Hebrew for all levels: modern, medieval, and biblical

Introductory Course in Modern Hebrew:

I. Hebrew Course – Description by Level

🟢 Beginner Level (Alef – א)

Objective: To acquire the basics of modern Hebrew, both spoken and written.

Main contents:

Learning the Hebrew alphabet (letters and vowels)

Reading and writing simple words

Basic vocabulary: presentation, family, food, numbers, days of the week

Construction of simple sentences (verb to be, conjugation in the present tense, question/answer)

First oral interactions (greetings, everyday dialogues)

Introduction to Israeli culture (common expressions, songs, customs)

Methods:

Communicative method with role plays, dialogues, videos, songs

Beginner-friendly visual and audio materials

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🟡 Intermediate Level (Bet – ב)

Objective: To consolidate the basics and develop autonomy in communicating in Hebrew.

Main contents:

Vocabulary enrichment (leisure, work, travel, feelings)

Conjugations in past tenses (past, future) and introduction to irregular verbs

Improving listening comprehension through videos, podcasts and dialogues

Reading simple texts (articles, short stories)

Writing short texts (emails, messages, descriptions)

Discussions on various topics: daily life, current events, traditions

Methods:

Oral and written expression activities

Interactive exercises and role-playing games

Work in small groups

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🔵 Advanced Level (Guimel – ג)

Objective: To master everyday Hebrew, both written and spoken, and to develop ease in various contexts.

Main contents:

Understanding complex texts (literature, press, essays)

Fluent oral expression on abstract and concrete subjects

Argumentation, debate, analysis of opinions

Mastery of advanced grammatical structures

Writing elaborate texts: letters, reviews, stories, opinions

Exploration of modern Hebrew culture, contemporary Israeli literature, and media

Methods:

Conversation workshops, oral presentations

Analysis of authentic documents (films, songs, literary extracts)

Personalized monitoring and correction of written productions

II. Hebrew Alphabet

The Hebrew alphabet has 22 letters, all consonants:

א (Aleph)
ב (bet)
ג (Gimel)
ד (Dalet)
ה (He)
ו (Vav)
ז (Zayin)
ח (Chet)
ט (Tet)
י (Yod)
כ (Kaf)
ל (Lamed)
מ (Mem)
נ (Nun)
ס (Samekh)
ע (Ayin)
פ (Pe)
צ (Tsade)
ק (Qof)
ר (Resh)
ש (Shin)
ת (Tav)
Some letters have a different shape when they appear at the end of a word. For example :

כ becomes ך
מ becomes ם
נ becomes ן
פ becomes ף
צ becomes ץ
Pronunciation
Hebrew uses dots and dashes called "nikkoud" to indicate vowels, but they are not generally used in modern texts. Here are some examples of pronunciation of letters with vowels:

אבא (aba): dad
אמא (ima): mother
שלום (shalom): hello/peace
ספר (sefer): book
Basic Phrases
Hello: שלום (shalom)
Goodbye: להתראות (lehitraot)
Please: בבקשה (bevakasha)
Thank you: תודה (toda)
Yes: כן (ken)
No: לא (lo)
Basic Grammar
Items
The definite article is "ה" (ha). Ex: הבית (habayit) = the house.
Personal pronouns
I: אני (ani)
You (masculine): אתה (ata)
You (feminine): את (at)
He: הוא (hu)
She: היא (hi)
We: אנחנו (anachnu)
You (masculine): אתם (atem)
You (feminine): אתן (aten)
They: הם (hem)
They: הן (hen)
Basic Verbs
To be: להיות (lihyot)
Have: יש ל (yesh le)
Go: ללכת (lalekhet)
Do: לעשות (laasot)

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