Vim Is Just English

If you are just starting out with vim, this post will make learning vim so much easier.

(I made a video on this topic here)

Some basic things

Vim has operators, a few are:

• y - (y)ank (copy) text
• c - (c)hange text
• d - (d)elete text

Vim has motions:

• w - Move forward a (w)ord
• b - Move (b)ack a word
• { } - Next paragraph/previous paragraph

Combining them all with numbers

If we press 2w vim will jump forward 2 words.

if we press c2w vim will change 2 words.

c2w is Change 2 Words, it's english, same as;

d5w - Delete 5 words.

Advanced

dtl - Delete to l

t here is actually another movement, till so to go (t)ill the l just type tl¹

ciw change in a word. This will change a whole word even if your cursor is in the middle of it

dat - delete around tags (html tags for example)

Even though I have only shown a few examples you can endlessesly combine these, for example we know that dat deletes everthing around a html tag but we can do yat to copy the tag or cit to change in the tag. or y} to yank the next paragraph.

Vim is just english. If you know the basic operators and movements you can endlessly combine them. Don't memorise them, memorise the meaning, not the actual chracter.

This way you can endlessly combine them and know more commands then you can think off.