One of the questions my students ask me the most is:
what’s the best way to study vocabulary?”
I wish there were a simple, one-size-fits-all answer… but there isn’t. What works perfectly for one student might not work at all for another. So today, instead of giving you the method, I want to share the strategy that worked for me when I was learning English.
Give your vocabulary memories and context
Let me explain.
In my classes, conversation is super important. We always spend time talking about real life — their weekend, last trip, something unexpected that happened, the new restaurant they tried, etc.
Imagine this:
I ask a student to tell me about their latest trip. They start describing the destination, but then they tell me something totally unexpected that happened. From that one conversation, a bunch of new words and expressions appear naturally.
And here’s where the magic happens.
When the student writes those new words in their notebook, they don’t end up in an isolated list like:
- to miss the train
- unexpected
- baggage claim
- to get lost
- breathtaking
Nope.
They write them under a meaningful block — something like “Talking about experiences” or “My trip to Porto” — and suddenly those words have a memory attached to them.
And trust me:
Words with memories stick so much better than words on a random list.
Why context helps you remember
When a word is connected to:
✨ a story
✨ an emotion
✨ a real situation
✨ a personal memory
…it becomes 10 times easier to remember.
Your brain loves connections, and vocabulary learned through conversation is full of them.
Try this in your own study routine
Next time you learn new words, don’t write them in a long, boring list. Instead:
- Group them by moment or topic, not alphabetically.
- Add a little note about the context.
(“I learned this when telling about my trip to my teacher.”) - Try to retell the story using those new words again.
- Connect them to your own experiences.
You’ll be surprised how much more you remember when vocabulary is tied to your life.
And if you feel like sharing, I’d love to hear how you like to learn new vocabulary — you can leave me a message in the comments.
