Some Additional Vocab Studying Hacks
“Just because we increase the speed of information doesn’t mean we can increase the speed of decisions. Pondering, reflecting and ruminating are undervalued skills in our culture.” - Dale Dauten
There isn’t a whole lot you can do with vocab words to make it easier to study (besides studying them consistently, a little bit every day for long periods), but I’ve dug up a few more vocab studying hacks that you can try to use to see if it helps you with the vocab.
1. Cramming (Reminder)
You’ve already learned this one, but I thought now would be a good time to remind you of it (since I think it’s pretty useful). Before starting group01 in this Anki deck, you can go in and cram a few of them to get them into your short term memory, making it easier to learn when they show up on the cards. To see what words you’ll find in group01, you can click “browse items” (it’s the magnifying glass) after you’ve opened the Ultimate Verbs deck, and then filter it to show only group01 cards. You’ll see a lot of the other cards (like dictionary form, transitive/intransitive, etc), but you can pretty quickly see what 10 words you’ll be learning, and go from there.
2. Doing The Verb
Going with the idea that using your senses will help you to remember things more effectively, if you do the verb you’re learning / studying, there’s a better chance you’ll remember it. I’m not saying you should go swimming if the verb is “to swim” but you should make like charades and pretend like you’re doing this thing. Doggy paddle in the air as you try to remember that “to swim” is およぎます. You might look like a weirdo (I wouldn’t suggest doing this in a coffee shop unless your verb is “to drink”) but give it a try for a while – imagine you’re doing the verb in your head too – I think a lot of you will find yourselves remembering the verb more quickly.
3. Studying In Front Of A Mirror
This is the weirdest one, but it totally works. It’s crazy, and I don’t know why it works, but it does. As you’re studying, look at yourself in a mirror (or webcam, or something). Say the word / answer out loud, and watch your lips while you do this. Not only will this help you to learn the vocab more quickly, but it will also help with pronunciation. There’s something about looking at yourself in a mirror that helps you to say things correctly, and I don’t know what it is. Mirrors are magical for some reason.
4. Consistency
That being said, no set of tricks will help you learn vocab more than consistency. Make sure you put aside 15-20 minutes every day to study your lists. If you do this every day, you’ll start learning things faster and faster and faster, and your rate of memorization will increase as well. It’s all about practicing the skill of learning vocab. If you get better at that, you’ll definitely get better at learning vocab, as well :)