How I Learned English Vocabulary

If you're trying to improve your English vocabulary, but you feel like you can't really remember everything you're learning, this video is for you. Today,

I'm going to share with you the methods I applied when I was learning English.

And these are the same methods I apply with my students, and they work. I

recommend taking some notes while you go through this video, so then you'll have something to look at when the video is done. Of course, you can watch it again,

done. Of course, you can watch it again, but it's always nice to write things down because you retain information a little bit better. So first let's talk about something really important and

that's the methods that you are currently applying or the methods that are taught to us in schools. So the

traditional ways of teaching vocabulary in schools is pretty much you write down the word, you write the translation into your native language, maybe you repeat

that word 10 times and hope for the best. Some of us may have long

best. Some of us may have long vocabulary lists like trying to learn uh 10 to 15 words a day. We have

colorcoordinated notebooks. We have

stickers on our fridges. And all of this is great, but it doesn't really do the job. These methods make you feel

job. These methods make you feel productive. They give you this illusion

productive. They give you this illusion that you are learning. But a few days or a week later, these words and expressions are gone. and at some point in the future, you see that word or

expression, you recognize it, but you can't really put your finger on it, and you can't really use it yourself. So,

what's really wrong with these methods, and why don't they work? Well, it's

because these old school methods are based on passive memorization and not active use. They teach you to recognize

active use. They teach you to recognize the words, but not to own them. So, let

me explain. When you write down a word or an expression and you just write it in your notebook, you translate it and maybe say it a few times, but without

real context, you are creating this false idea of learning. You're creating

a temporary memory and you're not building any confidence to use this word in real life. And that's not your fault.

Most schools still teach vocabulary this way. But we have been shown by studies

way. But we have been shown by studies that our brain doesn't learn a language like that. Doesn't retain information

like that. Doesn't retain information through these methods. So what is real learning? How do you actually learn? So

learning? How do you actually learn? So

a lot of you might think that if you write something down or if you watch a video about something or if you hear a teacher explaining something to you and

you understand that that's learning. But

that's only the beginning. That's the

first step. you are only getting familiarized with those words, expressions or concepts. You might

understand the word today, but if you don't use it, if you don't include it into your everyday speech, you will lose that word. And that's because learning

that word. And that's because learning has two stages and you're only doing the first. So the first stage is passive

first. So the first stage is passive vocabulary. You recognize the word, you

vocabulary. You recognize the word, you understand it, but you can't yet use it.

And stage two is active vocabulary. You

use that word in the right context when you need it without hesitation and without any translation happening in your head. Words become part of your

your head. Words become part of your vocabulary only through consistent use.

Until then, they're not really your words. They're someone else's. Okay.

words. They're someone else's. Okay.

Another thing I wanted to point out is that you don't need to learn all the words. You need to learn the right words

words. You need to learn the right words for you, for your life, for your job, for your interests, for everything that surrounds you. Would a ballet dancer and

surrounds you. Would a ballet dancer and a truck driver use the same words every day? Nope. Would a fashion blogger or a

day? Nope. Would a fashion blogger or a cyber security analyst talk about the same topics? Definitely not. So, instead

same topics? Definitely not. So, instead

of trying to learn everything, start building your own vocabulary bank. words

you need for work, words and expressions that match your hobbies and interests.

Words that match your tone, your style, your humor. Basically, words and

your humor. Basically, words and expressions you would use in your native language if you spoke English. That's

how you build a vocabulary that serves you. And if you're learning vocabulary

you. And if you're learning vocabulary that is relevant to you, that you feel like is useful to you, you're not going to get bored and you're going to understand exactly where to use those

expressions, how to use those words, and actually feel the progress. So, I like to call these words high impact vocabulary. These are words that are

vocabulary. These are words that are frequent, are flexible, are functional to you, are commonly used in English or are professionally or emotionally useful

to you. We all come from different

to you. We all come from different backgrounds. We all have different

backgrounds. We all have different mindsets, different mentalities, different culture. We cannot all speak

different culture. We cannot all speak the same way. You don't all speak the same way in your country. And everybody

has its own style of communication, right? So, we're trying to kind of do

right? So, we're trying to kind of do the same thing. We're not trying to be robots and everybody have the same exact vocabulary bank, but we're trying to match what we need to our thoughts, our

ideas, our goals, our style. You want to look at, okay, what's my job? What are

my interests? What do I like doing? What

do I like watching? What do I like reading about? Because if you're already

reading about? Because if you're already consuming content that you're into, that you're interested in, might as well consume it in English. Because if you're actually interested in what you're

watching, reading, you're going to pay attention differently than if you're trying to learn some random words that you just wrote on a piece of paper. It's

going to be organic learning. Try to

find expressions or idioms or different phrasal verbs that you find that you use a lot in your native language. So this

way, you want to match what you're going to be sounding in English with your native language style. Then learn

expressions that match your style. If

you're sarcastic, learn sarcastic expressions. If you're funny, learn some

expressions. If you're funny, learn some jokes. Your environment, your house, try

jokes. Your environment, your house, try to describe everything around you. Try

to narrate everything you're doing. Try

to be comfortable within your comfort zone, but in English. Your outfit, your breakfast, how your day went, um what you watched on the news. Talk about your

pet, talk about your friend. things that

you can actually feel, things that you can attach some sort of emotional baggage to. This is how you're going to

baggage to. This is how you're going to discover what you need to learn. Because

when you're going to try to say those things and you won't have them, you're going to know, okay, this is the word that I need to look up. This is the expression I need to search for. This is

the style that I'm looking for. And

that's how you identify what you need to learn specifically for you. Don't just

learn random words from an article on a topic that you're not even interested in because you will never end up using those words. So, you will never remember

those words. So, you will never remember those words. Therefore, you're just

those words. Therefore, you're just wasting your time. Remember, you don't need to know everything. And of course, our passive vocabulary will always be bigger than our active vocabulary,

right? Because we are able to understand

right? Because we are able to understand a lot more. We consume a lot more compared to speaking or producing. We

don't write and we don't speak as much as we listen and watch and read. So,

it's okay to have a bigger passive vocabulary because when you're watching a documentary on a topic that you're not even interested in, you will understand what they're talking about. Even though

those words might not be part of your active vocabulary, so you won't be able to use them in the same way they did in that documentary. But we are mostly

that documentary. But we are mostly focusing on active vocabulary and how you can speak more fluently and more confidently. Another thing I used to do

confidently. Another thing I used to do is practice all the dialogues and the conversations that I had had during the day in the evening or before bed or

while I was taking a shower. So the

conversations I would have in my native language with friends, colleagues, teachers, parents, whatever, I would try to replay them in English. And then I

would know like, okay, I wanted to say that, but I don't really know how. I'm

going to go and look for those words and expressions. Or for work, for example, I

expressions. Or for work, for example, I would prepare like a little presentation on a small topic and I would try to talk about it as if I would present it. I

would convince people of what I was trying to say. And again, because my thoughts were coming from my native language, I kind of knew, okay, this is how I wanted to present this

information. These are the words that I

information. These are the words that I needed and I didn't have or I thought I knew, but I didn't have on the spot.

Which means that I had them in my passive vocabulary, but I had to convert them into active vocabulary. And then I would get a little bit more technical and play with root words that could get

prefixes and suffixes added to them in order to create new words. So English is fun and interesting that way. You have

one root word and then you can add different elements either at the beginning of the word or at the end and create three, four, maybe five new words. For example, the verb to create.

words. For example, the verb to create.

It could be creativity for the noun and it could be creative for the adjective.

Help. helpful, helpless, happy, unhappy, happiness. So when you start getting

happiness. So when you start getting used to what type of prefixes there are and what type of suffixes there are, you can kind of play with it yourself and

you you develop this logic of okay, what would make this word the opposite of the other if I added a certain prefix? Do

undo interested uninterested competent, incompetent, and so on and so forth. Most important thing, do not

forth. Most important thing, do not learn too much at once. I know it gives you that instant gratification feeling that that sense of learning when you

write many things down, but you're not going to retain those words. You're not

going to remember them. They won't even become part of your passive vocabulary, let alone active vocabulary. This is

just wishful thinking. This is just hope. And this hope fades away. So

hope. And this hope fades away. So

instead, what I would do, I would choose three to five words maximum. Five is

like a lot. So three to four is perfect.

I would focus a lot on the pronunciation to make sure that I'm confident I'm saying them right. Then I would try to find real life examples in my mind, even

imaginary situations, but realistic situations that could happen in my life where I could use that word. And very

importantly, I would say those things out loud. I would also try to write a

out loud. I would also try to write a little short story with those words.

It's kind of a fun exercise, especially for my students when you give them kind of random words and I have to find a way to put them all together and to make them make sense. Or you can also journal

about your day, for example, and try to incorporate those words into your sentences. So, as you can probably

sentences. So, as you can probably notice, it's a lot more production rather than consumption. So, you write things down and then you start using them. you start to produce your own

them. you start to produce your own thoughts containing that word or that expression. And one of the most

expression. And one of the most important things that a lot of people forget about or maybe they don't know about is that you need to revisit those words. You need to reuse them, refresh

words. You need to reuse them, refresh them. Imagine I curl my hair today and I

them. Imagine I curl my hair today and I want the curls to last for two weeks.

They won't. I have to recurl them maybe in two days, maybe tomorrow in order for them to last. Those are your words. The

curls are your words. You have to continuously use them, introduce them into your vocabulary, look at them, say them so they stay alive and they stay in your

active vocabulary and they don't go into passive vocabulary or completely fade away. So when you're doing this

away. So when you're doing this vocabulary rotation, I would also add some synonyms and antonyms. For example, if you always use the word nice, right?

Depending on the context, depending on the situation, sometimes you can use a different word, not nice. You, of

course, you can say a nice outfit, nice dress, nice house, nice weather, nice park, everything can be nice. Nice. Nice

is a very, very generic word, uh, very flexible. But if you're trying to enrich

flexible. But if you're trying to enrich your vocabulary, you can switch that up.

You can have pleasant instead of nice.

You can have lovely, enjoyable. It could

be stunning or delicious or beautiful.

So many other things depending on what you're describing. And the same thing

you're describing. And the same thing with antonyms. You could have the word bad that you use with everything, but you can also have terrible, awful,

unpleasant, disappointing, mediocre. So

identifying that word that you use a lot and finding synonyms for it will make you sound a lot more flexible and a lot more fluent because you're going to

express your thoughts a lot more accurately. And another thing about the

accurately. And another thing about the negative words or the antonyms of the good words being polite is huge in English. Okay, so here we're talking a

English. Okay, so here we're talking a little bit about our social skills. If

you're out shopping with a friend and she's trying to pick a dress, for example, and you're just there to to help her choose one and you see one that you don't like, don't just say, "This is

ugly." Because this sounds pretty

ugly." Because this sounds pretty hurtful and this could offend your friend. But just say things like, "This

friend. But just say things like, "This is not as beautiful as the last one. I

liked the blue one more. I think that the other one suits your style better."

Do you notice how I said pretty much what I intended to say that this dress is ugly, but I never used those words. I

just redirected her attention towards a different dress. Because it's not about

different dress. Because it's not about what you think about that specific dress. It's about your friend choosing a

dress. It's about your friend choosing a good one. So very often when you're

good one. So very often when you're using very simple words like good, bad, ugly, it could sound too dry. It could

sound rude. So, you always want to be prepared with softer synonyms or expressions to diffuse that and not sound super direct. Of course, this is

different with a best friend or a family member or something, but if you're with someone who you don't know very very well, do not risk it. Always be polite.

Okay. Another major major thing that a lot of traditional schools and teachers don't really talk about is connected

speech. Learning how to pronounce those

speech. Learning how to pronounce those words in connected speech is crucial. If

you don't learn how that word sounds in real life, in real life speech, then you might not even recognize it when someone will use it. Because whenever someone talks, they connect the words a lot more

close to each other than when you're learning this vocabulary word isolated.

When you're learning words or expressions in isolation without them being connected to words in front of them and after them, you're learning

them in a very robotic way. Like nobody

will actually pronounce them the same way you are learning them. So, if you learn the word remote control, if you write it down, you're going to read it

remote control. Remote control. And

remote control. Remote control. And

you're going to say it just like that slowly and very, very clearly. In

speech, it's going to be, "Hey, have you seen the remote control? Remote control.

Remote control." It's going to be a lot more squished. Like, the sounds are not

more squished. Like, the sounds are not going to be as wide. So, if you're learning the word remote control, okay, write it down. You don't need the translation. You just need the

translation. You just need the explanation, the definition of it. Um,

and then try to imagine it. Okay, where

would I use this? And say that out loud.

Hey, I'm looking for the remote control.

I'm looking for the remote control. And

say that a few times. I'm looking for the remote control. I'm I'm looking for the right. It has to become an exercise.

the right. It has to become an exercise.

It has to become a tongue twister. And

then when you say remote control, remote control, remote control multiple times, that T at the end pretty much disappears and it's a silent T. Remote control,

remote control, remote control. Right?

But when you're learning it in isolation, you will read every single letter because you have the time, you have the space, and you're trying to learn it correctly, right? Most of the

other words you're learning, they change when they're spoken. They change based on what comes before them and what comes after them in a sentence. The question,

what do you mean by that? If you write it down, what do you mean by that? What

do you mean by that? That is extreme articulation. Nobody says it like that

articulation. Nobody says it like that in real life, right? They'll say, "What do you mean by that? What do you mean by that? What do you mean by that?" So, if

that? What do you mean by that?" So, if you're saying that sentence multiple times faster and faster and faster, you will eventually learn what that sounds like and how long it should take you to

actually say it. What do you mean by that? And not what do you mean by that?

that? And not what do you mean by that?

Because that will make you sound a lot less fluent and a lot more robotic. And

on top of that, you're practicing your listening skills, too. So, um, there is a website, I think it's called English.

I'm going to put it right here. You can

write the expression or the word that you're learning and it will give you uh snippets of videos from uh movies or TED talks or whatever online where you could

hear that word in real speech. So you

can see how quickly that word is pronounced or how it is connected to other words around it. Okay. And the

last part is learning idioms. Idioms are such a big part of spoken English. It's

crazy. Everybody uses an idiom like every other sentence. And if you don't know, idioms are short phrases or expressions that have a completely different meaning than the actual words

in them. So they're like metaphors that

in them. So they're like metaphors that English speakers use all the time. So

what I like to do with idioms when I learn them, I look up the idiom that I want to learn or maybe I take the idiom that I heard somewhere and I want to introduce it into my speech because I

liked it. I feel like it's something

liked it. I feel like it's something that I would use or it matches an idea from my native language. So what I would do, I would have the idiom written down.

I would say it many times because I want to make sure that I pronounce it correctly and fast enough. Then I would write the definition and I would read that definition out loud or the meaning.

And then I look at the origin. Where did

it come from? Because for me, for example, if I can attach some sort of logical explanation to some of these things, I can remember them better. And

not all idioms will have like a super clear origin story, but a lot of them do. And then I will try to create a

do. And then I will try to create a little dialogue in my head. Where would

I use this? With whom would I use this?

I basically imagine like a fake situation, but a realistic one. And then

I try to put that into one of the lines of the dialogue, either used by me or by someone else. For example, spill the

someone else. For example, spill the tea. Spill the tea. What does spill the

tea. Spill the tea. What does spill the tea mean? It's definitely not spilling

tea mean? It's definitely not spilling the tea out of a cup. So spill the tea means, okay, tell me what's the gossip.

I'm intrigued. I want to know what happened. Tell me more. Tell me what you

happened. Tell me more. Tell me what you know. Right? It's something that I

know. Right? It's something that I shouldn't really be talking about, but I want to know more about. So, let's

imagine I have a friend who is a manager at a company and there was this incident with an employee um and they had this talk with HR and my friend was part of

that conversation and I want to know what happened and I ask her okay you had the meeting spill the tea that means tell me what happened so that's how I

would actually try to introduce that idiom into my life connecting it with real persons with real situations So then I can attach some sort of

emotional baggage to it. So I created a free PDF guide with 20 of my favorite idioms and you can get it when you subscribe to my newsletter. You can find the link in my description here. Okay,

so let's do a little recap, a little summary of what we just talked about.

You need to focus on words that fit your energy and your lifestyle. Don't try to learn too much. Go deeper, not wider.

Move vocabulary from passive to active by using it. Focus on production.

Balance the consumption with the production. Speak and write just as much

production. Speak and write just as much as you listen and read. Use the words in full expressions and sentences. And

practice connected speech. And idioms

are your best friend when you want to sound fluent. All right, I hope this

sound fluent. All right, I hope this helped you. And if you have a friend or

helped you. And if you have a friend or you know someone who's still learning vocabulary through old school methods, send them this video. I know there's a lot more methods that could be super efficient in vocabulary learning. So, if

you know one, make sure to write it down in the comments. All right, thank you so much for watching. Bye.