Remembering what you learn!

Welcome back. You are here now. Relax your shoulders, it’s ok. Unclench your jaw, and let the tension leave your body. Come with me. This will be easy, I promise.

Hello everyone! Happy to have you all here. This episode of English Airs, the podcast that will give you effortless accuracy is the request of Conrad from Germany. The topic was actually on my list because it’s an important one. So, Conrad, I hope this helps.

And I forgot to introduce myself again. My name is Parya, I am an English instructor in Tokyo, and I love learning languages. It’s relatively easy for me; I have a good memory. I remember hearing or seeing a word, and I remember where I have seen or heard it. But, life is busy, right? So, if I want to remember to send an email or buy something, I set a reminder on my phone. And I don’t even try to memorize phone numbers!

What about you? Is it easy for you to remember things? When you are leaving the house, do you remember to lock the door? And When you leave the house, do you remember locking the door? But hey, what’s the difference between “remember to lock the door” and “remember locking the door”?

Let’s see: one of my friends loves shopping. We drive to big shopping centers, find a parking spot, and get out of the car. Two minutes later, we have to go back. Why? Because she doesn’t remember locking the doors! We walk away from the car, and then she asks: “Did I lock the doors?” Of course, nobody was looking, so we all walk back, and see that yes, the car is locked. So you see, she was searching her memory and looking back. And another very important thing: if you don’t remember doing something, it doesn’t mean you didn’t do it. Maybe you did. Maybe you didn’t. It’s just that the memory is not there.

Let’s test your memory: I want you to choose a day in the past week, for example Thursday. What do you remember doing? What don’t you remember doing? I’ll give you some time, so think and tell me. I’m listening.

Now, let’s get back to verb patterns. We said that when you look at the past and search your memory, you try to remember doing something. What if you are looking at the future? Yeah, that’s right. You want to remember to do things. In my case, I should remember to order grocery; I am very low on fruit! It’s an expression. It means I don’t have much fruit, and persimmons are in season! I also need to remember to drink more water, and to take breaks. I don’t want to forget to eat lunch again!

What do you need to remember? Think about it, and tell me. I’ll wait.

Great job everyone! Remember to check my Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter account for reminders and tiny quizzes, and you can check the website for additional information. I also added two links to online tests to help you determine your learning style; one is simpler and shorter, and the other a bit longer and more detailed. And don’t forget to send me your comments, ideas, suggestions, and requests. Please keep introducing English Airs to anyone who might need it, or enjoy it. You know why, right? Thank you!

Parya out!