Greetings, your name, where you're from, and the Hebrew small-talk Israelis actually use.
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
