How to remember Hebrew words that keep disappearing

When we started learning Russian together, the teachers at the Ulpan quickly acquired a very familiar student problem: we needed to remember the vocabulary before the next lesson.

Knowing how to teach Hebrew did not make Russian words stay in our heads. We had to do the work too.

Two things were particularly useful to us: making associations with unfamiliar words, and returning to those words for practice. One gave us something to remember. The other gave us chances to see whether we could still remember it.

Give a difficult word something to connect to

Take a word you keep forgetting. Write down its meaning, listen to how it is pronounced, and break the sound into manageable pieces.

Then look for an association. Does part of it sound like a name? A word in another language you know? Something ridiculous that you can picture?

The association can be very personal. It only has to make sense to you.

A student of ours, Adam, came up with an example I liked for לבקר — le-va-KER — to visit.

He connected the sound with the name Lev and the English word care. Then he invented a story: Lev was sick, Adam had not visited him, and Lev was upset because apparently Adam did not care.

It was an imaginary argument, created to remember a word. The name, the complaint and the missing visit all belonged to the same little story.

The sound match is approximate, of course. This is a memory aid, not an explanation of where the Hebrew word comes from. Keep listening to the actual Hebrew pronunciation so the English association does not take over.

Save the elaborate stories for words that need them

You do not have to invent a small drama for every item in your notebook. Some words will already feel familiar. Some will turn up often enough in your day that you remember them without much help.

I would start with a few words that are useful to you and consistently refuse to stick. Leave space beside each one to write an association, or draw it if that is easier.

If you spend longer trying to remember your complicated story than the word itself, simplify it. A familiar person or one clear image may be enough.

Try to remember before you look

Once you have worked on a word, put the answer out of sight and try to produce it.

For example, look at “to visit” and say the Hebrew. Then check. On another card, you might look at the Hebrew and recall what it means. These give you practice in both directions.

That attempt to answer before revealing the word is called active recall. Spacing those attempts across different study sessions is spaced repetition. Anki's manual explains both ideas.

We used Anki to organise our vocabulary practice. You make flashcards, try to answer them, and rate how well you remembered. The software uses that feedback to schedule later reviews. You can focus on the cards due for review instead of starting your entire word list again every day.

For the app, use the links on the official Anki website. Its mobile options are AnkiMobile for iPhone and iPad, and AnkiDroid for Android; the desktop version is also available there.

Keep the cards useful

A card should ask something you can answer clearly. If the prompt is vague, or you have put six unrelated words on the back, it becomes difficult to tell what you actually remembered.

Use words you want to say. Add a short example when it helps make the meaning clear. Ask a teacher to check a word or sentence you are unsure about before you practise it repeatedly.

Once you can recall a word, try it in a sentence as well. You can use our practice board with a friend, or simply say something about your day.

For your first session, choose five words from a recent lesson. Make an association for any that need one, put them on cards, and test yourself with the answers hidden. Come back to them tomorrow before adding a whole new list.