tips and tricks for learning Arabic vocabulary

… Don’t write down every single word you hear!

When writing down new words in your vocabulary diary, don’t forget there’s a limit to how many words your mind can actually take in. There’s a difference between writing something down once and actually learning it. And if you have pages and pages of words because you’re written every single thing down, the odds of you finding the motivation to sit down and review them at all are pretty slim. In fact, there’s a word for a book like that – it’s called a dictionary!

When you come across a new word and go to write it down, stop and think: Is this really useful for me? Am I likely to come across it again? Is it relevant to my subject or my area of expertise? Is it even in the right dialect for me? Basically, am I going to use it? Be discerning and DON’T make overwhelming lists of obscure or context-specific language that you’ll probably never use again. Prioritise the words that will make the biggest difference for you.