Topic 5: Memorising Foreign Phrases - Tutorial 7

From Words to Phrases

You've now had some practice at memorising foreign words using the Substitute Word system. The system is equally applicable to foreign phrases - after all, phrases are simply groups of words.

Practical Language Learning

Many people, when visiting a foreign country, go armed with a phrase book which gives dozens of useful phrases in that country's language. This is fine, but when you arrive in the country you often find yourself frantically searching through the book for the right phrase whenever you need to make yourself understood.

Unfortunately, the phrase books never give you any hints on how to remember all those really useful phrases in the book.

However, a few hours spent applying the Substitute Word system to memorising the most useful phrases in the book could help you enormously in making yourself understood. Those few hours could even be spent on your journey - on an aeroplane, or boat, or bus, or whatever.

French Phrase Examples

quelle heure est-il

what time is it

kehl uhr eh-teel

Substitute: "kill hare at heel"

Picture yourself asking a French man the time - as you ask him the question, he is trying to kill a hare at his heel, which is biting him. Not a pleasant picture - but the more vivid the picture, the more likely it is to stick in your mind.

combien

how much

kohng-byang

Substitute: "comb bean"

Picture yourself asking a shopkeeper how much a particular item is - as you ask them the question, you are combing a bean. Make the image as exaggerated and silly as you can. If you picture that ridiculous image clearly in your mind's eye for literally just an instant then you will have remembered that phrase.

10 Useful French Phrases

Try the Substitute Word system on the following French phrases. You have already been given Substitute Phrases for the first two examples.

French	Pronunciation	English
quelle heure est-il	kehl uhr eh-teel	what time is it
combien	kohng-byang	how much
le voici	luh vwah-see'	here it is
faites-le plein	feht luh plang	fill the tank
qui-est-il	kee-eh-teel	who is he
je desire	zhuh day-zeer	I want
comment allez-vous	koh-mahn'tah-lay-voo	how do you do
quelle ville est-ce	kehl veel ehs	what town is this
ou est le quai	oo ay'luh kay	where is the platform
il faut que je parte	eel foh'kuh zhuh pahrt'	I have to leave

Create Your Own Associations

Personalized Learning

Try and form your own Substitute Words or Phrases for the remaining phrases - remember that giving you suggestions for the phrases removes much of your Initial Awareness and concentration. You are much better off inventing your own Substitute Phrases and crazy mental images.

Time Investment

Of course, it will take a little more time to apply the Substitute Word system to a phrase than to a single word. But, once you can picture that ridiculous picture clearly in your mind, you will have memorised the phrase.

Bear in mind how difficult it is for most people to memorise phrases from a book without a system - repeating the phrase over and over, hoping that they will 'stick' in the memory.