Repeat what you just heard

This is a tricky tip but very useful. Ever wondering the secret of how parrots learn to talk? I had a parrot when I was young- I observed that parrot simply followed and repeated whatever you said and learned the word automatically by repeating several times. Why not mimic a parrot when we're learning English? I started the habit of repeating the uncertain words in my conversations.

For example,

Michael: Princeton is a snobby school.

Me: Snobby? Why is that?

Michael: Princeton accepts those kids whose parents are super rich and benefits from their donation.

The figures of merit here are

1) I strengthen the memory of this word by repeating it right away.

2) Instead of asking what's the meaning of "snobby", I used a question sentence to keep the flow of our conversation smooth. (People get bored when you have too many new words)

3) His reply accurately revealed the meaning of snobby.