How to Speak Hebrew

Take a Hebrew class or an immersion program., Surround yourself with Hebrew and Israeli culture., Buy or borrow Hebrew children's books., Learn how to do a throaty r, and a khet like in the German "bach"., Apply masculine and feminine gender to...

30 Steps 3 min read Advanced

Step-by-Step Guide

  1. Step 1: Take a Hebrew class or an immersion program.

    Whether it's at school, a local Jewish community center, or even a personal tutor, doing this will make you much more committed to learning the language as well as understanding it better.

    If you live in Israel, you can enroll in multi-level immersion programs called "ulpan" or "ulpanim"

    where you live and breathe nothing but Hebrew.
  2. Step 2: Surround yourself with Hebrew and Israeli culture.

    Instead of listening to your regular radio station, listen to Israeli radio (perhaps on line), buy/download music in Hebrew, read easy books, etc. , Disney has many books in Hebrew translation, such as Aladdin, Cinderella and Hercules.

    There are also many well known Israeli writers of children's literature to choose from such as Leah Goldberg.

    You can purchase books at many locations throughout Israel.

    One convenient location is the book shop located in Jerusalem's Central Station, you see the store when going up the escalators.

    Jewish Community Centres also often have libraries filled with Modern and Classical Hebrew books for children and adults of all ages. , These two sounds are very important to Modern Hebrew's inherent sound system and are foreign to that of English. , Hebrew, like other Semitic languages, are similar to many European languages (i.e.

    German, French, Italian, Spanish) in that they use gender for subjects and objects.

    Masculine words often have no special ending, while feminine words end with "it"

    "ot"

    or "ah". , How are you? (towards a female) Ma shlomcha? How are you? (towards a male) Shalom
    - Hello/goodbye/peace Ma nishma
    - What's up? (male/female) Korim li ___
    - My name is (literally, "they call me") Ani ben (number)
    - I'm (number years) old (if you're male) Ani bat (number)
    - I'm (number years) old (if you're female) Ha Ivrit sheli lo kol kakh tova
    - My Hebrew isn't very good.

    Ani meh ___
    - I'm from ___ Todah (rabah)
    - Thank you (very much) Bevakasha
    - Please/you're welcome Eich korim lekha/lakh?
    - What's your name? (speaking to male/female) Eifo ata gar?/ Eifo at garah?
    - where do you live? (male/female) Eich omrim (word you are trying to say) beh'Ivrit?
    - How do you say (word) in Hebrew? , The plural for male usually ends with "im" and the plural for female ends with "ot".

    In verbs, the plurals end with "oo".

    There are a number of irregular verbs, however, and there is no pattern to them.

    You just have to memorize them. ,, However, in Hebrew, almost every form of the verb is different based on gender and who is being talked about and the tense.

    Take, for example, the word "Ochel"

    meaning eat: (I) ate: achalti (You singular for male): achalta (You singular for female): achalt (He): achal (She): achla (You plural for a group including even one male): achaltem (You plural for a group of all females): achalten (They): achlu , Use a special dictionary of conjugation to help yourself, and don't worry.

    This is the part of Hebrew in which most people struggle and make mistakes, so you are in good company.
  3. Step 3: Buy or borrow Hebrew children's books.

  4. Step 4: Learn how to do a throaty r

  5. Step 5: and a khet like in the German "bach".

  6. Step 6: Apply masculine and feminine gender to nouns and verbs.

  7. Step 7: Learn simple words and phrases

  8. Step 8: such as follow (Note that 'kh' and 'ch' are both transliterations of the throaty h sound

  9. Step 9: as the English soft-ch sound does not exist in Hebrew): Yom Huledet Sameach - Happy Birthday Chaim - Life Beseder - Fine Sebaba - Cool - Awesome Tov/tova - Good Boker tov - Good morning Yom tov - Good day Mazal tov - Congratulations Ima - Mother Abba/av - Father Ma shlomech?

  10. Step 10: Learn the correct use of plural and singular.

  11. Step 11: Use the male and female forms of numbers: ekhad(male)

  12. Step 12: akhat(female) shnayim(male)

  13. Step 13: shtayim(female) shlosha(male)

  14. Step 14: shalosh(female) arba'ah(male)

  15. Step 15: arbah(female) khamisha(male)

  16. Step 16: khamesh(female) shisha(male)

  17. Step 17: shesh(female) shiv'ah(male)

  18. Step 18: sheva(female) shmon'ah(male)

  19. Step 19: shmonay(female) tish'ah(male)

  20. Step 20: tesha(female) asarah(male)

  21. Step 21: eser(female)

  22. Step 22: Understand that Hebrew is a complex Language: In English

  23. Step 23: verbs do not change very much for tense and person

  24. Step 24: gender or plural gender: I ate

  25. Step 25: you ate

  26. Step 26: he ate

  27. Step 27: she ate

  28. Step 28: we ate

  29. Step 29: they ate.

  30. Step 30: Take care to conjugate properly.

Detailed Guide

Whether it's at school, a local Jewish community center, or even a personal tutor, doing this will make you much more committed to learning the language as well as understanding it better.

If you live in Israel, you can enroll in multi-level immersion programs called "ulpan" or "ulpanim"

where you live and breathe nothing but Hebrew.

Instead of listening to your regular radio station, listen to Israeli radio (perhaps on line), buy/download music in Hebrew, read easy books, etc. , Disney has many books in Hebrew translation, such as Aladdin, Cinderella and Hercules.

There are also many well known Israeli writers of children's literature to choose from such as Leah Goldberg.

You can purchase books at many locations throughout Israel.

One convenient location is the book shop located in Jerusalem's Central Station, you see the store when going up the escalators.

Jewish Community Centres also often have libraries filled with Modern and Classical Hebrew books for children and adults of all ages. , These two sounds are very important to Modern Hebrew's inherent sound system and are foreign to that of English. , Hebrew, like other Semitic languages, are similar to many European languages (i.e.

German, French, Italian, Spanish) in that they use gender for subjects and objects.

Masculine words often have no special ending, while feminine words end with "it"

"ot"

or "ah". , How are you? (towards a female) Ma shlomcha? How are you? (towards a male) Shalom
- Hello/goodbye/peace Ma nishma
- What's up? (male/female) Korim li ___
- My name is (literally, "they call me") Ani ben (number)
- I'm (number years) old (if you're male) Ani bat (number)
- I'm (number years) old (if you're female) Ha Ivrit sheli lo kol kakh tova
- My Hebrew isn't very good.

Ani meh ___
- I'm from ___ Todah (rabah)
- Thank you (very much) Bevakasha
- Please/you're welcome Eich korim lekha/lakh?
- What's your name? (speaking to male/female) Eifo ata gar?/ Eifo at garah?
- where do you live? (male/female) Eich omrim (word you are trying to say) beh'Ivrit?
- How do you say (word) in Hebrew? , The plural for male usually ends with "im" and the plural for female ends with "ot".

In verbs, the plurals end with "oo".

There are a number of irregular verbs, however, and there is no pattern to them.

You just have to memorize them. ,, However, in Hebrew, almost every form of the verb is different based on gender and who is being talked about and the tense.

Take, for example, the word "Ochel"

meaning eat: (I) ate: achalti (You singular for male): achalta (You singular for female): achalt (He): achal (She): achla (You plural for a group including even one male): achaltem (You plural for a group of all females): achalten (They): achlu , Use a special dictionary of conjugation to help yourself, and don't worry.

This is the part of Hebrew in which most people struggle and make mistakes, so you are in good company.

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