Gender in Hebrew: Hebrew is a gendered language — nearly every verb and adjective changes based on whether the speaker is male or female. Throughout this page, (m) = male speaker, (f) = female speaker.
👋 Basic Greetings
| Hebrew | Transliteration | English |
|---|
| שָׁלוֹם! | Shalom! | Hello! / Peace!Works for hello, goodbye, and peace — the most useful word in Hebrew |
| הֵי! | Hey! | Hey! (casual) |
| מַה שְּׁלוֹמְךָ? | Ma shlomcha? | How are you? (to a man) |
| מַה שְּׁלוֹמֵךְ? | Ma shlomech? | How are you? (to a woman) |
| מַה נִּשְׁמָע? | Ma nishma? | What's up? (casual, to anyone) |
| בְּסֵדֶר, תּוֹדָה! | Beseder, toda! | Fine, thanks! |
| יֹפִי! | Yofi! | Great! / Beautiful!One of the most common positive expressions in Israeli Hebrew |
| נָעִים לְהַכִּיר | Na'im lehakir | Nice to meet you |
📛 Your Name
| Hebrew | Transliteration | English |
|---|
| שְׁמִי... | Shmi... | My name is... |
| מַה שִּׁמְךָ? | Ma shimcha? | What is your name? (to a man) |
| מַה שְּׁמֵךְ? | Ma shmech? | What is your name? (to a woman) |
| אֶפְשָׁר לִקְרֹא לִי... | Efshar likro li... | You can call me... |
| אֵיךְ קוֹרְאִים לְךָ? | Eich kor'im lecha? | What do they call you? (casual, m) |
| נָעִים מְאֹד, [שֵׁם] | Na'im me'od, [shem] | Very nice to meet you, [name] |
Israeli naming culture: Israelis are very informal — you'll quickly be on a first-name basis with almost everyone, including doctors, teachers, and bosses. Don't be surprised when strangers ask your name immediately!
🌍 Where You're From
| Hebrew | Transliteration | English |
|---|
| אֲנִי מֵ... | Ani me-... | I'm from... (country/city) |
| אֲנִי גָּר בְּ... / גָּרָה בְּ... | Ani gar be-... / gara be-... | I live in... (m/f) |
| מֵאַיִן אַתָּה? | Me'ayin ata? | Where are you from? (to a man) |
| מֵאַיִן אַת? | Me'ayin at? | Where are you from? (to a woman) |
| אֲנִי מְבַקֵּר בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל | Ani mevaker be-Yisrael | I'm visiting Israel (m)mevakeret — feminine |
| זוֹ הַפַּעַם הָרִאשׁוֹנָה שֶׁלִּי בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל | Zo ha-pa'am ha-rishona sheli be-Yisrael | This is my first time in Israel |
| אֲנִי כָּאן לְחֻפְשָׁה / לַעֲבוֹדָה | Ani kan le-chufsha / la-avoda | I'm here on vacation / for work |
🗣️ Talking About Your Hebrew
| Hebrew | Transliteration | English |
|---|
| אֲנִי לוֹמֵד עִבְרִית / לוֹמֶדֶת עִבְרִית | Ani lomed ivrit / lomedet ivrit | I'm learning Hebrew (m/f) |
| אֲנִי מְדַבֵּר קְצָת עִבְרִית | Ani medaber ktzat ivrit | I speak a little Hebrew (m)medaberet — feminine |
| הָעִבְרִית שֶׁלִּי לֹא טוֹבָה | Ha-ivrit sheli lo tova | My Hebrew isn't good |
| בְּבַקָּשָׁה דַּבֵּר לְאַט | Bevakasha daber le'at | Please speak slowly (to a man)dabri le'at — to a woman |
| אֶפְשָׁר לַחֲזֹר עַל זֶה? | Efshar lachzor al ze? | Can you repeat that? |
| אֲנִי לֹא מֵבִין / מְבִינָה | Ani lo mevin / mevina | I don't understand (m/f) |
| אֵיךְ אוֹמְרִים... בְּעִבְרִית? | Eich omrim... be-ivrit? | How do you say... in Hebrew? |
| מַה הַמִּילָּה לְ...? | Ma ha-mila le-...? | What is the word for...? |
Israelis love this: Saying אֲנִי לוֹמֵד עִבְרִית (ani lomed ivrit) will almost always make an Israeli want to help you practice. Don't be embarrassed — they genuinely enjoy it.
💬 Small Talk & Ages
| Hebrew | Transliteration | English |
|---|
| בֶּן כַּמָּה אַתָּה? | Ben kama ata? | How old are you? (to a man) |
| בַּת כַּמָּה אַת? | Bat kama at? | How old are you? (to a woman) |
| אֲנִי בֶּן / בַּת [מִסְפָּר] | Ani ben / bat [number] | I am [number] years old (m/f) |
| אַתָּה נָשׂוּי? / אַת נְשׂוּאָה? | Ata nasui? / At nesu'a? | Are you married? (to a man/woman) |
| יֵשׁ לִי... יְלָדִים | Yesh li... yeladim | I have... children |
| מָה אַתָּה עוֹשֶׂה? | Ma ata ose? | What do you do? (job, to a man)Ma at osa? — to a woman |
| אֲנִי עוֹבֵד בְּ... | Ani oved be-... | I work in/at... (m)ovedet — feminine |
| הָיָה לִי נָעִים לְדַבֵּר אִתְּךָ | Haya li na'im ledaber itcha | It was nice talking to you (to a man)itach — to a woman |
| לְהִתְרָאוֹת! | Lehitraot! | See you! / Goodbye! |
