Top 8 Most Effective Tips for Learning German Vocabulary

a. Time: To effectively learn and remember German vocabulary, allocate a specific amount of time each day. It's better to divide study time into multiple sessions throughout the day rather than studying for long periods at once. Studies show that while we take breaks, the brain consolidates information into long-term memory.

You should utilize any spare time during the day to review and practice the pronunciation of the vocabulary you've learned: after waking up, before going to bed, before and after meals, while waiting for transportation, on the way home after school or work, even during bathroom breaks can be enthusiastic vocabulary study times. Sticky notes placed on walls and personal belongings will help you remember more frequently and diligently.

b. Goals: Learning German is not easy. Therefore, first, you should have a general overview and divide study materials into smaller parts. Create a list of topics to study and set specific times to accomplish them. Also, try to maintain consistency in studying without setting overly high demands that create pressure on yourself.

In addition, having a study plan helps you effectively manage your learning and time. It's important to consider the main reason why you want to learn German. Write down your goals and motivations on a piece of paper so that whenever you feel uninspired, you can review them and reset your motivation.

Undoubtedly, you're aware of how crucial articles are in German. Therefore, it's essential to combine them with vocabulary learning. This means you're not just learning 'Haus' but rather 'das Haus.' Starting with new words alongside their respective articles will undoubtedly facilitate your learning process. It's also valuable to learn the plural form of nouns, such as how 'das Haus' becomes 'die Häuser.'

Similar to learning Vietnamese vocabulary based on thematic groups, German vocabulary is also categorized into various groups with certain common characteristics. These may include words related to politics, science, healthcare, family, fashion, transportation, etc., or categorized by parts of speech like nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc.

Among the myriad of German vocabulary, selecting themes and classifying words is crucial. Categorizing words into groups makes it easier to search for and use them, facilitating memorization and organization within the brain.

It's advisable to maintain notebooks for categorized vocabulary that you frequently encounter. Writing down new words in their respective categories makes it easier to remember and search for them. You can start this process with words you commonly encounter in real-life situations while reading or listening, which will help you retain German vocabulary for longer.

Your learning efforts will be in vain if you don't review the words you've learned regularly because you'll quickly forget them. Reviewing vocabulary helps deepen knowledge and creates a foreign language zone in your brain. There are many ways to review vocabulary, such as reviewing your notes, reading them aloud, listening extensively, and applying them in real-life situations.

There will be days when you simply don't feel like studying. Or days when you sit for hours in front of words and grammar rules. That's why regular practice is crucial. It's better to start with short study sessions and focus on your study materials. For example, try studying a short grammar lesson every day and doing exercises related to it. Your German proficiency will improve faster if you dedicate one hour to studying German every day instead of studying for five hours in one week.

First, write down vocabulary or phrases on a piece of paper, you can use colored sticky notes or large sheets of paper like posters. It's entirely up to your preference. Then stick or place those papers everywhere in your room or house, preferably in places you frequently visit.

Get yourself a notebook, where besides recording common words, you can also write down phrases or sentences to remember how to use those words. Make sure to also include pronunciation to avoid forgetting how to pronounce them.

When a vocabulary word stands alone, you often face the problem of memorizing it, so you need to creatively expand on these words to see their real-life applications. That's why a very effective learning method is to express these words in various German sentences with different meanings.

This makes the vocabulary more vivid and helps you remember it impressively while being able to apply it quickly in various situations, aiding you in memorizing more scientifically. Your writing style and grammar in sentences will also improve significantly.

In paragraphs, learners will find many vocabulary words and short sentences accompanying them. Learning vocabulary through paragraphs brings an effective way of applying the vocabulary you can find, not only that, but the grammar of the sentences is also paid attention to.

This method helps you clearly and impressively remember the meaning and usage of each vocabulary word. This combined learning approach is one of the methods that helps you improve many skills in language learning such as reading comprehension, sentence rearrangement, sentence grammar, and especially the meanings of vocabulary words in sentences.

Note: Use sentences and paragraphs in daily communication instead of just copying and leaving them unchanged in the notebook.

This method has been around for a long time but is very effective. It reduces boredom when learning German and helps you remember faster. For example:

- Learn vocabulary by listening to your own pronunciation. Pronounce each vocabulary word correctly to discover the rules of vowel pronunciation and remember the vocabulary better. Pronouncing vocabulary words will create a certain impression on the brain's memory.

Furthermore, learning vocabulary through pronunciation also serves as speaking practice, with better pronunciation than rote memorization, which can be harder to remember. Therefore, while memorizing the written form of vocabulary, try to pronounce it correctly according to the phonetic transcription to make the vocabulary clearer and more memorable.

- Learn vocabulary by reading along with audio recordings. The best pronunciation teacher in learning French is the voice of a native speaker, so look for foreign videos or tapes to practice with.

To make vocabulary learning effective using this method, listen to the tapes repeatedly, paying attention to how they pronounce each vocabulary word. Remembering both through sound and visual representation of words will make memorization faster and longer-lasting.

Usually, there are vocabulary, rules, or simple phrases that just won't stick in your head. No matter how many times you try to memorize them, the next day you won't remember anything. Along with memorable markings, learning becomes simpler. These can be simple sentences or short dialogues to help remember what you've learned. You can also create small stories from difficult vocabulary to make them easier to learn.

We all have different study habits and specific language learning strategies. You can usually visualize everything. Write down words or their relationships and jot down points you're unsure about using different colors or write them on colored cards. Using colors stimulates imagination and attracts your attention to important things.

Visualizing complex sentences helps grasp them quickly and easily. Furthermore, it provides you with a broader overview. Thinking about German grammar is not only headache-inducing but also very extensive. Therefore, you can divide them into different groups using colors to differentiate. Then, select a text and highlight the words in the correct colors.

For example:

Nouns – green
Verbs – red
Adjectives – green

Marking key points in paragraphs is quite useful. This makes you aware of what's important and helps improve your memory performance based on it. It's much easier to repeat what you've learned – this also boosts study motivation. Who isn't looking forward to more effective studying? But pay attention, because the truth is: Less is often more! When you visualize the entire German text, it helps improve study effectiveness.

You should build positive confidence by loudly stating every time you start studying like a mantra to boost motivation: 'I am proficient in speaking German, learning German is easy for me'. Try to use your whole body while speaking for about 2 minutes.

Especially before studying, you can listen to some powerful German songs, stand straight, keep your chest up, smile, and dance to the rhythm. Or you can imagine yourself as a foreigner, speaking German fluently and confidently.

You may imagine that, after you have prepared all your study materials and are ready to start studying, once again your smartphone rings and it's all because your best friend wants to know what happened at school today. Surely, you have to answer and of course, the study time gets postponed again. That's not good at all.

So, keep them away from you! Turn off your phone before studying and tell your friends that you can't talk for the next hour. Eliminate all distractions from your study, even if it's the first difficulty.

As you may know, the human brain tends to respond better to music. When you're feeling down, music helps you relieve stress. When you're happy, it makes you even more cheerful. Learning German vocabulary through songs makes the learning process simple and easy. In songs, words become soft and captivating, making you feel relaxed and comfortable, without the pressure of studying.

Learning German through movies is also a very effective method. They not only entertain you but also help you quickly increase your vocabulary. If you're new to learning German, you should watch German movies with Vietnamese subtitles to make vocabulary learning easier. Or if you already have basic German knowledge, you can turn off the subtitles and try to guess the meanings of the dialogues, then turn them back on to check.

You should choose simple songs, your favorite movies, interesting topics, or funny YouTube channels to help you focus and learn faster.