Vim is a language, not a key list
The reason Vim seems to have a thousand commands is that you can combine a small number of operators with a small number of motions and get hundreds of verbs for free. You don't memorize delete-to-next-word; you memorize d (delete) and w (next word), and the combination dw follows automatically.
The formula
[count] {operator} [count] {motion}Count is optional. Both counts multiply each other (3d2w deletes six words, equal to d6w or 6dw). Operator says what; motion says how far. That's the whole grammar.
The five operators you'll use most
d— delete (also yanks).c— change (delete + enter Insert mode).y— yank (copy without removing).>— indent right.<— indent left.
And the second tier worth knowing day-one: = (auto-format), gu / gU (case fold), g~ (toggle case), gq (text reflow).
Doubling = operate on line
Vim has a beautiful shortcut: pressing an operator twice applies it to the entire current line. dd deletes the line, yy yanks it, cc changes it, >> indents it. The doubled key is shorthand for operator + line.
dw, de, db, d$, d^, dG is exhausting. Memorizing d and the motion list is two lookups that combine for free. Vim feels infinite because it actually is — anything that's a motion is also a delete-target.Capital and shifted forms
Many operators have a capital that means "to end of line": D = d$, C = c$, Y historically = yy (linewise yank). The exception is Y — modern Neovim defaults to Y = y$ for consistency, while classic Vim still does Y = yy. Worth knowing if you switch between machines.