Hebrew is the most important language for Jews and is very important for Christians. You'll also need to know Hebrew if you go to Israel. Hebrew is the correct word to describe this language; any other terms used are incorrect and even derogatory, so stick with the correct terminology.
Step 1
Take a Hebrew class. Whether it's at school, a 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.
Step 2
Surround yourself with the language. Instead, listen to Israeli radio, buy/download music in Hebrew, read an easy book, etc.
Step 3
If you're in Israel, it is highly recommended to buy one or two kids books. Disney has many books in Hebrew. Aladin and Hercules are two good choices. You can purchase these books in many locations. One convenient location is the book store in the central station in Jerusalem, you see the store when going up the escalators.
Step 4
Learn how to do a throaty r and a khet, like in German. Also make your sounds short.
Step 5
Use male and female. It's similar to French in how it is used for objects and changes the way the word sounds. Usually female ends with "it" or "ah"
Step 6
Learn simple words and phrases such as: (Note that 'kh' and 'ch' are both transliterations of the throaty h, as the english ch sound does not exist in Hebrew)
- Yom Huledet samayach - Happy Birthday
- chaiim - Life
- Mazal tov - Congratulations
- Eema - mother
- Ma shlomech? how are you? said to a female
- Ma shlomcha? how are you? said to a male
- Shalom - hello/goodbye/peace
- Ma nishma - What's up? (m/f)
- Korim li _' '' - my name is (literally, "they call me")
- Ani ben (number) - I'm (number years) old if you're a male
- Ani bat (number) - I'm (number years) old if you're a female
- Ha Ivrit sheli lo col cakh 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 atah gar?/ Eifo at garah? - where do you live? (m/f)
- Eich omreem (word you are trying to say) beh'Ivrit? - How do you say (word) in Hebrew?
Step 7
Learn the correct use of plural and singular. The plural for male 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 formula to them. You just have to memorize them.
Step 8
Use the male and female form of numbers:
- ekhad(male),akhat(female)
- shnayim(male),shtayim(female)['ay' pronounced like in 'buy']
- shlosha(male),shalosh(female)
- arba'ah(male),arbah(female)
- khamisha(male),khamesh(female)
- shisha(male),shesh(female)
- shiv'ah(male),sheva(female)
- shmon'ah(male), shmonay(female)
- tish'ah(male), tesha(female)
- asarah(male), eser(female)
- Understand that Hebrew is a complex Language: In english, verbs do not change very much: I ate, you ate, he ate, she ate, we ate, they ate. However, in Hebrew, almost every form of the verb is different based on 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
So take care to conjugate properly. Use a special dictionary of conjugation to help yourself, and don't worry. This is the part of Hebrew most people struggle with the most, and so this is the part most people make mistakes with, so you're not alone.
Tips
- Get the 501 verb dictionary. You need it. A very large percentage of the people who manage to learn Hebrew until they are able to converse in it, use this verb dictionary. After referring to it many times, these verbs will sink into your mind. Also, the book gives example sentences which are very helpful for helping you to understand how to use the verb.
- It's easier if you learn another language first.
- You can't learn a language in one day. It takes motivation and commitment that takes a while, but can be achieved if you really try; it's all about practice and consistency.
- Get help from a friend or find a pen-pal that can help you.
- Acquire a Hebrew-English dictionary to help you. The Oxford Hebrew English dictionary is a good choice.
- There are many great resources for learning Hebrew on the internet. Unfortunately, there are very few locations where the best resources are selected and arranged in an appropriate order. TorahAndIsrael.com/hebrew.html provides one such selection, along with advice for learning Hebrew.
- TorahAndIsrael.com also has a link to buy the movie Givat Halfon on amazon, and provides a complete word list for the movie. If one is of an intermediate level, it is a good idea to get this well-known (in Israel) classic Israeli comedy.
