocabulary, number one rule..

  • Repeat, repeat, repeat.

  • Look at it every day. Visualise it. Write it down. Talk about it.

  • It'll help you. It'll stick in your brain.

  • For more brain exercises go to www.engvid.com. Do a quiz. Bye!

Welcome to the video. My name is Ronnie.

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