How can I make new words “stick”?

I’ve started my Italian learning journey, and just like every time I’ve learned a new language, I’m always surprised by how much I don’t know. In the first part of a language-learning journey, we don’t necessarily need grammar rules or history of the language — we need vocabulary. Give me more words!

INCLUDE SCIENTIFIC STUDY RE: VOCAB (or graph)

Since I’m a visual learner, I remember new words and ideas best if I can picture them, so I’ve found a fun trick. When I’m having a really hard time memorizing a word or phrase, I try to come up with something it reminds me of. My brain just needs a little something to hold on to.

Here’s an example of a silly way to help visual learners remember new words: create your own mnemonic device using generative AI. In French, the expression “I am” is “je suis,” which really doesn’t sound anything like the English equivalent. So, I try to encourage learners to think of how the word sounds or what it looks like… "suis” is pronounced “swee.” That word sounds a lot like the English word, “sweet.” So if I try to link “I am” with “je suis” and the word “sweet,” I can come up with a silly image like this:

Looking at this image creates an impression and you’re more likely to remember that there’s a connection between the words for “I am” and the sound of the word “sweet.”

You can create your own custom image like this one, which was generated by Canva MagicMedia with the following prompt: woman surrounded by candy with shirt that says, “Je suis.”