How to learn a new vocab!

Question

hi everyone!i wonder about the best way to learn a new vocab ,since i know there are two ways of learning1) to translate the word to the learner language and study it2) to understand the word by using an english dictionarywhich way do you learners use?and what does the native english speakers suggest?i also like to know the best way to learn form enlish filmsis it fine to read the translation or is it better to listen to the acters.....what if we didn't understand some words?

LanguageLover · Accepted Answer

Hi Dote, welcome to the Forums,

Though I am not a native speaker of English, I strongly advise you to stick to learn a language without translating to your own language interference. You have to think in English when you are learning it.

And as to your second question, first of all watch the movie without the subtitles, it doesn't matter if you do not understand every word or sentence spoken. It's better to watch it for a second time trying to listen more carefully before having a look at the subtitles. I know, it takes time, but it works better.

Good luck,

Science_guru · Answer

For stronger vocabulary, you need to follow etymological approach. For example "cide" means "to kill". From this word you could built many words like "suicide", "homicide", "genocide", "regicide", "fratericide", "sororicide", etc..

fratericide mean killing of brother. The word frater means brother from which many other words are formed: fraternity, fraternize etc.

There are many good books on the subject. "Word Power Made Easy" by Normal Lewis is quite popular.

SG

Dote · Answer

hi there!

thanks languagelover

i liked you way ,sience guru....and i will read the book you suggested

Anonymous · Answer

hello

it's really a helpful for increasing our vocab.

thnx.

M_Hesham · Answer

Dear,

I'm Egyptian and very interested in English I'm only 16 years and aim to speak English better than Americans.

I asked a lot of English teachers, native speaker and other famous persons who speak English about the best way to learn English and this is some advices to be good in English:

1- Try to take an English course in American university in your country.

2- Listen to the radio about 2 hours per day.

3- Try to speak English with anyone in your family or of your friends.

4- Watch Americn films without looking to the translation.

5- Make friends through the interenet who speak English from USA and UK.

6- Decide if you'll learn American English or British English. (About me I prefer American English because it's simple and easy but Americans speak very quick. About British Englsih I think it's complicated and use difficult words)

Reagrds

Stalwart · Answer

M_HeshamDear,

I'm Egyptian and very interested in English I'm only 16 years and aim to speak English better than Americans.....

wowow so nice aim.. Good luck..

Pieanne · Answer

Welcome to the English Forums, M_Hesham!

You've got very good ideas, well, practise and practise, and if you have any questions, here is a good place to ask them!

Forbes · Answer

I'm Egyptian and very interested in English I'm only 16 years and aim to speak English better than Americans.

A very praiseworthy aim! However, you should remember that all native speakers of English speak it perfectly and you cannot improve on perfection. I expect you mean that you are looking to acquire a large vocabulary. There are of course many non-native speakers of English who have vocabularies larger than the average native speaker. You should also remember that language is part of one's experience so there will always be areas of English that are likely to remain closed to you.

I asked a lot of English teachers, native speaker and other famous persons who speak English about the best way to learn English and this is some advices to be good in English:

1- Try to take an English course in American university in your country.

Fine if you want to concentrate on American English.

2- Listen to the radio about 2 hours per day.

Good idea - but rememebr there is not only the Voice of America and the BBC but other English speaking countries that broadcast. e.g. Australia.

3- Try to speak English with anyone in your family or of your friends.

This is good as long as the people you speak with are fairly competent in English - but remember that you are Egypian and you need to speak in your local language as well!

4- Watch American films without looking to the translation.

Don't just watch American films. I would be inclined to read the subtitles - watching the film should be enjoyable as well as helping you with your English. If you have DVD you should watch a few film with the subtitles on and then without and see how much you remember. When you think you are doing well watch a film without the subtitiles and then with. If you missed a lot go back to watching with subtitles first.

5- Make friends through the internet who speak English from USA and UK.

Nothing wrong with that. If you speak to people your own age you will of course learn a lot of non-standard English!

6- Decide if you'll learn American English or British English. (About me I prefer American English because it's simple and easy but Americans speak very quick. About British Englsih I think it's complicated and use difficult words

There is a misconception that there is a big difference between Standard American English and Standard British English. These two varieties of English are about 99.9% the same. Some words are spelled differently - the differences can be set out on a page. There are some differences in every day vocabulary, mainly to do wth food, clothing and household items - again these can be set out on a page. There are some other differences that most American and British speakers do not notice as they are as much matters of style and preference as anything else. If you can read The Times of London you can read The Washington Post. There are of course different accents and you need to decide which one you are going to try and imitate. Unless you have a very acute ear, I suspect you will always sound more Egyptian than either American or British. It all depends on who you think you are likely to be dealing with. Remember that most Europeans learn to speak using what is sometimes termed a Standard Southern English, i.e. a British accent. An American accent has virtually no prestige in the UK. On the other hand many Americans love to hear what they consider a cultivated English accent. Others, however, do not find it so charming. If you expect to meet native English speakers from all over the world you should try and get as much experience as you can of different varieties of English. You should also remember that within the UK there is a great variety in the way people speak. A man from from Glasgow and a man from London will probably have more difficulty understanding each other than either will have in understanding an American TV show.

Anonymous · Answer

Forbesshould remember that all native speakers of English speak it perfectly and you cannot improve on perfection.

I'm sorry, but I cannot agree with that. In my opinion noone speaks English perfectly. Perfection, with regard to language, is highly subjective, and hence one's use of a given language could not be judged as being 'perfect' whether one is a native speaker or not. What may be perceived as perfect by one listener may be perceived as being a thorough cat's breakfast by another.

Forbes Americans love to hear what they consider a cultivated English accent.

My understanding is that a cultivated accent is an artificially applied, or feigned, accent. I suspect you mean a cultured accent.

I do agree with your other comments, Forbes.

Final comment;
Good luck Mr Hesham. With a lot of hard work you probably can achieve your goal of being able to speak English better than most Americans.

Anonymous · Answer

Hey there Hesham, I'm your neighbor from Israel

Hope you ain't got a prob with that :}

Much like you I'm incredibly interested in being able to speak english as if it were my own mother tongue... Generally I think it's very much possible... However not everyone IMHO can do that...

I utterly think that only people who have a gift of language grasp can acheive that goal... and you have to love it of course hehe, I'd say that you have that gift.

Now I have to comment on some of the things you mentioned in your post.

First of all the idea of chatting on the net with native english speakers as probably the best way to enrich your vocabulary and learning some slang words. From personal experience I have to say that in this way I've acquired more than I would have if I didn't chat to native english speakers. Since the nearest english speaking country to Israel (and Egypt for that matter) is the UK most of the native english speakers I've stumbled upon are brits, hence why I have more knowledge about Brit slang than any of my friends... Since I'm mostly exposed to American english it was a refreshing change for me.

About the accent thing... I strongly disagree, you really need'nt decide which accent you wanna use and stick to it... It's fairly possible to be able to speak like Americans and Brits... sure it can get confusing but if you practice hard you'll be able to get it... The best example I can give you is myself.
Up untill a few months ago I have always thought I can only speak the American accent and all my attempts to emtitate Brits have failed... But when me and my friends have gone abroad (Ayia Napa in Cyprus if you're curious about the location

), I met loads of brits... they seemed to be the majority of the tourits there (alongside the Israelies of course LOL). Ahem anyway...

after a couple of days I began to understand some Brit accents and suddenly I was able to speak like em or very similar... Apparently I was so convincing that a lot of ppl mistook me for a Brit bloke (yes thats a brit word and I fecking luv it!!) and thats including some Brit chaps! Apparently I also have a an anglo saxon look (If no one recognizes I'm from Israel that is

).

Well I hope you didn't find my post boring... I just thought I'd add my thoughts and personal experience ^_^.

I'll be happy to see some replies...
Well cya later dudes!!! (or bro's,guys,fellows,mates, chaps, blokes) or any other word you can think of lol

How to learn a new vocab!

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions