A Hebrew picture dictionary made from your own life

A student once showed me a picture dictionary she had made with her partner on WhatsApp. It had photographs of an extraordinary number of things, each with its Hebrew name.

It looked like a life project.

It had started much more simply. She sent her partner a photograph of a cat and asked מה זה? — ma ze? — what's this? He sent the picture back with חתול — hatul — cat written on it.

Then she sent another picture. Soon they were doing it with all sorts of things: cars, vegetables at the market, objects they came across, even actions they could photograph.

By the time she showed me the collection, she knew a lot of the vocabulary in it. She had been going back through the pictures and using them to practise.

Your own pictures give you something familiar to work with

What I liked was how closely the vocabulary belonged to her day. These were things she had noticed and chosen to ask about. She could look at a picture and remember the object and the conversation around it.

Her partner was involved too. He knew which words she was learning because he had helped supply them. He could use those words when they spoke, rather than guessing what was in her last Hebrew lesson.

The idea also works with a friend or a small group of classmates. You need somewhere to keep the pictures and someone who can help check the Hebrew.

Give the collection a simple format

Start a shared chat for the dictionary in the messaging app you already use. Explain what you are doing before sending someone twenty photographs of your kitchen.

Send one picture and ask for the word. The reply should keep the picture, the Hebrew and a pronunciation guide together. The word can be written on the image or included in its caption. A short voice message can help with pronunciation too.

A first entry might contain:

• Your photograph of a cat.
• חתול.
• Hatul.
• Cat.

If a picture contains several objects, point out which one you mean. A photograph of a café could give you vocabulary for a cup, a table, a waiter or the café itself. Be clear about what you are asking.

For an action, ask for a phrase describing what is happening. This gives you a chance to learn something beyond the names of objects.

Come back to the pictures

The collection needs some attention after you make it. Choose a few pictures and try to say the Hebrew before looking at the written answer. If the word is on the image, cover that part for a moment.

Check what you said. Keep the ones you forgot in your next round, and occasionally return to older pictures as well.

You can also turn a few entries into flashcards using the vocabulary practice method. Use your picture as the prompt and put the Hebrew on the answer side.

Then give the people who helped you a chance to use the words with you. If you have just learned the word for a tomato, it can come up the next time you cook together.

Start with three photographs from your day. Get the words checked, practise them, and thank whoever has agreed to receive the next photograph.