Hebrew for Beginners
Hebrew for Beginners: Where to Start Learning Hebrew
New to Hebrew? Here's a practical starting point — the handful of words and habits that give you the most benefit early on, before you dive into the full 300+ word vocabulary set.
Hebrew vs. English: What's Different
A few structural differences are worth knowing about before you start, so nothing catches you off guard as you build vocabulary.
Right to left
Hebrew is written and read right to left, using its own 22-letter alphabet.
Gendered words
Nouns, adjectives, and numbers are masculine or feminine, and often change form to match.
Verb conjugation
Verbs change based on who's doing the action, plus gender and tense — more than English verbs do.
No word for "a" or "an"
Hebrew has a definite article ("the") but no indefinite one — "a dog" is simply "כלב" (kelev).
1. Learn the Alphabet's Sounds First
You don't need to master reading before you start speaking, but knowing roughly how Hebrew letters sound makes every word you learn afterward click into place faster. See our Hebrew alphabet guide for all 22 letters with their sounds.
2. Start With Greetings
Greetings are low-risk, high-frequency, and instantly useful in conversation. See the full Hebrew greetings guide for formal, casual, and gendered forms.
- שָׁלוֹםshalomhello
- תּוֹדָהtodathank you
- כֵּןkenyes
- לֹאlono
- בֹּקֶר טוֹבboker tovgood morning
- לַיְלָה טוֹבlayla tovgood night
3. Learn to Count
Numbers show up everywhere — prices, ages, phone numbers, addresses. The full Hebrew numbers guide continues past ten and covers how numbers change form by gender.
- אַחַתachatone
- שְׁתַּיִםshtayimtwo
- שָׁלוֹשׁshaloshthree
- אַרְבַּעarbafour
- חָמֵשׁchameshfive
4. Learn Family Words
Family vocabulary is personal, memorable, and easy to practice in real conversations.
- אִמָּאimamom
- אַבָּאabadad
- אָחachbrother
- אָחוֹתachotsister
- מִשְׁפָּחָהmishpachafamily
5. Practice a Little Every Day
Short, consistent practice beats long, occasional sessions. The trainer tracks which words you get wrong and brings them back for extra review, so a few minutes a day is enough to make steady progress.
Start Your First Quiz →Continue Learning
Once these fundamentals feel comfortable, keep going with: