How do I remember German words?
Answer
Look for similarities in spelling.
Story
I am learning German free from the internet using Duolingo both on a laptop and on a mobile phone. However, typing up the new words and how to remember them, on my blog, helps to reinforce the memory. Recognising the German is easier than translating back from English to German. I have to look at the word and talk to myself as if I were teaching somebody else. You might try doing the same, silently if you are on the train or in a public place, out loud if you are at home or in an empty office.
Tips
German - English
Affe - monkey (an affable ape monkeying around)
Elefant - elephant
Der Hamster - the hamster
Kamel - camel
Die Schildkröte - turtle (not just a small tortoise but a huge shield-cracking turtle; note the capital letter , the k instead of c, and the double dot on the o, like the eyes of the turtle)
Eine Giraffe - a giraffe
Tiger - tiger
Ein Wal - a whale
Wolf - wolf
Zebra - zebra
English - German
camel - Kamel
elephant - Elefant (the German spelling is almost the same, but the complicated ph is simplified to f, and the German word starts with a capital letter because it is a noun)
A giraffe - eine Giraffe (same word except that the Germans use capital letters for the initial letter of a noun)
monkey - A f f e
The hamster - der hamster
tiger - Tiger
The turtle - Die Schildkröte (note the extra c in the German Sh and the capital letter)
wolf - Wolf (the wolf - der Wolf)
A whale - Ein Wal (same word simplified, without the h which we don't pronounce and the e which we don't pronounce)
zebra - Zebra
Author
Angela Lansbury, author and teacher of English, languages, public speaking.See my other posts on languages and travel. Please like, follow and share.
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