Modern Hebrew is spoken as a daily language in Israel and in parts of the Palestinian Territories. Biblical Hebrew is used as a religious language by Jews worldwide. It is written with a different alphabet than European languages, and is written from right to left.
The Hebrew alphabet consists entirely of consonants, though some can function as vowels. Vowels are indicated with a system of dots and dashes next to the letters, but these are usually omitted except in Bibles and children's books. It is common for words, especially foreign words, to be spelled in more than one way; the Abu'l`afia Synagogue has five different spellings of its name on its signs.
The accent is usually on the last syllable; most of the exceptions are segolates (words in which segol, the e-sound, was inserted after the accent), such as elef "thousand". Some words have a diphthong "ua" or "ia" which is one syllable but sounds like two, like English "oil". This is called pattaḥ g'nuva "stolen a-sound" and occurs in shavu`a "week", which is accented on the "u".
Six letters (בגדכפת) are pronounced differently when they have a dot, or daghesh in them. In conversational Hebrew, only three (בכפ) are pronounced differently when they contain a daghesh.
Five letters (מנצפכ) have a different form at the end of a word (םןץףך, respectively). These are named by adding סופית (so-FEET) "final" to the name of the letter, e.g. נון סופית (Noon So-feet)
The letter shin is pronounced differently according to the position of the dot over it.
א aleph
glottal stop or silent ('sometimes used as the letter a when rendering English in Hebrew')
ב בּ bet, vet
with a dot like bear; without a dot like maven
ג גּ gimel, ghimel
like gone; some dialects pronounce without a dot similar to French quatre or and Arabic غ
ד דּ dalet, dhalet
like dude; some dialects pronounce without a dot similar to 'bathe
ה he
like harp; silent at the end of a word, unless it has a dot in it
ו vav
like violin; some dialects pronounce as week; also or or tune when used as a vowel
ז zayin
like zany
ח ḥet
aspirated h as in the Arabic ح; some pronounce it as the Scottish loch
ט ṭet
hard t like tuck
י yud
like yet; also say or honey when used as a vowel
כ כּ ך kaf, khaf
with a dot like keep; without a dot like the Scottish loch
ל lamed
like leave
מ ם mem
like mother
נ ן nun
like never
ס samekh
like some
ע `ayin
constriction of the throat as in the Arabic ع; similar to Cockney pronunciation of water
פ פּ ף peh, pheh
with a dot like upon; without a dot elf
צ ץ ṣadi
hard s as in the Arabic ص; some pronounce it simply as boots
ק qof
as in the Arabic ق, similar to kite, but from the part of the throat where one would pronounce g; some pronounce it as simply as book
ר resh
rolled as in Spanish burro
שׁ שׂ sin, shin
with a right-hand dot like shoot, or with a left-hand dot like seem
ת תּ tav, thav
softer t like bat; some dialects pronounce without a dot as glass or teeth
Phrase list
Hebrew verbs conjugate according to the gender of the sentence's subject: different verb forms must thus be used when referring to men and women. These have been noted below when appropriate.
Basics
Hello. (Peace)
שלום. (shalom - shah-LOHM) The Hebrew greeting, literally "peace." The English "Hi" is also used.
Bye. (Peace)
שלום. (shalom - shah-LOHM) Yes, the greeting is the same for the start and end of conversation. See also "See you later".
See you later.
להתראות. (lehitra'ot - leh-hit-rah-'OHT) The most common farewell greeting, besides the English "Bye". Again, the English "Bye" is also used.
When speaking to a male: מאיפה אתה? (me'eifoh atah? - meh-EY-foh ah-TAH)
When speaking to a female: מאיפה את? (me'eifoh at? - meh-EY-foh aht)
Do you speak English?
When speaking to a male: אתה מדבר אנגלית? (atah medaber anglit? - ah-TAH meh-dah-BEHR ahn-GLEET?)
When speaking to a female: את מדברת אנגלית? (at medaberet anglit? - aht meh-dah-BEH-ret ahn-GLEET?)
Numbers (מספרים misparim)
0
אפס (efes - EH-fess)
1
אחת (ahat - ah-KHAT)
2
שתיים (shtayim - SHTAH-yeem)
3
שלש (shalosh - shah-LOSH)
4
ארבע (arba' - AHR-bah)
5
חמש (hamesh - khah-MESH)
6
שש (shesh - shesh)
7
שבע (sheva' - SHEH-vah)
8
שמונה (shmoneh - shmo-NEH)
9
תשע (tesha' - TEY-shah)
10
עשר ('eser - EH-sehr)
11
אחת עשרה (ahat-'esreh - ah-khat es-REH)
12
שתים עשרה (shtem-'esreh - shtem es-REH)
13
שלוש עשרה (shlosh-'esreh - shlosh es-REH)
14
ארבע עשרה (arba'-'esreh - ar-bah es-REH)
15
חמש עשרה (hamesh-'esreh - kha-mesh es-REH)
16
שש עשרה (shesh-'esreh - shesh es-REH)
17
שבע עשרה (shva'-'esreh - shva es-REH)
18
שמונה עשרה (shmonah-'esreh - shmo-nah es-REH)
19
תשע עשרה (tshah-'esreh - tshah es-REH)
20
עשרים ('esrim - es-REEM)
25
עשרים וחמש ('esrim vehamesh - es-REEM ve-khah-MESH)
30
שלשים (shloshim - shlo-SHEEM)
40
ארבעים (arba'im - ar-bah-EEM)
50
חמשים (hamishim - khah-mee-SHEEM)
60
ששים (shishim - shee-SHEEM)
70
שבעים (shiv'im - shiv-EEM)
80
שמונים (shmonim - shmo-NEEM)
90
תשעים (tish'im - tish-EEM)
100
מאה (me'ah - MEH-'ah)
200
מאתיים (matayim - m'ah-TAH-yeem)
300
שלש מאות (shlosh-me'ot - sh-LOSH meh-'OHT)
1000
אלף (elef - EH-lef)
1%
אחוז (ahuz - ah-KHOOZ ah-KHAD)
5%
חמישה אחוזים (hamishah ahuzim - kha-misha ah-KHOOZIM)
100%
מאה אחוז (me'ah ahuz - MEH-'ah ah-KHOOZ)
Half
חצי (hetsi - KHE-tsee)
Quarter
רבע (reva' - REH-vah)
More
יותר (yoter - yoh-TEHR)
Less
פחות (pahot - pah-KHOHT)
Time (זמן zman)
Today
היום (hayom - hah-YOHM)
Yesterday
אתמול (etmol - et-MOHL)
Tomorrow
מחר (mahar - mah-KHAHR)
The day before yesterday
שלשום (shilshom - shil-SHOHM)
The day after tomorrow
מחרתיים (mahratayim - makh-rah-TAH-yeem)
Days of the week (ימי השבוע yame hashavua')
Except for Shabbat, these are ordinal numbers. But both these and the names of the first 6 letters in the Hebrew Alfa-Beit are used.
Sunday
יום ראשון (yom rishon - yohm ree-SHOHN)
Monday
יום שני (yom sheni - yohm shey-NEE)
Tuesday
יום שלישי (yom shlishi - yohm shlee-SHEE)
Wednesday
יום רביעי (yom revi'i - yohm rvee-EE)
Thursday
יום חמישי (yom hamishi - yohm khah-mee-SHEE)
Friday
יום ששי (yom shishi - yohm shee-SHEE)
Saturday
שבת (shabat - shah-BAHT)
Months (חודשים hodashim)
In everyday life, most Israelis use the Gregorian Calendar. The month names pronunciation resembles Central-European (e.g. German) pronunciation.
January
ינואר ("Yanuar")
February
פברואר ("Februar")
March
מרץ ("Merts")
April
אפריל ("April")
May
מאי ("May - Mah-ee)
June
יוני ("Yuni - Yuh-nee")
July
יולי ("Yuli - Yuh-lee")
August
אוגוסט ("Ogust - O-guh-st")
September
ספטמבר ("September")
October
אוקטובר ("October")
November
נובמבר ("November")
December
דצמבר ("Detsember")
For holidays and events, Israeli Jews and Jews worldwide use a lunisolar calendar, in which the month begins at the new moon and a thirteenth month is added every few years. The months with Tishrei (Sept.-Oct.) and run through Elul (August-September); thus Elul 5760 is followed by Tishrei 5761. Besides meaning "spring" and "Nisan", "Aviv" is also the name of a stage that the growth of barley reaches at that time.
Tishrei
תשרי (tishrey - tish-REY)
Heshvan
חשון (ḥeshvan - ḥesh-VAN)
Kislev
כסלו (kislev - kis-LEV)
Tevet
טבת (tevet - tey-VET)
Shevat
שבט (shevat - shuh-VAT)
Adar
אדר (adar - ah-DAR)
Second Adar (the leap month)
אדר שני (adar sheni - ah-DAR shey-NEE) or אדר ב (adar beth - ah-DAR beth)
Nisan
ניסן (nisan - nee-SAHN)
Iyar
אייר (iyar - ee-YAHR)
Sivan
סיון (sivan - see-VAHN)
Tammuz
תמוז (tamuz - tah-MOOZ)
Av
אב (av - ahv)
Elul
אלול (elul - eh-LOOL)
Duration (משך meshekh)
Day
יום (yom - yom)
Week
שבוע (shavua' - shah-VOOah)
Month
חודש (hodesh - KHO-desh)
Year
שנה (shanah - shah-NAH)
Hour
שעה (sha'ah - shah-AH)
Minute
דקה (daqah - dah-KAH)
Second
שניה (shniyah - shnee-YAH)
Time
זמן (zman - zmahn)
Seasons (עונות 'onot)
Spring
אביב (aviv - ah-VEEV)
Summer
קיץ (kayits - KAH-yits)
Autumn
סתיו (stav - stahv)
Winter
חורף (horef - KHO-ref)
What time is it?
מה השעה? (mah hasha'ah? - mah hah-shah-AH?)
Colors (צבעים tsva'im)
black
שחור (shahor - sha-KHOR)
white
לבן (lavan - la-VAN)
gray
אפור (afor - a-FOR)
red
אדום (adom - a-DOM)
blue
כחול (kahol - ka-KHOL)
yellow
צהוב (tsahov - tza-HOV)
green
ירוק (yaroq - ya-ROK)
orange
כתום (katom - ka-TOM)
purple
סגול (sagol - sa-GOL)
brown
חום (hum - khum)
Transportation (תחבורה tahburah)
Bus and train (אוטובוס ורכבת otobus verakevet)
How much is a ticket to _____?
כמה עולה כרטיס ל (kamah 'ole kartis le___? - KA-ma `oLE karTIS le___?)
הקונסוליה ה אמריקאית/בריטית/צרפתית/סינית/הודית/רוסית/פולנית (konsuliyah ha'amerikait/habritit/hatsarfatit/hasinit/hahodit/harusit/hapolanit? - HaKonSULia ha ahmehriKAHit/BRItit/tsorfaTIT/SInit/HOdit/ruSIT/polaNIT?)
Where are there a lot of...
איפה יש הרבה (eifoh yesh harbeh... - EIfo yesh harBE...)
...hotels?
מלונות (...melonot? - meloNOT)
...restaurants?
מסעדות (...mis'adot? - mis`aDOT)
...bars?
ברים (...barim? - BArim)
...things to see?
דברים לראות (...dvarim lir'ot? - dvaRIM lirOT)
Can you show me on the map?
אפשר להראות לי במפה (efshar lehar'ot li bamapah? - efSHAR leharOT li bamaPA)
תוכל להשתמש במונה בבקשה? (tukhal lehishtamesh bemoneh bevakasha? - tuKHAL le-hish-ta-MESH be-moNEH be-va-ka-SHA?). A counter/taximeter (מונה - moneh) gives the price based on certain factors such as travel time and distance (plus initial price), rather than a fixed overprice. Luggage costs extra in either case.
Eating
In Israel, many restaurants and eating places are kosher meaning that they observe the Jewish dietary laws of kashrut. For a restaurant to be officially kosher and have a Kosher Certificate, in addition to serving only correctly prepared kosher food, it must also not open on the Shabbat - from sundown on Friday through sundown on Saturday.
In many places in Israel such as Tel Aviv, there are non-kosher restaurants that will open on Shabbat and will serve non-kosher food (e.g. the restaurant serves both meat and milk dishes). Comparatively few places serve non-kosher food items like pork.
In some religious villages and small towns there are very few if any places that open on Shabbat.
A table for one person/two people, please.
בבקשה, שולחן לאחד /לשניים (b'vakaSHA, shulKHAN l'ekhAD/ lishnAIYM)
Can I look at the menu, please?
אפשר תפריט בבקשה (Efshar tafrit, b'vakasha?)
I'm a vegetarian.
אני צמחוני /אני צמחונית (Ani tzimkhoni (masc)/ Ani tzimkhonit (fem))
I don't eat beef.
אני לא אוכל/ אני לא אוכלת בקר (Ani lo okhel bakar (masc)/ Ani lo okhelet bakar(fem))
I only eat kosher food.
אני אוכל /אוכלת רק אוכל כשר (Ani okhel (masc)/okhelet (fem) raq okhel kasher)
Can you make it "lite", please? (less oil/butter/lard)
אפשר עם פחות שמן בבקשה (Efshar im pakhot shemen bevakashah)
breakfast
ארוחת בוקר (Arukhat boqer)
lunch
ארוחת צהריים (Arukhat tzohorayim)
supper
ארוחת ערב (Arukhat erev)
I want _____.
אני רוצה _____. (Ani rotzeh (masc); Ani rotzah (fem))
I would like to eat _____.
אני רוצה לאכול _____. (Ani rotzeh/ rotzah le'ekhol)
chicken
עוף (Off)
beef
בקר (Baqar)
fish
דג (Dag)
cheese
גבינה (Gvinah)
eggs
ביצה (Beitzah)
salad
סלט (Salat)
(fresh) vegetables
ירקות (Y'raqot)
(fresh) fruit
פירות (Peirot)
bread
לחם (Lekhem)
toast
טוסט (Tost)
noodles
נודלז (Nudelz)
pasta
פסטה (Pastah)
rice
אורז (Orez)
chickpeas
חומוס (Khumus)
hummus: חומוס (Khumus)
May I have a glass of _____?
אפשר כוס (Efshar qos)
May I have a cup of _____?
אפשר כוס (Efshar qos)
May I have a bottle of _____?
אפשר בקבוק (Efshar baqbuq)
...coffee
...קפה (Kafeh)
...tea (drink)
תה (Teh)
...juice
...מיץ (Mitz)
...(bubbly) water
...סודה (Sodah)
...water
...מים (Mayim)
...beer
...בירה (Birah)
...red/white wine
...יין אדום. יין לבן (Yain adom / Yain lavan)
May I have some _____?
אפשר (Efshar)
salt
מלח (Melakh)
black pepper
פלפל שחור (Pilpel shakhor)
Excuse me, waiter? (getting attention of server)
סליחה (Slikhah)
I'm finished.
סיימתי (Siamti)
It was delicious.
היה מצוין (Hayah metzuyan)
Please clear the plates.
אפשר לפנות (Efshar l'fanot)
The check, please.
אפשר חשבון, בבקשה (Efshar kheshbon, b'vakasha)
Where is the bathroom ?
איפה השירותים ? (Eifo Hasherutim?)
This is a usable phrasebook. It explains pronunciation and the bare essentials of travel communication. An adventurous person could use it to get by, but please plunge forward and help it grow!
