Essential Hebrew Vocabulary and Phrases for Beginners

Getting Started with Essential Hebrew

When you begin learning Hebrew, a small set of high‑frequency words and phrases will help you speak quickly and confidently. This guide focuses on practical, everyday Hebrew you can use from day one. All explanations are in English, and every Hebrew example includes an English translation.

1. Basic Hebrew Greetings

1.1 Common Greetings

These are the first words you will use with Israelis.

• שלום – shalom – "hello" / "hi" / also "peace" (and sometimes "goodbye")
• היי – hai – "hi" (informal, from English)
• בוקר טוב – boker tov – "good morning"
• צהריים טובים – tzohorayim tovim – "good afternoon"
• ערב טוב – erev tov – "good evening"
• לילה טוב – laila tov – "good night"

1.2 Saying Goodbye

• להתראות – lehitraot – "see you" / "goodbye"
• ביי – bai – "bye" (informal)

1.3 Mini Dialogues

Example 1

שלום, בוקר טוב! – shalom, boker tov! – "Hello, good morning!"
בוקר טוב, מה נשמע? – boker tov, ma nishma? – "Good morning, how are you (what’s up)?"

2. Introducing Yourself

2.1 Names and Origin

• אני – ani – "I" / "I am"
• אתה – ata – "you" (male, singular)
• את – at – "you" (female, singular)
• קוראים לי... – kor'im li... – "My name is..." (literally: "they call me")
• אני מ... – ani me... – "I am from..."
• מאיפה אתה? – me'eifo ata? – "Where are you from?" (to a man)
• מאיפה את? – me'eifo at? – "Where are you from?" (to a woman)

2.2 Useful Sentences

• שלום, קוראים לי דניאל. – shalom, kor'im li Daniel. – "Hello, my name is Daniel."
• אני מארצות הברית. – ani me-Artsot ha-Brit. – "I am from the United States."
• אני מישראל. – ani me-Yisra'el. – "I am from Israel."

3. Polite Words Every Beginner Needs

3.1 Please, Thank You, and Sorry

• תודה – toda – "thank you"
• תודה רבה – toda raba – "thank you very much"
• בבקשה – bevaka'sha – "please" / "you’re welcome"
• סליחה – sli'kha – "sorry" / "excuse me"
• כן – ken – "yes"
• לא – lo – "no"

3.2 Short Exchanges

Example 2

אפשר מים, בבקשה? – efshar mayim, bevaka'sha? – "May I have water, please?"
כן, בבקשה. – ken, bevaka'sha. – "Yes, here you go / you’re welcome."

Example 3

סליחה, איפה השירותים? – sli'kha, eifo ha-sherutim? – "Excuse me, where is the bathroom?"

4. Essential Question Words

Question words are powerful. With them, you can ask for almost anything.

• מה – ma – "what"
• מי – mi – "who"
• איפה – eifo – "where"
• מתי – matai – "when"
• למה – lama – "why"
• איך – eikh – "how"
• כמה – kama – "how much" / "how many"

4.1 Practical Question Phrases

• מה זה? – ma ze? – "What is this?"
• איפה התחנה? – eifo ha-takhana? – "Where is the station?"
• מתי האוטובוס? – matai ha-otobus? – "When is the bus?"
• כמה זה עולה? – kama ze ole? – "How much does this cost?"

5. Numbers and Time Basics

5.1 Numbers 1–10

Hebrew has masculine and feminine forms, but as a beginner you can start with the masculine forms.

1. אחד – echad – one
2. שתיים – shtayim – two
3. שלוש – shalosh – three
4. ארבע – arba – four
5. חמש – chamesh – five
6. שש – shesh – six
7. שבע – sheva – seven
8. שמונה – shmone – eight
9. תשע – tesha – nine
10. עשר – eser – ten

5.2 Time Expressions

• עכשיו – achshav – "now"
• היום – hayom – "today"
• מחר – machar – "tomorrow"
• אתמול – etmol – "yesterday"

Example 4

מתי השיעור? – matai ha-shi'ur? – "When is the lesson?"
השיעור מחר. – ha-shi'ur machar. – "The lesson is tomorrow."

6. Everyday Survival Phrases

6.1 In Shops and Restaurants

• אני רוצה... – ani rotze... (m) / ani rotza... (f) – "I want..."
• כמה זה? – kama ze? – "How much is it?"
• חשבונית, בבקשה. – kheshbonit, bevaka'sha. – "Receipt, please."
• תפריט, בבקשה. – tafrit, bevaka'sha. – "Menu, please."
• מים – mayim – "water"
• קפה – kafe – "coffee"
• תה – te – "tea"

Example 5

אני רוצה קפה ומים, בבקשה. – ani rotze kafe u-mayim, bevaka'sha. – "I want coffee and water, please." (male speaker)

6.2 Directions and Transport

• ימינה – yamina – "right" (direction)
• שמאלה – smola – "left"
• ישר – yashar – "straight"
• איפה התחנה? – eifo ha-takhana? – "Where is the station?"
• איפה האוטובוס? – eifo ha-otobus? – "Where is the bus?"

7. Talking About How You Feel

7.1 Basic Feelings

• טוב – tov – "good"
• בסדר – be-seder – "okay" / "all right"
• לא טוב – lo tov – "not good"
• עייף – ayef (m) / ayefa (f) – "tired"
• רעב – ra'ev (m) / re'eva (f) – "hungry"
• צמא – tzame (m) / tzme'a (f) – "thirsty"

7.2 Asking and Answering "How are you?"

• מה שלומך? – ma shlomkha? (to a man) / ma shlomekh? (to a woman) – "How are you?"
• אני בסדר. – ani be-seder. – "I’m okay."
• אני טוב, תודה. – ani tov, toda. (m) – "I’m good, thanks."

Example 6

מה שלומך? – ma shlomekh? – "How are you?" (to a woman)
אני עייפה, אבל בסדר. – ani ayefa, aval be-seder. – "I’m tired, but okay."

8. Classroom and Learning Phrases

If you are learning Hebrew in a class or with a tutor, these phrases will help.

• אני לא מבין – ani lo mevin (m) / ani lo mevina (f) – "I don’t understand."
• אפשר לדבר לאט? – efshar ledaber leat? – "Can you speak slowly?"
• איך אומרים ... בעברית? – eikh omrim ... be-Ivrit? – "How do you say ... in Hebrew?"
• מה זה אומר? – ma ze omer? – "What does this mean?"
• אפשר לחזור על זה? – efshar lakhzor al ze? – "Can you repeat that?"

Example 7

סליחה, אני לא מבין. אפשר לחזור על זה? – sli'kha, ani lo mevin. efshar lakhzor al ze? – "Excuse me, I don’t understand. Can you repeat that?" (male speaker)

9. Tips for Remembering Hebrew Vocabulary

• Group words by situation: greetings, restaurant, transport, emotions.
• Make mini dialogues using 2–3 new words together.
• Use Hebrew daily: say boker tov in the morning, laila tov at night.
• Write both scripts: Hebrew letters and transliteration to connect sound and spelling.

With these essential Hebrew words and phrases, you can greet people, introduce yourself, ask basic questions, and handle everyday situations. Practice them aloud regularly, and you will quickly feel more comfortable using Hebrew in real life.