Obviously to have any sort of proficiency in Vietnamese you need to possess a reasonable vocabulary. You can’t just focus on having a large vocabulary; it needs to be a useful and relevant.
When it comes to improving your vocabulary there are two important factors to consider. Which vocabulary is worth learning and how to learn and remember vocabulary and use new words correctly?
1. Which Vietnamese Words Are Worth Learning?
More often than not new words will be thrust upon you with your conscious involvement or selection. You will hear words in conversation, see them on the street or in the news or be taught by Vietnamese friends or colleagues trying to help. In most cases these words will be relevant and useful, but not all of these words will be the most common word used.
It is important when learning new words to check and see if there are any similar words and then check which is more commonly used, easier to use or more likely to be understood. Just hearing a word and knowing what it means is not enough to start using the word, just because someone else used the word doesn’t mean that you are – based on your age, sex, job or social status.
When learning new Vietnamese words it is important make sure you are learning words which are appropriate for your age and check the context in which the words can be used. This may sound like a lot of effort to go to learn just one new word but in the long run it will save you time and effort and your Vietnamese will improve at a faster rate than if you just learnt words without carefully checking their value and usefulness.
2. How To Learn New Vietnamese Words
Once you have decided which words are worth learning and which words are relevant for you how can you go about learning words quickly and easily and then recalling the words whenever necessary?
There are different methods for learning new words in a different language; the best way for you will depend on how you learn. I have a few suggestions here, test them to see which is the most effective way for you to retain learnt vocabulary.
Flashcards: This is the method that works best for me and it is a very easy and cheap method to use in Vietnam. I purchase blank business cards for about 10,000 VND for 200 cards, then write Vietnamese on one side and English on the other.
As with any vocabulary learning technique it is only effective if used often. Any chance I get 2 minutes free I pull out my cards which I keep in my pocket (usually at least 20 cards), in cafes, restaurants, waiting for people, before work, half time of a football game.
These 2 minute practice sessions done at least half a dozen times a day prove effective in helping me learn and the remember new words quite quickly, usually within a week I am ready to put the new word aside because I can recall it whenever prompted and use it well in context.
Notebook: Probably the most common vocabulary learning technique that I see, it simply involves carrying a small pocket sized notebook around and writing any words or phrases down as you hear them.
The advantage of this technique is that you can always have your list of hundreds of words close by (carry hundreds of flash cards can be a bit bulky). It is also easier to make note of complicated phrases. As with the previous technique it is important to make sure the words you write are written correctly, be careful with those tone markers.
I actually write in my notebook at the end of every week, adding the words that I had been using on my flash cards. My cards are always in my pocket, my notebook always in my bag.
Asking for help: Some people learn better just by listening to new words being repeated; they don’t need to write things down. If this is your preferred technique you need to maximize it by asking for as much repetition as possible from native Vietnamese speakers.
The first 2 techniques can be quite passive; I have learnt most of my vocabulary from dictionaries, street signs, newspapers etc. If you learn by listening over and over again you need to be more active in asking others for help and asking them to repeat.
