basic hebrew words

Learn 40+ Basic Hebrew Words, Phrases & Grammar

Want to learn some Basic Hebrew words?

Then check out this guide. All you have to do is read through and you’ll start picking up “Ivrit” “mila” (Hebrew words.)

Part 1: Introduction – How You’ll Learn Hebrew Here.

basic hebrew words

So, you want to learn Hebrew (עברית – ivrit) right?

Well, this guide will teach you HOW to learn. And, at the same time, you will absorb some Hebrew (עברית – ivrit) words into your head. 

Just like you learned right now that (עברית – ivrit) means Hebrew, right? And you will learn (ללמוד lilmod) them through repetition, because these words (מילה mila) will show up again and again.

Yes, you will see the Hebrew (עבריתivrit) translation for various words in parenthesis, like below:

  • (Hebrew Pronunciation)  
  • (עבריתivrit)

We’re just mixing them into the guide.

So, later on, when you see read these words (מילה mila) again, you’ll realize: “Hey, I saw this before. I know it!” 

See? Now you know what “Ivrit” and “mila” mean 

(Hint: The meanings are “Hebrew” and “word.”)

That’s the power of repetition.

Warning: This guide is not the complete answer to learning language. This is NOT a serious study tool. It will not cover complex grammar points. For example, the verbs you will see will be in dictionary form. Not conjugated. I will not make things complicated here. You will learn conjugations later.

Again, the only goals are to…

  1. teach you how to learn a language (שפה safa)
  2. put some basic words (מילה mila) into your head.

Does this sound good to you?

  • Yes (כן ken)
  • No (לא lo)

basic hebrew words

I hope you said yes (כן ken). 

So, read (לקרוא likro) along.

Part 2: Who are you? And why do you want to learn?

If someone asks you “Who are you” in Hebrew (עברית – ivrit)…

How can you respond? You’d respond with your name (שֵׁם shem), right?

So, you would say….

basic hebrew words

  • My name is _______  
  • …השם שלי הוא
  • Ha-shem sheli hu…

See? Now, you know how to say your name (שֵׁם shem) in Hebrew (עברית ivrit). 

The reason I ask you these questions is so you think about why Hebrew is important to you ( אתה ata OR את at). Note: You use “ata” when speaking to males and “at” when speaking to females.

Now, why are you learning Hebrew?

The way you ( אתה ata OR את at) would answer me is with this:

  • I am learning Hebrew because _____
    • For a male – …אני לומד עברית כי
    • ani lomed ivrit ki…
    • For a female – …אני לומדת עברית כי
    • ani lomedet ivrit ki…

basic hebrew words

Let’s say it’s a personal goal.

  • I am learning Hebrew because it’s a goal.
    • For a male – אני לומד עברית כי זוהי המטרה שליani lomed ivrit ki zohi hamatara sheli
    • For a female – אני לומדת עברית כי זוהי המטרה שלי – ani lomedet ivrit ki zohi hamatara sheli
  • I am learning Hebrew because I want to.
    • For a male – אני לומד עברית כי אני רוצה – ani lomed ivrit ki ani rotze
    • For a female – אני לומדת עברית כי אני רוצה – ani lomedet ivrit ki ani rotza
  • I am learning Hebrew because of travel.
    • For a male – אני לומד עברית כי אני רוצה לטייל – ani lomed ivrit ki ani rotze letayel
    • For a female – אני לומדת עברית כי אני רוצה לטייל – ani lomedet ivrit ki ani rotza letayel
  • I am learning Hebrew because of family.
    • For a male – אני לומד עברית בגלל המשפחה ani lomed ivrit biglal hamishpah’a
    • For a female – אני לומדת עברית בגלל המשפחה ani lomedet ivrit biglal hamishpah’a

See? Now you ( אתה ata OR את at) know how to say some reasons in Hebrew.

But by knowing your reason and clarifying it in your mind, you improve your motivation. 

Part 3: How to approach learning things.

Remember, you learned (ללמוד lilmod) how to say your שֵׁם shem, right?

For example: 

  • My name is _______
    • ____ השם שלי הוא
    • Ha-shem sheli hu ____

Well, now that I know your (שם – shem) in (עברית  ivrit), let’s talk about HOW to learn (ללמוד lilmod).

Learning anything is not a race. It’s a marathon. You do (לעשות – la’asot) a little every day.

You don’t do a lot. Because (כי – ki) that’s how you get tired and quit.

Are you (אתה ata OR את at) agreeing with me so far?

Pick an answer right now.

  • Yes (כן ken)
  • No (לא lo)

I (ani אני) really hope you said Yes (כן ken). Otherwise, I’ll be very sad. Anyway, this is not about me.

So, since you (אתה ata OR את at) have a goal of learning (ללמוד lilmod) Hebrew (עברית ivrit)…

….Let’s make your goal realistic.

You can make it realistic and actually possible by making small easy goals. Don’t say “my goal is to be fluent.” It’s too big (Masculine – גדול – gadol, Feminine – גדולה – gdola) and vague.

Instead, say…

  • I will learn (ללמוד lilmod) 100 words (מילה mila) this month.
  • I will learn (ללמוד lilmod) the alphabet (אלף בית – alef bet) this week.
  • I will do (לעשות – la’asot) 1 page of my textbook every day… this month!

And be sure to set a deadline! Deadlines get things done.

There’s a reason why they’re used in schools, at work, on your electric bills and your internet bill. You know WHEN to do (לעשות – la’asot) something by. Otherwise, you will float around and NEVER get anything done.

When you (אתה ata OR את at) are done with this goal, set the next one. And make it small (Masculine – קטן – katan, Feminine – קטנה ktana). Don’t make it big (Masculine – גדול – gadol, Feminine – גדולה – gdola).

The other trick to learning things and making progress is… you  (אתה ata OR את at) have to be consistent.

Either you stick with it or you (אתה ata OR את at) don’t. 

Sadly, I (ani אני) have no tips for you here. Mostly, because I (ani אני) don’t like writing self-help advice. There are no amount of words that will make you take action. No wise sayings will do it for you. You can meditate on this all you want but it won’t help. No inspirational speech will do it for you. It’s pure work and action. No thoughts. It’s all physical. Just do it… or don’t.

Part 4: How you can learn (ללמוד lilmod) Hebrew (עברית   ivrit).

So, you want to… (ללמוד lilmod) (עברית   ivrit), right?

Yes..?

This is where you say …  (כן ken)

Wait! How does one even say “I want…” in Hebrew?

Here’s how:

  • I want…
    • For a male – אני רוצה… ani rotze…
    • For a female – אני רוצה… ani rotza…

basic hebrew phrases

  • I want to learn.
    • For a male – אני רוצה ללמוד ani rotze lilmod
    • For a female – אני רוצה ללמוד ani rotza lilmod
  • I want to read.
    • For a male – אני רוצה לקרוא ani rotze likro
    • For a female – אני רוצה לקרוא ani rotza likro
  • I want to eat.
    • For a male – אני רוצה לאכול ani rotze le’eh’ol
    • For a female – אני רוצה לאכול ani rotza le’eh’ol
  • I want to sleep.
    • For a male – אני רוצה לישון ani rotze lishon
    • For a female – אני רוצה לישון ani rotza lishon

Well, there are plenty of ways to (ללמוד lilmod) (עברית ivrit).

You can listen (להאזין/להקשיב leha’azin/lehakshiv). Listen (להאזין/להקשיב leha’azin/lehakshiv) to audio lessons.

Go ahead and listen to this lesson, 3-Minute Hebrew #1 – Self Introduction, by HebrewPod101.

You can watch (לצפות litzpot). Watch (לצפות litzpot) video lessons.

You can read (לקרוא likro) a Hebrew textbook.

You can get a Hebrew word of the day to learn basic Hebrew words..

You can download vocabulary apps.

These are some easy ways to learn Hebrew by yourself.

But, it also depends on you. What do you  (אתה ata OR את at) like?

Do you like to listen? Do you like to watch videos? Do you like to read?

And you can say…

  • I like…
    • For a male – …אני אוהב ani ohev… For a female – …אני אוהבת ani ohevet…

basic hebrew phrases

  • I like to read.
    • For a male – אני אוהב לקרוא ani ohev likro
    • For a female – אני אוהבת לקרוא ani ohevet likro
  • I like to watch videos.
    • For a male – אני אוהב לצפות בסרטונים ani ohev litzpot besirtonim
    • For a female – אני אוהבת לצפות בסרטונים ani ohevet ohevet litzpot besirtonim
  • I like to listen to audio.
    • For a male – אני אוהב להאזין לקבצי שמע ani ohev leha’azin lekovtzei shma
    • For a female – אני אוהבת להאזין לקבצי שמע ani ohevet ohevet leha’azin lekovtzei shma

By the way, now you also know (לדעת lada’at) how to say “I like” in Hebrew. 

But, it depends on your learning style. Some people (אנשים anashim) like to (לקרוא likro). Some (people) like to listen. Some (אנשים anashim) like to write (לכתוב lichtov). Some (אנשים anashim)  like to watch videos.

Whatever you choose is good enough for now. Don’t worry about perfect starts. They don’t exist.

Just stick with it, as we talked about.

Part 5: How to Remember (לזכור lizkor) what you learn (ללמוד lilmod).

As you read (לקרוא likro) this, you already know (לדעת lada’at) a bunch of Basic Hebrew words. Words like (מילה mila), (עברית   ivrit), ( אתה ata OR את at), (לקרוא likro), and plenty others.

Why? (?למה lama?)

Repetition.

In other words, review.

Unfortunately, there is no magic bullet to FAST (מהר maher) learning. 

But, the one guaranteed way to learn is to review and repeat.

So, if you see (לראות lir’ot) or read (לקרוא likro) a word you want to remember (לזכור lizkor)…

  • Write (לכתוב lichtov) it down in a notebook or somewhere.
  • Read (לקרוא likro) it again and again.
  • Re-read it later today (היום hayom) in the evening.
  • Come back tomorrow (מחר mah’ar) and write (לכתוב lichtov) it some more.

Remember (לזכור lizkor), to TRULY learn (ללמוד lilmod), you must practice, practice, practice and repeat, repeat, repeat.

It helps to have a “thinking system” or “pattern.” What do I (ani אני) mean by that?

Well, think about it.

If I (ani אני) said “you stink,” a good portion of you will take that insult and send an insult back at me. This is just an automatic process or system that some of us have. Others smile and laugh it off. The point is, we have an automatic process we follow – whether we are aware of it or not. Someone sneezes, you say “bless you.” Someone farts, you say “eww.”

Automatic.

So, when you come across a new (Masculine – חדש – h’adash, Feminine – חדשה – h’adasha) word, create a system for yourself here.

  • If you  (אתה ata OR את at) come across something new (Masculine – חדש – h’adash, Feminine – חדשה – h’adasha), that you really want to remember (לזכור lizkor), write (לכתוב lichtov) it down and re-read it later. Or, take a picture of it on your phone and swipe through your pictures later.

Part 6: A quick review of all the Basic Hebrew words.

Here are some basic Hebrew words and basic Hebrew phrases that you learned.

  1. Hebrew (עברית – ivrit)
  2. To learn (ללמוד lilmod)
  3. Word (מילה mila)
  4. Language (שפה safa)
  5. Yes (כן ken)
  6. No (לא lo)
  7. To read (לקרוא likro
  8. name (שֵׁם shem)
  9. My name is _______
    • …השם שלי הוא
    • Ha-shem sheli hu..
  10. You ( אתה ata OR את at)
  11. I am learning Hebrew because _____
    • For a male – …אני לומד עברית כי
    • ani lomed ivrit ki…
    • For a female – …אני לומדת עברית כי
    • ani lomedet ivrit ki…
  12. I am learning Hebrew because it’s a goal.
    • For a male – אני לומד עברית כי זוהי המטרה שליani lomed ivrit ki zohi hamatara sheli
    • For a female – אני לומדת עברית כי זוהי המטרה שלי – ani lomedet ivrit ki zohi hamatara sheli
  13. I am learning Hebrew because I want to.
    • For a male – אני לומד עברית כי אני רוצה – ani lomed ivrit ki ani rotze
    • For a female – אני לומדת עברית כי אני רוצה – ani lomedet ivrit ki ani rotza
  14. I am learning Hebrew because of travel.
    • For a male – אני לומד עברית כי אני רוצה לטייל – ani lomed ivrit ki ani rotze letayel
    • For a female – אני לומדת עברית כי אני רוצה לטייל – ani lomedet ivrit ki ani rotza letayel
  15. I am learning Hebrew because of family.
    • For a male – אני לומד עברית בגלל המשפחה ani lomed ivrit biglal hamishpah’a
    • For a female – אני לומדת עברית בגלל המשפחה ani lomedet ivrit biglal hamishpah’a
  16. To do (לעשות – la’asot)
  17. Because (כי – ki)
  18. I/me (ani אני)
  19. big (Masculine – גדול – gadol, Feminine – גדולה – gdola)
  20. Alphabet (אלף בית – alef bet) 
  21. small (Masculine – קטן – katan, Feminine – קטנה ktana)
  22. I want…
    • For a male – אני רוצה… ani rotze…
    • For a female – אני רוצה… ani rotza…
  23. I want to learn.
    • For a male – אני רוצה ללמוד ani rotze lilmod
    • For a female – אני רוצה ללמוד ani rotza lilmod
  24. I want to read.
    • For a male – אני רוצה לקרוא ani rotze likro
    • For a female – אני רוצה לקרוא ani rotza likro
  25. I want to eat.
    • For a male – אני רוצה לאכול ani rotze le’eh’ol
    • For a female – אני רוצה לאכול ani rotza le’eh’ol
  26. I want to sleep.
    • For a male – אני רוצה לישון ani rotze lishon
    • For a female – אני רוצה לישון ani rotza lishon
  27. To listen (להאזין/להקשיב leha’azin/lehakshiv)
  28. To watch (לצפות litzpot)
  29. I like
    • For a male – …אני אוהב ani ohev… For a female – …אני אוהבת ani ohevet…
  30. I like to read.
    • For a male – אני אוהב לקרוא ani ohev likro
    • For a female – אני אוהבת לקרוא ani ohevet likro
  31. I like to watch videos.
    • For a male – אני אוהב לצפות בסרטונים ani ohev litzpot besirtonim
    • For a female – אני אוהבת לצפות בסרטונים ani ohevet ohevet litzpot besirtonim
  32. I like to listen to audio.
    • For a male – אני אוהב להאזין לקבצי שמע ani ohev leha’azin lekovtzei shma
    • For a female – אני אוהבת להאזין לקבצי שמע ani ohevet ohevet leha’azin lekovtzei shma
  33. People (אנשים anashim)
  34. To write (לכתוב lichtov)
  35. To know (לדעת lada’at)
  36. Why? (?למה lama?)
  37. Fast (מהר maher)
  38. To see (לראות lir’ot)
  39. To remember (לזכור lizkor).
  40. Today (היום hayom)
  41. Tomorrow (מחר mah’ar)
  42. New (Masculine – חדש – h’adash, Feminine – חדשה – h’adasha)

Part 7: Conclusion.

All I really wanted to do was to “plant” some (עברית ivrit) (מילה mila) into your head. 

So, then when you actually buckle down to learn, you’ll realize… “Huh, i learned this word before. I know it!”

Now you  (אתה ata OR את at) know (לדעת lada’at) a whole bunch of basic Hebrew words (מילה mila). And you know some basic Hebrew grammar (דקדוק dikduk) rules.

You may also say, “okay I know what ‘ani,’ ‘ivrit‘ and ‘mila‘ mean but i don’t remember the rest. You did a terrible job.” That’s fine. Because (כי – ki) when it comes to learning a language, there are few things you’ll get instantly. I don’t expect overnight results. What I do expect is that words, grammar rules, speaking, reading and writing will become natural for you over time. Rushing to learn fast (מהר maher) is a foolish task. But, reviewing a little bit every day is what will do the trick.

If you enjoyed this and learned some basic Hebrew words, feel free to leave me a comment.

– The Main Junkie

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Evelyn

I (Ani) have no idea why nobody has posted on any of these yet,
but this is the best site for learning a new language!
This is the best place for learning Hebrew.
Also, my you post another one of these?