How To Learn Vocabulary With Some Cunning Technology!

How do you even begin to learn vocabulary when there are just so many words to learn? How do you know which vocabulary you should concentrate on? How can you learn vocabulary when you don't understand half of it?

This video is a step-by-step guide for choosing, recording and learning vocabulary. It's good for any language, of course – English vocabulary, French vocabulary, Spanish vocabulary, Chinese vocabulary… it doesn't matter.

Things you'll need:

• A web browser
• Microsoft Excel
• An SRS flashcards app for your phone or tablet (the one I use in this video is Flashcards Deluxe, but you can use Anki, Memrise, etc.)

Just before we get started, if you're interested in picking up vocabulary naturally, as you read stories in your target language, then you'd enjoy my StoryLearning courses: get a free 7-day trial.

How To Learn Vocabulary

Polyglots are like economists – ask 2 polyglots how to learn vocabulary and you'll get 3 different answers. There are many ways to learn vocabulary, and the right way is the one that works for you. However, whatever method you use, one thing's for sure: you need to keep a clear record of new words and phrases.

The reason I like to use flashcard apps is that I can just store new language directly in the app and use it to test myself over the coming days and weeks. Job done.

Sure, you can write things down in a notebook, but then you only have to transfer it all across to your app later.

This approach involves keeping an ongoing record of new words in a spreadsheet on your desktop. In the video I only record a few phrases, but what you should do is let the spreadsheet live on your desktop and keep updating it over time whenever you read things online.

For full instructions on how to transfer a spreadsheet to your flashcard app, see the following pages:

• Flashcards Deluxe
• Anki
• Memrise

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