Have you ever tried to learn a new language? One of the hardest parts of doing this is memorizing all the new vocabulary words. An easy memory technique that really helps with foreign vocabulary is the Keyword Method.

Here’s how the Keyword Method works:

1) Think of an English word or phrase that sounds like the foreign word.
2) Create a funny mental picture that links the English word or phrase and the foreign sound.

Sounds pretty easy, right? It is! Here is a specific example to show you how it works:

Suppose I want to remember the Spanish word for “duck”. This word is “pato”, pronounced pah-toh.

To me, “pato” sounds a bit like the English word “pot” (as in pots and pans). So I need to think of a funny picture that links “pot” and “duck”.

There are lots of different pictures you might think of, but a simple one that comes to my mind is a duck wearing a big, stainless steel cooking pot upside-down on his head (like a hat). Try to see this clearly in your mind. Really visualize it in detail.

This method works even better if you also imagine some action happening. So I think about the poor duck’s head and how heavy that pot is. Maybe the pot does make a good hat to keep off the rain, but the metal pot is so heavy it hurts the duck’s neck when he is walking around. Ouch!

That’s all there is to it. Now imagine you are reviewing a list of Spanish vocabulary. For each word, you previously spent just one-minute to clearly visualize a funny picture. (Making the picture funny or unusual helps you remember it better.)

As you review the English side of the word list, you come to “duck”. What pops into your mind? The funny picture of a duck with a pot on his head. This immediately reminds you that duck in Spanish is "pato". There is no way you can mess it up.

Okay, so now you are reviewing the Spanish side of the list. You come to the word “pato”. As you silently say the word “pato” in your mind, you realize it sounds like “pot” – and the funny image of the duck with the pot on his head again pops into your mind. Pato means duck.

Easy, isn’t it?

Try this technique the next time you have a list of foreign vocabulary to learn. You can even use it when learning English vocabulary words. I think you will be impressed by how well this method works.

Note – You will get the best results if you imagine the pictures very clearly (even sketch them on paper if you want). Also, be sure to quickly review your word list and the images you created from time to time.

Have fun with it! And if you have questions or need any help, feel free to send me an email through the Contact Me page on my website.

For more tips and strategies for improving your memory, see my site

Memory-Improvement-Tips.com

Have a great week!

Douglas