Modern '''Hebrew''' is spoken as a daily language in Israel and 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.

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Pronunciation guide

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 ''pattach gnubah'' "stolen a-sound" and occurs in ''shavua'' "week", which is accented on the "u".

Five letters (?????) have a different form at the end of a word (?????, respectively). These are named by adding ????? (''so-FEET'') "final" to the name of the letter, e.g. ??? ????? (Noon So-feet)

; ? aleph : glottal stop or silent ('sometimes used as the letter '''a''' when rendering English in Hebrew') ; ? beth : like '''b'''ear or ma'''v'''en ; ? gimel : like '''g'''one ; ? daleth : like '''d'''u'''d'''e ; ? he : like '''h'''arp; silent at the end of a word, unless it has a dot in it ; ? vav : like '''v'''iolin; also '''o'''r or t'''u'''ne when used as a vowel ; ? zayin : like '''z'''any ; ? cheth : voiceless gargle, i.e. like the scotish lo'''ch''' ; ? teth : like '''t'''uck ; ? yod : like '''y'''et; also s'''ay''' or hon'''ey''' when used as a vowel ; ? ? kaph : like '''k'''eep, or halfway between '''k'''eep and '''h'''eap ; ? lamedh : like '''l'''eave ; ? ? mem : like '''m'''other ; ? ? nun : like '''n'''ever ; ? samekh : like '''s'''ome ; ? `ayin : constriction of the throat, but you can just say ', though there are some minimal pairs ; ? ? pe : like u'''p'''on or loo'''f'''a ; ? ? tsadi : like boo'''ts''' ; ? qoph : like '''c'''oo, but further back in the throat ; ? resh : voiced gargle as in French ; ? sin, shin : like '''sh'''oot or '''s'''eem ; ? tav : like '''t'''eeth; in some dialects sometimes like jui'''ce''' or tee'''th'''

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) :????. (''shalom - shah-LOHM'')<br>The Hebrew greeting, literally "peace." The English "Hi" is also used. ;Bye. (Peace) :????. (''shalom - shah-LOHM'')<br>Yes, the greeting is the same for the start and end of conversation. See also "See you later". ;See you later. :???????. (''lehitra'ot - leh-hit-rah-'OHT'')<br>The most common farewell greeting, besides the English "Bye". Again, the English "Bye" is also used. ;Good morning. :???? ??? (''boker tov - BOH-ker TOHV'') ;Good afternoon. :?????? ????? (''tsohorayim tovim - tsoh-hoh-RAH-yeem toh-VEEM'') (literally: "good noon", afternoon is ???-?????? - ''ahar tsohorayim tovim - aKHAR tsoh-hoh-RAH-yeem toh-VEEM'') ;Good evening. :??? ??? ('''erev tov - EH-rev TOHV'') ;Good night. :???? ??? (''laylah tov - LIGH-lah TOHV'') ;How are you? (What's your wellbeing/peace?)- addressing to a man. :‫?? ??????‬ (''mah shlomkha? - mah shlom-KHAH'') ;How are you? (What's your wellbeing/peace?)- addressing to a woman. :‫?? ??????‬ (''mah shlomekh? - mah shloh-MEKH'') ;How are you? (What's being heard?). :‫?? ?????‬ (''mah nishma? - mah nish-MAH'') ;What's up? (What's happening?). : ?? ????? (''mah kore? - mah kor-EH'') ; Thank you. :???? (''todah - toh-DAH'') ; Please/ You're welcome. :????? (''bevakashah - be-vah-kuh-SHAH'') ; Excuse me. :????? (''slihah - slee-KHAH'') ; I don't understand. (said by a man). :??? ?? ???? (''ani lo mevin - ahni loh meh-VEEN'') ; I don't understand. (said by a woman). :??? ?? ????? (''ani lo mevinah - ahni loh meh-VEENA'')

Pronouns (?????? ??? ''kinuye guf'')

; I :??? (''ani - ah-NEE'') ; You (singular, masc.) :??? (''atah - ah-TAH'') ; You (singular, fem.) :?? (''at - aht'') ; He :??? (''hu - hoo'') ; She :??? (''hi - hee'') ; We :????? (''anahnu - ah-NAKH-noo'') ; You (plural, masc.) :??? (''atem - ah-TEM'') ; You (plural, fem.) :??? (''aten - ah-TEN'') ; They (plural, masc.) :?? (''hem - hem'') ; They (plural, fem.) :?? (''hen - hen'')

Asking Questions (????? ''she'elot'')

; Who? :‫???‬ (''mi? - mee'') ; What? :‫???‬ (''mah? - mah'') ; Where is ...? :‫?????‬ (''eyfoh? - ey-FOH'') ; Where to? :‫????‬ (''le'an? - leh-AH-n'') ; Where from? :‫?????\?????‬ (''me'eifoh?/me'ayn? - meh-ey-FOH/meh-Ah-een'') ; When? :‫????‬ (''matai? - mah-TIGH'') ; Why? :‫????‬ (''lamah? - lah-MAH''), ‫?????‬ (''madua'? - mah-DOOah'') ; How much? (also "how many") :‫????‬ (''kamah? - kah-MAH'') ; Where are you from? :When speaking to a male: ‫????? ????‬ (''me'eifoh atah? - meh-ey-FOH ah-TAH'') :When speaking to a female: ‫????? ???‬ (''me'eifoh at? - meh-ey-FOH aht'') ; Do you speak English? :When speaking to a male: ‫??? ???? ???????‬ (''atah medaber anglit? - ah-TAH meh-dah-BEHR ahn-GLEET?'') :When speaking to a female: ‫?? ????? ???????‬ (''at medaberet anglit? - aht meh-dah-BEH-ret ahn-GLEET?'')

Numbers (?????? ''misparim'')

; 0 :??? (''efes - EH-fess'') ; 1 :??? (''ahat - ah-KHAT'') ; 2 :????? (''shtayim - SHTAH-yeem'') ; 3 :??? (''shalosh - shah-LOSH'') ; 4 :???? (''arba' - AHR-bah'') ; 5 :??? (''hamesh - khah-MESH'') ; 6 :?? (''shesh - shesh'') ; 7 :??? (''sheva' - SHEH-vah'') ; 8 :????? (''shmoneh - shmo-NEH'') ; 9 :??? (''tesha' - TEY-shah'') ; 10 :??? ('''eser - EH-sehr'') ; 11 :??? ???? (''ahat-'esreh - ah-khat es-REH'') ; 12 :???? ???? (''shtem-'esreh - shtem es-REH'') ; 13 :???? ???? (''shlosh-'esreh - shlosh es-REH'') ; 14 :???? ???? (''arba'-'esreh - ar-bah es-REH'') ; 15 :??? ???? (''hamesh-'esreh - kha-mesh es-REH'') ; 16 :?? ???? (''shesh-'esreh - shesh es-REH'') ; 17 :??? ???? (''shva'-'esreh - shva es-REH'') ; 18 :????? ???? (''shmonah-'esreh - shmo-nah es-REH'') ; 19 :??? ???? (''tshah-'esreh - tshah es-REH'') ; 20 :????? ('''esrim - es-REEM'') ; 25 :????? ???? ('''esrim vehamesh - es-REEM ve-khah-MESH'') ; 30 :????? (''shloshim - shlo-SHEEM'') ; 40 :?????? (''arba'im - ar-bah-EEM'') ; 50 :????? (''hamishim - khah-mee-SHEEM'') ; 60 :???? (''shishim - shee-SHEEM'') ; 70 :????? (''shiv'im - shiv-EEM'') ; 80 :?????? (''shmonim - shmo-NEEM'') ; 90 :????? (''tish'im - tish-EEM'') ; 100 :??? (''me'ah - MEH-'ah'') ; 200 :?????? (''matayim - m'ah-TAH-yeem'') ; 300 :??? ???? (''shlosh-me'ot - sh-LOSH meh-'OHT'') ; 1000 :??? (''elef - EH-lef'') ; 1% :???? (''ahuz - ah-KHOOZ ah-KHAD'') ; 5% :????? ?????? (''hamishah ahuzim - kha-misha ah-KHOOZIM'') ; 100% :??? ???? (''me'ah ahuz - MEH-'ah ah-KHOOZ'') ; Half :??? (''hetsi - KHE-tsee'') ; Quarter :??? (''reva' - REH-vah'') ; More :???? (''yoter - yoh-TEHR'') ; Less :???? (''pahot - pah-KHOHT'')

Time (??? ''zman'')

; Today :???? (''hayom - hah-YOHM'') ; Yesterday :????? (''etmol - et-MOHL'') ; Tomorrow :??? (''mahar - mah-KHAHR'') ; The day before yesterday :????? (''shilshom - shil-SHOHM'') ; The day after tomorrow :??????? (''mahratayim - makh-rah-TAH-yeem'')

Days of the week (??? ????? ''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 :??? ????? (''yom rishon - yohm ree-SHOHN'') ; Monday :??? ??? (''yom sheni - yohm shey-NEE'') ; Tuesday :??? ????? (''yom shlishi - yohm shlee-SHEE'') ; Wednesday :??? ????? (''yom revi'i - yohm rvee-EE'') ; Thursday :??? ????? (''yom hamishi - yohm khah-mee-SHEE'') ; Friday :??? ??? (''yom shishi - yohm shee-SHEE'') ; Saturday :??? (''shabat - shah-BAHT'')

Months (?????? ''hodashim'')

In everyday life, most Israelis use the Gregorian Calendar. The month names pronunciation resembles Central-European (e.g. German) pronunciation.

; January : ????? ("Yanuar") ; February : ?????? ("Februar") ; March : ??? ("Merts") ; April : ????? ("April") ; May : ??? ("May - Mah-ee) ; June : ???? ("Yuni - Yuh-nee") ; July : ???? ("Yuli - Yuh-lee") ; August : ?????? ("Ogust - O-guh-st") ; September : ?????? ("September") ; October : ??????? ("October") ; November : ?????? ("November") ; December : ????? ("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 : ???? (''tishrey - tish-REY'') ; Cheshvan : ???? (''heshvan - khesh-VAN'') ; Kislev : ???? (''kislev - kis-LEV'') ; Tevet : ??? (''tevet - tey-VET'') ; Shevat : ??? (''shevat - shuh-VAT'') ; Adar : ??? (''adar - ah-DAR'') ; Second Adar (the leap month) : ??? ??? (''adar sheni - ah-DAR shey-NEE'') or ??? ? (''adar beth - ah-DAR beth) ; Nisan : ???? (''nisan - nee-SAHN'') ; Iyar : ???? (''iyar - ee-YAHR'') ; Sivan : ???? (''sivan - see-VAHN'') ; Tammuz : ???? (''tamuz - tah-MOOZ'') ; Av : ?? (''av - ahv'') ; Elul : ???? (''elul - eh-LOOL'')

Duration (??? ''meshekh'')

; Day :??? (''yom - yom'') ; Week :???? (''shavua' - shah-VOOah'') ; Month :???? (''hodesh - KHO-desh'') ; Year :??? (''shanah - shah-NAH'') ; Hour :??? (''sha'ah - shah-AH'') ; Minute :??? (''daqah - dah-KAH'') ; Second :???? (''shniyah - shnee-YAH'') ; Time :??? (''zman - zmahn'')

Seasons (????? '''onot'')

; Spring :???? (''aviv - ah-VEEV'') ; Summer :??? (''kayits - KAH-yits'') ; Autumn :???? (''stav - stahv'') ; Winter :???? (''horef - KHO-ref'') ; What time is it? :?? ????? (''mah hasha'ah? - mah hah-shah-AH?'')

Colors (????? ''tsva'im'')

; black : ???? (''shahor - sha-KHOR'') ; white : ??? (''lavan - la-VAN'') ; gray : ???? (''afor - a-FOR'') ; red : ???? (''adom - a-DOM'') ; blue : ???? (''kahol - ka-KHOL'') ; yellow : ???? (''tsahov - tza-HOV'') ; green : ???? (''yaroq - ya-ROK'') ; orange : ???? (''katom - ka-TOM'') ; purple : ???? (''sagol - sa-GOL'') ; brown : ??? (''hum - khum'')

Transportation (?????? ''tahburah'')

Bus and train (??????? ????? ''otobus verakevet'')

; How much is a ticket to _____? : ??? ???? ????? ? (''kamah 'ole kartis le___? - KA-ma `oLE karTIS le___?'') ; One ticket to _____, please. : ????? ??? ?___, ????? (''kartis ehad le___, bevakashah - karTIS eKHAD le___, bevakaSHA'') ; Where does this train/bus go? : ???? ????? ???? ??????/??? ???????? ??? ???? (''le'an harakevet hazot nosa'at?/le'an ha'otobus haze nosea'? - le'anleAN haraKEvet haZOT noSA`at?/leAN haOtobus haZE noSEa?'') ; Where is the train/bus to _____? : ?___???? ????? ?___?/???? ???????? ? (''eifoh harakevet le___?/eifoh ha'otobus le___? - EIfo haraKEvet le___?/EIfo haOtobus le___?'') ; Does this train/bus stop in _____? : ????? ???? ????? ?___?/???????? ??? ???? ?(''harakevet hazot 'otseret be___?/ha'otobus haze 'otser be___? - haraKEvet haZOT oTZEret be___?/haOtobus haZE oTZER be___?'') ; When does the train/bus for _____ leave? : ??? ????? ????? ?___?/??? ???? ???????? ? (''matai yotset harakevet le___?/matai yotse ha'otobus le___? - maTAI yoTZET haraKEvet le___?/maTAI yoTZE haOtobus le___?'') ; When will this train/bus arrive in _____? : ??? ????? ???? ????? ?___?/??? ???????? ??? ???? ? (''matai harakevet hazot magi'ah le___? matai ha'otobus haze magia' le___? - maTAI haraKEvet haZOT magi`A le___?/maTAI haOtobus haZE magi`A le___?'')

Directions (??????? ''kivunim'')

; How do I get to _____ ? : ??? ??? ????/? ? (''eikh ani magia'/magi'ah le___? - eikh aNI maGI`a/magi`A(f) le___?'') ; ...the train station? : ???? ????? (''...tahanat harakevet? - takhaNAT haraKEvet'') ; ...the bus station? : ???? ???????? (''...tahanat ha'otobus? - takhaNAT haOtobus'') ; ...the airport? : ??? ?????? (''...sde hate'ufah? - sde hateuFA'') ; ...downtown? : ???? ???? (''...merkaz ha'ir? - merKAZ ha`IR'') ; ...the youth hostel? : ??????? ???? (''...akhsaniyat no'ar? - akhsaniYAT NO`ar'') ; ...the _____ hotel? : ???? (''...malon ___? - maLON ___?'') ; ...the American/British/French/Chinese/Indian/Russian/Polish consulate? : ????????? ? ????????/??????/??????/?????/?????/?????/?????? (''konsuliyah ha'amerikait/habritit/hatsarfatit/hasinit/hahodit/harusit/hapolanit? - HaKonSULia ha ahmehriKAHit/BRItit/tsorfaTIT/SInit/HOdit/ruSIT/polaNIT?'') ; Where are there a lot of... : ???? ?? ???? (''eifoh yesh harbeh... - EIfo yesh harBE...'') ; ...hotels? : ?????? (''...melonot? - meloNOT'') ; ...restaurants? : ?????? (''...mis'adot? - mis`aDOT'') ; ...bars? : ???? (''...barim? - BArim'') ; ...things to see? : ????? ????? (''...dvarim lir'ot? - dvaRIM lirOT'') ; Can you show me on the map? : ???? ?????? ?? ???? (''efshar lehar'ot li bamapah? - efSHAR leharOT li bamaPA'') ; street : ???? (''rehov - reKHOV'') ; Go left. : ?? ????? (''lekh smolah - lekh SMOla'') ; GO right. : ?? ????? (''lekh yeminah - lekh yaMIna'') ; left : ???? (''smol - smol'') ; right : ???? (''yamin - yaMIN'') ; straight ahead : ??? (''yashar - yaSHAR'') ; towards the _____ : ?????? (''lekivun ___ - lekiVUN'') ; past the _____ : ???? ? (''ahrey ha___ - akhaREY'') ; before the _____ : ???? ? (''lifney ha___ - lifNEY'') ; Watch for the _____. : ??? ?? ? (''hapes et ha___ - khaPES et ha___'') ; intersection : ???? (''tsomet - TZOmet'') ; north : ???? (''tsafon - tzaFON'') ; south : ???? (''darom - daROM'') ; east : ???? (''mizrah - mizRAKH'') ; west : ???? (''ma'arav - ma`aRAV'') ; uphill : ????? ??? (''b`ma`aleh ha`har - b`ma`aLEH ha`HAR'') ; downhill : ????? ??? (''b`morad ha`har - b`moRAD ha`HAR'')

Taxi (????? ''monit'')

; Taxi! : ????? (''monit! - moNIT!'') ; Take me to _____, please. : ?? ???? ?____, ????? (''qah oti le___, bevakashah - kakh oTI le___, bevakaSHA'') ; How much does it cost to get to _____? : ??? ?? ???? ?? ? (''kamah ze 'oleh li 'ad le___? - KAma ze `oLE `ad le___'') ; Take me there, please. : ?? ???? ??? ????? (''qah oti lesham, bevakashah - kakh oTI leSHAM, bevakaSHA'') ; Could you use a counter/taximeter, please? : ???? ?????? ????? ?????? (''tukhal lehishtamesh bemoneh bevakasha? - tuKHAL le-hish-ta-MESH be-moNEH be-va-ka-SHA?''). A counter/taximeter (???? - 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 shrimp or 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. : ?????, ????? ???? /?????? (b'vakaSHA, shulKHAN l'ekhAD/ lishnAIYM) ; Can I look at the menu, please? : ???? ????? ????? (Efshar tafrit, b'vakasha?) ; I'm a vegetarian. : ??? ?????? /??? ??????? (Ani tzimkhoni (masc)/ Ani tzimkhonit (fem)) ; I don't eat beef. : ??? ?? ????/ ??? ?? ????? ??? (Ani lo okhel bakar (masc)/ Ani lo okhelet bakar(fem)) ; I only eat kosher food. : ??? ???? /????? ?? ???? ??? (Ani okhel (masc)/okhelet (fem) raq okhel kasher) ; Can you make it "lite", please? (''less oil/butter/lard'') : ???? ?? ???? ??? ????? (Efshar im pakhot shemen bevakashah) ; breakfast : ????? ???? (Arukhat boqer) ; lunch : ????? ?????? (Arukhat tzohorayim) ; supper : ????? ??? (Arukhat erev) ; I want _____. : ??? ???? _____. (Ani rotzeh (masc); Ani rotzah (fem)) ; I would like to eat _____. : ??? ???? ????? _____. (Ani rotzeh/ rotzah le'ekhol) ; chicken : ??? (Off) ; beef : ??? (Baqar) ; fish : ?? (Dag) ; cheese : ????? (Gvinah) ; eggs : ???? (Beitzah) ; salad : ??? (Salat) ; (fresh) vegetables : ????? (Y'raqot) ; (fresh) fruit : ????? (Peirot) ; bread : ??? (Lekhem) ; toast : ???? (Tost) ; noodles : ????? (Nudelz) ; pasta : ???? (Pastah) ; rice : ???? (Orez) ; chickpeas: ????? (Khumus) : hummus: ????? (Khumus) ; May I have a glass of _____? : ???? ??? (Efshar qos) ; May I have a cup of _____? : ???? ??? (Efshar qos) ; May I have a bottle of _____? :???? ????? (Efshar baqbuq) ; ...coffee : ...??? (Kafeh) ; ...tea (''drink'') : ?? (Teh) ; ...juice : ...??? (Mitz) ; ...(bubbly) water : ...???? (Sodah) ; ...water : ...??? (Mayim) ; ...beer : ...???? (Birah) ; ...red/white wine : ...??? ????. ??? ??? (Yain adom / Yain lavan) ; May I have some _____? : ???? (Efshar) ; salt : ??? (Melakh) ; black pepper : ???? ???? (Pilpel shakhor) ; Excuse me, waiter? (''getting attention of server''): ????? (Slikhah) ; I'm finished. : ?????? (Siamti) ; It was delicious. : ??? ????? (Hayah metzuyan) ; Please clear the plates. : ???? ????? (Efshar l'fanot) ; The check, please. : ???? ?????, ????? (Efshar kheshbon, b'vakasha) ; Where is the bathroom ? : ???? ???????? ? (Eifo Hasherutim?)