Learn to Read Modern Hebrew in 5 Days

By:
David Ben Zaken
Published by Wolfedale Press
Copyright © 2015
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including
photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods,
without the prior written permission of the publisher.
The cover image of Ein Gedi Beach, in Israel is licensed under cc by-sa 3.0.
Author: Adiel lo
www.wolfedalepress.com
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction
Unit 1 - ‫ ל‬,‫ נ‬,‫ מ‬,‫א‬
Unit 2 - ‫ ד‬,‫ ג‬,‫י‬
Unit 3 - ‫ ר‬,‫ ה‬,‫ ת‬,‫ו‬
Unit 4 - ‫ ש‬,‫ב‬
Unit 5 - ‫ ט‬,‫ ז‬,‫ ס‬,‫כ‬
Unit 6 - ‫ צ‬,‫פ‬
Unit 7 - ‫ ק‬,‫ ע‬,‫ח‬
Unit 8 - Review
Appendix - Vowels
Hebrew Alphabet
Glossary – Thematic Order
Glossary – Alphabetical Order
 INTRODUCTION
Learning a new alphabet can be very intimidating for an English speaker
only used to reading the Latin alphabet. This is partly why English speakers
tend to stick to learning other languages that use the same alphabet, such as
French, Spanish and Italian – because they seem a lot easier!
But learning a new alphabet does not have to be so difficult. Some
alphabets, like Hebrew, can indeed be challenging for an English speaker.
However, the real difficulty is finding a good system to learn the new
alphabet so that the student does not get discouraged and give up before
making any real progress. Making progress in the language is the best
motivator.
The secret to learning a new alphabet is to be taught each letter
separately, and then to practice how the new letters combine with letters
you already know to read real words in the alphabet in a structured way.
This is not revolutionary – it is probably how you learned to read English –
but it is not easy to find for other languages.
This book will teach you how to read the Hebrew alphabet in exactly
that way, and with this method you will be able to read Modern Hebrew in
only 5 days or less! After that you will be able to enjoy the Hebrew
language and culture in a way that you were never able to before.
THE HEBREW ALPHABET
‫אלף־בית עברי‬
The Hebrew alphabet contains 22 letters and is written from right to left.
There is no difference between upper and lower case letters; however 5
letters have different forms when used at the end of a word.
Vowels are not normally written in Modern Hebrew, although some
consonants are used to represent long vowels. A system does exist to write
all of the vowels. Called niqqud, this system consists of a series of dots and
dashes written above and below the letters. This system is only used in
special cases, however, such as in dictionaries and books for children, and
not in normal publications.
 The lack of written vowels, and the fact that some letters can be
pronounced in more than one way, make the Hebrew alphabet challenging
for beginners; it is not always clear by looking at a new word exactly how
to pronounce it and often a dictionary or native speaker must be consulted.
Remember, however, that this is also largely true for Modern English
spelling and pronunciation and much like English, after some practice and a
feel for the language, reading Modern Hebrew becomes much easier.
The Modern Hebrew alphabet derives from a stylized “square” version
of the Aramaic script that was used in the Persian Empire during the 3rd
century BCE. This alphabet was also used in the Jewish diaspora
communities around the world, and used to write the various Jewish
vernacular languages that developed, such as Yiddish and Ladino.
This course focuses on Modern Hebrew as spoken in the state of Israel.
Despite this focus, the course will still be very useful for students interested
in the Biblical form of Hebrew. After learning to read Hebrew with this
course, reading Biblical Hebrew will come much easier – the alphabet is the
same.
HOW TO USE THIS COURSE
The primary goal of this course book is to teach the reader to recognize
the Hebrew alphabet and begin to read the Modern Hebrew language.
The principal way this is accomplished is by teaching the individual
pronunciations of each letter, and then utilizing “Practice” sections where
the student can practice reading real Hebrew words. These “Practice”
sections are very important and the main way the student will start to feel
comfortable with the Hebrew alphabet. The answers to all “Practice”
questions are included directly below the questions, but try to avoid looking
at the answers until you have attempted to answer the questions yourself.
Throughout the book, the reader will learn approximately 150 real
Modern Hebrew words. These words were carefully selected to be of
maximum benefit to beginner students of the language. In the end of the
book there are two glossaries – one in thematic order and one in
alphabetical order – where one can study and memorize all the words
learned in this course
The course material has been designed to be completed slowly over 5
days, while reviewing lessons as necessary. You are encouraged to go at
whatever pace you feel comfortable with and to feel free to go back to
lessons to review as much as needed.
 Good luck and I hope you enjoy the first step on your journey to
learning the Hebrew language.
 UNIT 1 - ‫ ל‬,‫ נ‬,‫ מ‬,‫א‬
In Modern Israeli Hebrew, the letter ‫א‬, called aleph, has no real
pronunciation of its own and is used to represent the vowel that is attached
to it. When a word begins with a vowel sound, it is always written with a ‫א‬
in Hebrew. Although this can be any vowel, beginners can start by
assuming ‫ א‬is a long “a” sound. ‫ א‬is also sometimes used to indicate a
glottal stop, meaning a pause or a catch in the throat between two vowel
sounds, like in “uh-oh” (IPA: /ʔ/). This glottal stop will be represented by ‘
in the pronunciation in this book.
The letter ‫מ‬, called mem, is pronounced like the “m” in “man” or “me”
(IPA: /m/). ‫ מ‬has a slightly different form, called mem sofit, when used at
the end of a word. The sofit form is ‫ם‬.
The letter ‫נ‬, called nun, is pronounced like the “n” in “now” or “Nancy
(IPA: /n/). ‫ נ‬also has a sofit form used at the end of words. The sofit form is
‫ן‬.
The letter ‫ל‬, called lamed, is pronounced like the “l” in “little” or “like”
(IPA: /l/).
Short vowels are not usually written in Modern Hebrew. This means
that you often have to know how the word is pronounced before you can
read it properly. This is not a problem for native speakers because they
already speak the language. To illustrate what this is like for native speakers
imagine if English followed the same principal. Can you read this sentence?
Modrn Hebrw is nt dffclt to read
As you can see it is not too difficult - but this is a challenge for foreign
learners of Hebrew, especially beginners.
PRACTICE
Try to read these English words in their Hebrew disguise. Remember
that the words are written right to left and that short vowels are not written.
The English words are given below.
1. ‫מן‬
2. ‫לם‬
3. ‫נאנא‬
4. ‫לאן‬
ANSWERS
1. man (or men)
2. lamb
3. Nana
4. lawn
 UNIT 2 - ‫ ד‬,‫ ג‬,‫י‬
The letter ‫י‬, called yod, is pronounced like the “y” in “yes” or “yellow”
(IPA: /j/). It is also used for the long “ee” sound in “bee” or the “i” in
“spaghetti” (IPA /i/). Think of this letter the same as the English letter “y”
which can be pronounced as a consonant like in “yellow” or as a vowel like
in “tiny”. Also like the English “y”, when a word begins with ‫ י‬it is always
pronounced as a consonant. In this book this letter will be represented as
either “y” or “i” depending on pronunciation.
The letter ‫ג‬, called gimel, is pronounced like the “g” sound in “good” or
“goose” (IPA: /g/).
The letter ‫ד‬, called dalet, is pronounced like the “d” sound in “dad” or
“David” (IPA: /d/).
PRACTICE
Try to read these real Modern Hebrew words. The English translation is
given next to each word. The correct pronunciations are given in the
answers below.
1. ‫( יד‬hand/arm)
2. ‫( דם‬blood)
3. ‫( יין‬wine)
4. ‫( ים‬sea)
5. ‫( מאי‬May)
6. ‫( ידיד‬friend)
7. ‫( אדם‬man)
8. ‫( ילד‬boy)
9. ‫( דג‬fish)
10. ‫( אגם‬lake)
ANSWERS
1. yad
2. dam
3. yayin
4. yam
5. may
6. yadid
7. adam
8. yeled
9. dag
10. agam
 UNIT 3 - ‫ ר‬,‫ ה‬,‫ ת‬,‫ו‬
The letter ‫ו‬, called vav, is pronounced like the “v” sound in “very” (IPA:
/v/). This letter is also used to represent long vowels. In Modern Hebrew, ‫ו‬
can be pronounced either as the “u” sound in “glue” (IPA: /u/), or as the “o”
sound in “hope” (IPA /o/). If the optional dotted forms are shown, the letter
is pronounced “u” with the dot to the left side and “o” with the dot above.
However since the dots are not normally written, a beginner will have to
consult the pronunciation to see if the word is pronounced with a “u” or an
“o”.
The letter ‫ת‬, called tav, is pronounced like the “t” sound in “ten” (IPA
/t/).
The letter ‫ה‬, called he, is pronounced like the “h” in “home” (IPA /h/).
At the end of a word, ‫ ה‬is not normally pronounced and instead shows that
the word ends in an “ah” sound (similar to ‫ א‬at the beginning of a word).
The letter ‫ר‬, called resh, is usually pronounced like a French “r” sound
in Modern Hebrew (IPA /ʁ/). It is also sometimes pronounced the same as
an English “r” sound, especially among English speakers in Israel.
TRY NOT TO CONFUSE
The letter ‫ ו‬and the sofit form of the letter nun from Unit 1, ‫ ן‬look very
similar. The difference is that nun extends down below the line and the vav
stops at the line. Remember ‫ ו‬is pronounced “v”, “u” or “o” and ‫ ן‬is
pronounced “n” and only used at the end of a word.
PRACTICE
Try to read these real Hebrew words. The English translation is given
next to each word. The correct pronunciations are given in the answers
below.
1. ‫( מלון‬hotel)
2. ‫( אדום‬red)
3. ‫( גדול‬big)
4. ‫( יום‬day)
5. ‫( היום‬today)
6. ‫( אתמול‬yesterday)
7. ‫( יהדות‬Judaism)
8. ‫( נהר‬river)
9. ‫( הר‬mountain)
10. ‫( רגל‬foot / leg)
ANSWERS
1. malon
2. adom
3. gadol
4. yom
5. hayom
6. etmol
7. yahadut
8. nahar
9. har
10. regel
 UNIT 4 - ‫ ש‬,‫ב‬
The letter ‫ב‬, called bet, is pronounced two different ways. It is either
pronounced like the “b” sound in “bad” (IPA: /b/) or like the “v” sound in
“very” (IPA /v/). The pattern is that if ‫ ב‬is written at the beginning of a
word, or the beginning of a syllable, it is usually pronounced “b” and if ‫ ב‬is
written in the middle or the end of a word it is usually pronounced “v”.
The letter ‫ש‬, called shin, is also pronounced two different ways. In texts
where the dots are shown, the ‫ ש‬with the dot on the top left is pronounced
like the “s” in “simple” (IPA: /s/) and with the dot on the top right, ‫ ש‬is
pronounced like the “sh” sound in “she” (IPA /ʃ/). Unfortunately for
beginners the dots are not written in most texts and whether the letter is
pronounced “s” or “sh” does not follow any real pattern. The reader must
therefore look up the pronunciation to determine if ‫ ש‬is pronounced “s” or
“sh”.
PRACTICE
Try to read these Hebrew words. The English translation is given next
to each word. The correct pronunciations are given in the answers below.
1. ‫( בשר‬meat)
2. ‫( גבינה‬cheese)
3. ‫( בירה‬beer)
4. ‫( לבן‬white)
5. ‫( בן אדם‬person)
6. ‫( אב‬father)
7. ‫( אשה‬woman)
8. ‫( שמלה‬dress)
9. ‫( ראש‬head)
10. ‫( גשם‬rain)
11. ‫( שלג‬snow)
12. ‫( שמש‬sun)
ANSWERS
1. basar
2. g’vina
3. bira
4. lavan
5. ben adam
6. av
7. isha
8. simla
9. rosh
10. geshem
11. sheleg
12. shemesh
 UNIT 5 - ‫ ט‬,‫ ז‬,‫ ס‬,‫כ‬
The letter ‫כ‬, called kaf, is pronounced two different ways. It is either
pronounced like the “k” sound in “kick” (IPA: /k/) or like the “ch” sound in
the German “doch” or the “j” sound in the Spanish “ojos” (IPA /x/). This
second sound is the throat clearing guttural sound that is a distinct part of
the Hebrew language and should be practiced by beginners. This sound will
be written “kh” in the pronunciation. The pattern is that if ‫ כ‬is written at the
beginning of a word, or the beginning of a syllable, it is usually pronounced
“k” and if ‫ כ‬is written in the middle or the end of a word it is usually
pronounced “kh”. ‫ כ‬also has a sofit form, used at the end of a word, which
looks like ‫ך‬.
The letter ‫ס‬, called samekh, is pronounced like the “s” sound in “son”
(IPA /s/).
The letter ‫ז‬, called zayin, is pronounced like the “z” sound in “zoo” (IPA
/z/).
The letter ‫ט‬, called tet, is pronounced like the “t” sound in “town” (IPA
/t/). In Modern Hebrew this letter is pronounced the same as ‫ת‬.
TRY NOT TO CONFUSE
The letter ‫ד‬, called dalet from Unit 3, resembles the new letter kaf in its
sofit form ‫ך‬. The difference is that sofit kaf extends down below the writing
line and the dalet stop at the line. Remember ‫ ד‬is pronounced “d” and ‫ ך‬is
pronounced “kh” or “k”.
PRACTICE
Try to read these Hebrew words. The English translation is given next
to each word. The correct pronunciations are given in the answers below.
1. ‫( רכבת‬train)
2. ‫( מכונית‬car)
3. ‫( בית כנסת‬synagogue)
4. ‫( כן‬yes)
5. ‫( כלב‬dog)
6. ‫( מטוס‬airplane)
7. ‫( סירה‬boat)
8. ‫( אוזן‬ear)
9. ‫( זול‬cheap)
10. ‫( טוב‬good)
11. ‫( אוכל‬food)
12. ‫( כיסא‬chair)
ANSWERS
1. rekevet
2. m’khonit
3. beit knesset
4. ken
5. kelev
6. matos
7. sira
8. ozen
9. zol
10. tov
11. okhel
12. kise
 UNIT 6 - ‫ צ‬,‫פ‬
The letter ‫פ‬, called pe, is pronounced in two ways. It is either pronounced
like the “p” sound in “pepper” (IPA: /p/) or like the “f” sound in “far” (IPA
/f/). The pattern is that if ‫ פ‬is written at the beginning of a word, or the
beginning of a syllable, it is usually pronounced “p” and if ‫ פ‬is written in
the middle or the end of a word it is usually pronounced “f”. ‫ פ‬also has a
sofit form, used at the end of words, which looks like ‫ף‬.
The letter ‫צ‬, called tsadi, is pronounced like the “ts” sound in “lots”
(IPA /ts/). Unlike English, in Hebrew this sound can begin a word as well as
occur in the middle or the end of a word. ‫ צ‬also has a sofit form, used at the
end of words, which looks like ‫ץ‬.
PRACTICE
Try to read these Hebrew words. The English translation is given next
to each word. The correct pronunciations are given in the answers below.
1. ‫( ציפור‬bird)
2. ‫( פרה‬cow)
3. ‫( בית ספר‬school)
4. ‫( ספר‬book)
5. ‫( פה‬mouth)
6. ‫( פנים‬mouth)
7. ‫( צהוב‬yellow)
8. ‫( דצמבר‬December)
ANSWERS
1. tsipor
2. para
3. beit sefer
4. sefer
5. pe
6. panim
7. tsahov
8. detsember
 UNIT 7 - ‫ ק‬,‫ ע‬,‫ח‬
The letter ‫ח‬, called khet, is pronounced like the “ch” sound in the German
“doch” or the “j” in the Spanish “ojos” (IPA /x/). In Modern Hebrew, ‫ ח‬is
pronounced the same as the second pronunciation of ‫כ‬. This pronunciation
will be represented by “kh” in this book. In English this letter is sometimes
romanized as “ch”.
The letter ‫ע‬, called ayin, in Modern Hebrew is either pronounced like a
glottal stop (IPA /ʔ/) or is silent. Therefore it functions basically the same as
‫א‬. When there is a glottal stop, it will be represented by ‘ in the
pronunciation in this book.
The letter ‫ק‬, called qof, is pronounced like the “k” sound in “kick” (IPA
/k/). In Modern Hebrew ‫ ק‬is pronounced the same as the first pronunciation
of ‫כ‬.
TRY NOT TO CONFUSE
The letter ‫ה‬, called he from Unit 3, resembles the new letter khet ‫ח‬. The
difference is that he has a small space between the left stroke and the top of
the letter whereas khet is connected. Remember ‫ ה‬is pronounced “h” and ‫ח‬
is pronounced “kh”.
The new letter ‫ ע‬resembles the letter ‫ צ‬from Unit 6. Pay close attention
to the bottom of each letter to not confuse them. Remember ‫ צ‬is pronounced
“ts” and ‫ ע‬is pronounced as either a glottal stop or is silent.
PRACTICE
Try to read these Hebrew words. The English translation is given next
to each word. The correct pronunciations are given in the answers below.
1. ‫( חזיר‬pig)
2. ‫( אח‬brother)
3. ‫( אחות‬sister)
4. ‫( חנות‬shop)
5. ‫( חלון‬window)
6. ‫( כובע‬hat)
7. ‫( נעל‬shoe)
8. ‫( עצם‬bone)
9. ‫( זקן‬beard)
10. ‫( ירוק‬green)
11. ‫( קרח‬ice)
12. ‫( קטן‬small)
ANSWERS
1. khazir
2. akh
3. akhot
4. khanut
5. khalon
6. kova
7. na’al
8. etsem
9. zakan
10. yarok
11. kerakh
12. katan
 UNIT 8 - REVIEW
PRACTICE 1
Review the previous lessons by reading these real Hebrew place names
below. The correct pronunciations are given in the answers below.
1. ‫ישראל‬
2. ‫ירושלים‬
3. ‫תל־אביב‬
4. ‫חיפה‬
5. ‫באר שבע‬
6. ‫בני ברק‬
7. ‫ים המלח‬
8. ‫ים כנרת‬
9. ‫נהר הירדן‬
10. ‫הר הארי‬
ANSWERS 1
1. Yisra’el (Israel)
2. Yerushalayim (Jerusalem)
3. Tel Aviv
4. Haifa
5. Be'er Sheva (Beersheba)
6. B’nei Brak
7. Yam HaMelakh (Dead Sea)
8. Yam Kinneret (Sea of Galilee)
9. Nahar Hayarden (Jordan River)
10. Har HaAri
PRACTICE 2
Review what you have learned in this book by reading the Hebrew
names below. The correct pronunciations are given in the Answers below.
1. ‫בנימין נתניהו‬
2. ‫שמעון פרס‬
3. ‫אריאל שרון‬
4. ‫אהוד ברק‬
5. ‫יצחק רבין‬
ANSWERS 2
1. Benyamin Netanyahu
2. Shimon Peres
3. Ariel Sharon
4. Ehud Barak
5. Yitskhak Rabin
 APPENDIX - VOWELS
As we have seen, short vowels are not normally written in Modern Israeli
Hebrew, except for some special cases, such as dictionaries, poetry and
texts for children. Students of Hebrew must therefore get accustomed to
reading without the vowel marking as this is the natural way for Modern
Hebrew to be written.
When they are shown, vowels are indicated in Hebrew by small dots or
bars written either above or below the Hebrew letter. These marks, called
niqqud in Hebrew, are written small compared to the letter itself. A
comprehensive review of all of the niqqud is beyond the scope of this book
and unnecessary for beginners since as previously mentioned, niqqud are
not normally written at all in Modern Hebrew. Several niqqud are
pronounced identically in Modern Israeli Hebrew.
Some niqqud that a student may occasionally see in Modern Hebrew are
presented below, along with the name and the pronunciation in square
brackets. The letters with the niqqud may not show up properly depending
on the device used to read this ebook. If the letters below cannot be viewed
properly, I encourage the reader to order the print version of this book or
study the niqqud online.
‫ ַב‬Patach [a]
‫ ָב‬Kamatz gadol [a]
‫ ֲב‬Hataf patach [a]
‫ ְב‬Sh’va [e] or [‘]
‫ ֶב‬Segol [e]
‫ ֵב‬Zeire [e]
‫ ֱב‬Hataf segol [e]
‫ ִב‬Hiriq [i]
ֹ‫ ב‬Holam [o]
‫ ֳב‬Hataf kamatz [o]
‫ ֻב‬Kubutz [u]
 HEBREW ALPHABET
‫ א‬Alef [a]
‫ ב‬Bet [b] / [v]
‫ ג‬Gimel [g]
‫ ד‬Dalet [d]
‫ ה‬He [h]
‫ ו‬Vav [v] / [u] / [o]
‫ ז‬Zayin [z]
‫ ח‬Khet [kh]
‫ ט‬Tet [t]
‫ י‬Yod [y] / [i]
‫ כ‬Kaf [k] / [kh]
‫ ך‬Kaf sofit [kh]
‫ ל‬Lamed [l]
‫ מ‬Mem [m]
‫ ם‬Mem sofit [m]
‫ נ‬Nun [n]
‫ ן‬Nun sofit [n]
‫ ס‬Samekh [s]
‫ ע‬Ayin [‘]
‫ פ‬Pe [p] / [f]
‫ ף‬Pe sofit [f]
‫ צ‬Tsadi [ts]
‫ ץ‬Tsadi sofit [ts]
‫ ק‬Qof [k]
‫ ר‬Resh [r]
‫ ש‬Shin [sh] / [s]
‫ ת‬Tav [t]
 GLOSSARY – THEMATIC ORDER
ANIMALS
‫[ בעל חיים‬ba‘al khayim] animal
‫[ כלב‬kelev] dog
‫[ חתול‬khatul] cat
‫[ דג‬dag] fish
‫[ ציפור‬tsipor] bird
‫[ פרה‬para] cow
‫[ חזיר‬khazir] pig
‫[ עכבר‬akhbar] mouse
‫[ סוס‬sus] horse
PEOPLE
‫[ בן אדם‬ben adam] person
‫[ אם‬em] mother
‫[ אמא‬imam] mommy
‫[ אב‬av] father
‫[ אבא‬aba] daddy
‫[ בן‬ben] son
‫[ בת‬bat] daughter
‫[ אח‬akh] brother
‫[ אחות‬akhot] sister
‫[ ידיד‬yadid] friend
‫[ אדם‬adam] man
‫[ אשה‬isha] woman
‫[ ילד‬yeled] boy
‫[ ילדה‬yalda] girl
TRANSPORTATION
‫[ רכבת‬rekevet] train
‫[ מטוס‬matos] airplane
‫[ מכונית‬m'khonit] car (automobile)
‫[ אופניים‬ofanayim] bicycle
‫[ אוטובוס‬otobus] bus
‫[ סירה‬sira] boat
LOCATION
‫'[ עיר‬ir] city
‫[ בית‬bayit] house
‫[ רחוב‬rekhov] street
‫[ נמל תעופה‬n'mal-t'ufa] airport
‫[ מלון‬malon] hotel
‫[ מסעדה‬mis'ada] restaurant
‫[ בית ספר‬beit sefer] school
‫[ אוניברסיטה‬universita] university
‫[ פרק‬park] park
‫[ חנות‬khanut] store / shop
‫[ בית חולים‬beit kholim] hospital
‫[ כנסייה‬knesia] church
‫[ בית כנסת‬beit k'neset] synagogue
‫[ בנק‬bank] bank
‫[ שוק‬shuk] market
HOME
‫[ שולחן‬shulkhan] table
‫[ כיסא‬kise] chair
‫[ חלון‬khalon] window
‫[ דלת‬delet] door
‫[ ספר‬sefer] book
CLOTHING
‫[ בגדים‬b'gadim] clothing
‫[ כובע‬kova] hat
‫[ שמלה‬simla] dress
‫[ חולצה‬khultsa] shirt
‫[ מכנסיים‬mikhnasayim] pants
‫[ נעל‬na'al] shoe
BODY
‫[ גוף‬guf] body
‫[ ראש‬rosh] head
‫[ פנים‬panim] face
‫[ שערה‬sa'ara] hair
‫[ עין‬ayin] eye
‫[ פה‬pe] mouth
‫[ אף‬af] nose
‫[ אוזן‬ozen] ear
‫[ יד‬yad] hand / arm
‫[ רגל‬regel] foot / leg
‫[ לב‬lev] heart
‫[ דם‬dam] blood
‫[ עצם‬etsem] bone
‫[ זקן‬zakan] beard
MISCELLANEOUS
‫[ כן‬ken] yes
‫[ לא‬lo] no
FOOD & DRINK
‫[ אוכל‬okhel] food
‫[ בשר‬basar] meat
‫[ לחם‬lekhem] bread
‫[ גבינה‬g'vina] cheese
‫[ תפוח‬tapuakh] apple
‫[ מים‬mayim] water
‫[ בירה‬bira] beer
‫[ יין‬yayin] wine
‫[ קפה‬kafe] coffee
‫[ תה‬te] tea
‫[ חלב‬khalav] milk
‫[ ארוחת בוקר‬arukhat boker] breakfast
‫[ ארוחת צהריים‬arukhat tsohorayim] lunch
‫[ ארוחת ערב‬arukhat erev] dinner
COLORS
‫[ צבע‬tseva] color
‫[ אדום‬adom] red
‫[ כחול‬kakhol] blue
‫[ ירוק‬yarok] green
‫[ צהוב‬tsahov] yellow
‫[ שחור‬shakhor] black
‫[ לבן‬lavan] white
NATURE
‫[ ים‬yam] sea
‫[ נהר‬nahar] river
‫[ אגם‬agam] lake
‫[ הר‬har] mountain
‫[ גשם‬geshem] rain
‫[ שלג‬sheleg] snow
‫[ עץ‬ets] tree
‫[ פרח‬perakh] flower
‫[ שמש‬shemesh] sun
‫[ ירח‬yareakh] moon
‫[ רוח‬ruakh] wind
‫[ שמים‬shamayim] sky
‫[ אש‬esh] fire
‫[ קרח‬kerakh] ice
ADJECTIVES
‫[ גדול‬gadol] big
‫[ קטן‬katan] small
‫[ טוב‬tov] good
‫[ רע‬ra] bad
‫[ חם‬kham] hot
‫[ קר‬kar] cold
‫[ זול‬zol] cheap
‫[ יקר‬yakar] expensive
‫[ מאושר‬m'ushar] happy
‫[ עצוב‬atzuv] sad
NUMBERS
‫[ אחת‬akhat] one
‫[ שתיים‬sh'tayim] two
‫[ שלוש‬shalosh] three
‫[ ארבע‬arba] four
‫[ חמש‬khamesh] five
‫[ שש‬shesh] six
‫[ שבע‬sheva] seven
‫[ שמונה‬shmone] eight
‫[ תשע‬teisha] nine
‫[ עשר‬eser] ten
TIME
‫[ יום‬yom] day
‫[ חודש‬khodesh] month
‫[ שנה‬shana] year
‫[ שעה‬sha'a] hour
‫[ היום‬ha-yom] today
‫[ מחר‬makhar] tomorrow
‫[ אתמול‬etmol] yesterday
DAYS OF THE WEEK
‫[ יום ראשון‬yom rishon] Sunday
‫[ יום שני‬yom sheni] Monday
‫[ יום שלישי‬yom sh'lishi] Tuesday
‫[ יום רביעי‬yom r'vi'i] Wednesday
‫[ יום חמישי‬yom khamishi] Thursday
‫[ יום שישי‬yom shishi] Friday
‫[ יום שבת‬yom shabat] Saturday
MONTHS (GREGORIAN)
‫[ ינואר‬yanuar] January
‫[ פברואר‬februar] February
‫[ מרץ‬merts] March
‫[ אפריל‬april] April
‫[ מאי‬may] May
‫[ יוני‬yuni] June
‫[ יולי‬yuli] July
‫[ אוגוסט‬ogust] August
‫[ ספטמבר‬september] September
‫[ אוקטובר‬oktober] October
‫[ נובמבר‬november] November
‫[ דצמבר‬detsember] December
PROPER NOUNS
‫[ ישראל‬yisra'el] Israel
‫[ ישראלי‬yisra'eli] Israeli
‫[ עברי‬ivri] Hebrew (language)
‫[ יהדות‬yahadut] Judaism
‫[ יהודי‬y'hudi] Jewish
‫[ ירושלים‬yerushalayim] Jerusalem
‫[ תל אביב‬tel aviv] Tel Aviv
‫[ חנוכה‬khanuka] Hanukkah
‫[ ראש השנה‬rosh hashanah] Rosh Hashanah
‫[ יום כיפור‬yom kipur] Yom Kippur
 GLOSSARY – ALPHABETICAL
ORDER
-‫א‬-
‫[ אב‬av] father
‫[ אבא‬aba] daddy
‫[ אגם‬agam] lake
‫[ אדום‬adom] red
‫[ אדם‬adam] man
‫[ אוגוסט‬ogust] August
‫[ אוזן‬ozen] ear
‫[ אוטובוס‬otobus] bus
‫[ אוכל‬okhel] food
‫[ אוניברסיטה‬universita] university
‫[ אופניים‬ofanayim] bicycle
‫[ אוקטובר‬oktober] October
‫[ אח‬akh] brother
‫[ אחות‬akhot] sister
‫[ אחת‬akhat] one
‫[ אם‬em] mother
‫[ אמא‬imma] mommy
‫[ אף‬af] nose
‫[ אפריל‬april] April
‫[ ארבע‬arba] four
‫[ ארוחת ערב‬arukat erev] dinner
‫[ ארוחת צהריים‬arukhat tsohorayim] lunch
‫[ ארוחת בוקר‬arukhat boker] breakfast
‫[ אש‬esh] fire
‫[ אשה‬isha] woman
‫[ אתמול‬etmol] yesterday
-‫–ב‬
‫[ בגדים‬b'gadim] clothing
‫[ בירה‬bira] beer
‫[ בית‬bayit] house
‫[ בית חולים‬beit kholim] hospital
‫[ בית כנסת‬beit k'neset] synagogue
‫[ בית ספר‬beit sefer] school
‫[ בן‬ben] son
‫[ בן אדם‬ben adam] person
‫[ בנק‬bank] bank
‫[ בעל חיים‬ba‘al khayim] animal
‫[ בשר‬basar] meat
‫[ בת‬bat] daughter
-‫–ג‬
‫[ גבינה‬g'vina] cheese
‫[ גדול‬gadol] big
‫[ גוף‬guf] body
‫[ גשם‬geshem] rain
-‫–ד‬
‫[ דג‬dag] fish
‫[ דלת‬delet] door
‫[ דם‬dam] blood
‫[ דצמבר‬detsember] December
-‫ה‬-
‫[ היום‬ha-yom] today
‫[ הר‬har] mountain
-‫ז‬-
‫[ זול‬zol] cheap
‫[ קן‬zakan] beard
-‫–ח‬
‫[ חודש‬khodesh] month
‫[ חולצה‬khultsa] shirt
‫[ חזיר‬khazir] pig
‫[ חלב‬khalav] milk
‫[ חלון‬khalon] window
‫[ חם‬kham] hot
‫[ חמש‬khamesh] five
‫[ חנוכה‬khanuka] Hanukkah
‫[ חנות‬khanut] store / shop
‫[ חתול‬khatul] cat
-‫ט‬-
‫[ טוב‬tov] good
-‫–י‬
‫[ יד‬yad] hand / arm
‫[ ידיד‬yadid] friend
‫[ יהדות‬yahadut] Judaism
‫[ יהודי‬y'hudi] Jewish
‫[ יולי‬yuli] July
‫[ יום‬yom] day
‫[ יום חמישי‬yom khamishi] Thursday
‫[ יום כיפור‬yom kipur] Yom Kippur
‫[ יום ראשון‬yom rishon] Sunday
‫[ יום רביעי‬yom r'vi'i] Wednesday
‫[ יום שבת‬yom shabat] Saturday
‫[ יום שישי‬yom shishi] Friday
‫[ יום שלישי‬yom sh'lishi] Tuesday
‫[ יום שני‬yom sheni] Monday
‫[ יוני‬yuni] June
‫[ יין‬yayin] wine
‫[ ילד‬yeled] boy
‫[ ילדה‬yalda] girl
‫[ ים‬yam] sea
‫[ ינואר‬yanuar] January
‫[ יקר‬yakar] expensive
‫[ ירוק‬yarok] green
‫[ ירושלים‬yerushalayim] Jerusalem
‫[ ירח‬yareakh] moon
‫[ ישראל‬yisra'el] Israel
‫[ ישראלי‬yisr'eli] Israeli
-‫כ‬-
‫[ כובע‬kova] hat
‫[ כחול‬kakhol] blue
‫[ כיסא‬kise] chair
‫[ כלב‬kelev] dog
‫[ כן‬ken] yes
‫[ כנסייה‬knesia] church
 -‫ל‬-
‫[ לא‬lo] no
‫[ לב‬lev] heart
‫[ לבן‬lavan] white
‫[ לחם‬lekhem] bread
-‫–מ‬
‫[ מאושר‬m'ushar] happy
‫[ מאי‬may] May
‫[ מחר‬makhar] tomorrow
‫[ מטוס‬matos] airplane
‫[ מים‬mayim] water
‫[ מכונית‬m'khonit] car (automobile)
‫[ מכנסיים‬mikhnasayim] pants
‫[ מלון‬malon] hotel
‫[ מסעדה‬mis'ada] restaurant
‫[ מרץ‬merts] March
-‫נ‬-
‫[ נהר‬nahar] river
‫[ נובמבר‬november] November
‫[ נמל תעופה‬n'mal-t'ufa] airport
‫[ נעל‬na'al] shoe
-‫–ס‬
‫[ סוס‬sus] horse
‫[ סירה‬sira] boat
‫[ ספטמבר‬september] September
‫[ ספר‬sefer] book
-‫ע‬-
‫[ עברי‬ivri] Hebrew
‫[ עין‬ayin] eye
‫'[ עיר‬ir] city
‫[ עכבר‬akhbar] mouse
‫[ עץ‬ets] tree
‫[ עצוב‬atzuv] sad
‫[ עצם‬etsem] bone
‫[ עשר‬eser] ten
-‫פ‬-
‫[ פברואר‬februar] February
‫[ פה‬pe] mouth
‫[ פנים‬panim] face
‫[ פרה‬para] cow
‫[ פרח‬perakh] flower
‫[ פרק‬park] park
-‫צ‬-
‫[ צבע‬tseva] color
‫[ צהוב‬tsahov] yellow
‫[ ציפור‬tsipor] bird
-‫ק‬-
‫[ קטן‬katan] small
‫[ קפה‬kafe] coffee
‫[ קר‬kar] cold
‫[ קרח‬kerakh] ice
-‫ר‬-
‫[ ראש‬rosh] head
‫[ ראש ההשנ‬rosh hashanah] Rosh Hashanah
‫[ רגל‬regel] foot / leg
‫[ רוח‬ruakh] wind
‫[ רחוב‬rekhov] street
‫[ רכבת‬rekevet] train
‫[ רע‬ra] bad
-‫ש‬-
‫[ שבע‬sheva] seven
‫[ שולחן‬shulkhan] table
‫[ שוק‬shuk] market
‫[ שחור‬shakhor] black
‫[ שלג‬sheleg] snow
‫[ שלוש‬shalosh] three
‫[ שמונה‬shmone] eight
‫[ שמים‬shamayim] sky
‫[ שמלה‬simla] dress
‫[ שמש‬shemesh] sun
‫[ שנה‬shana] year
‫[ שעה‬sha'a] hour
‫[ שערה‬sa'ara] hair
‫[ שש‬shesh] six
 ‫[ שתיים‬sh'tayim] two
-‫ת‬-
‫[ תה‬te] tea
‫[ תל אביב‬tel aviv] Tel Aviv
‫[ תפוח‬tapuakh] apple
‫[ תשע‬teisha] nine

###

Thank you for reading “Learn to Read Modern Hebrew in 5 Days”.

I hope that this book has been an enjoyable first step on your journey to
learning the Hebrew language. If you have found this book helpful please
consider leaving a short review on the site where you purchased it. Reviews
help readers make informed decisions and are the highest compliment you
can pay an author.
Thank you,
D.B.Z.