Lesson Notes

Grammar

The Focus of This Lesson Is Hebrew Grammar.

It's time for the big, bad G-word! But there's nothing to be scared of: there are just a few words we need to
introduce to you.

Reviewing English Grammar

Before we look at Hebrew grammar, let's quickly review English grammar.

English is an SVO language, meaning "Subject-Verb-Object."

For Example:

1. "I eat fruit."

"I" = subject
"eat" = verb
"fruit" = object

Hebrew is the same as English where you have the Subject-Verb-Object in most situations.

English has three simple tenses: present, past, and future. The tense of the verb mainly refers to the "time" of
the action of the verb (present, past, or future time). In Hebrew, we have the same three simple tenses, and
that is all you need to learn. This makes it very simple for you because you use these three tenses to
creatively express things that would otherwise be expressed by other forms of these tenses in other
languages.

1. Gender

In English, some nouns are automatically thought of as masculine or feminine, such as "king," "man,"
"queen," or "woman." We refer to everything else as "it" or having no gender such as "pencil," "dog," etc.

In Hebrew, however, we assign gender to all nouns. Some of them, such as the words for "man" and
"woman," go into the natural classification. Unlike English, nouns that we would think of as "it" (having no
gender) are classified into one of these two categories. Here are some examples.

For Example:

Gender Hebrew "English"

Masculine "boy"
"king"
"circle"
Feminine "girl"
"queen"
"brush"

Determining Gender

In most cases, the end of the word will give you some clues as to what gender the word is.
1. If a noun ends in - or -, it's probably feminine

2. If it ends with any other letter, it's probably masculine.

There are, however, exceptions: words that come in pairs (ending with -), such as "legs" and "socks," can
be either feminine or masculine. There are a few exceptions that you will need to learn by heart because they
don't follow the normal pattern.

Articles

English has three articles: the definite article, "the," and the indefinite articles "a" and "an."

Hebrew has only the definite article "the," and like in English, it does not determine the gender, so you use it
for both masculine and feminine nouns. The one big deference is that we use this word as a prefix and
sometimes it blends with another prefix if there are two. In Hebrew, the indefinite article is implied, so there
is no word for "a" or "an" like in English.

Let's look at the definite article.

The Definite Article: "The"

For Example:

Gender (Hebrew Article) Hebrew "English"

Masculine () "the boy"
"the king"
"the circle"
Feminine () "the girl"
"the queen"
"the brush"

The Indefinite Article: "A" or "An"

The indefinite article in English is "a" or "an," depending upon whether the word begins with a vowel sound.
The indefinite article in Hebrew is implied, and there is no additional word needed to determine this state, as
shown below.

For Example:

Gender Hebrew "English"

Masculine "a boy"
"a king"
"a circle"
Feminine "a girl"
"a queen"
"a roof"

2. Plurals of Nouns

Of course, we don't just talk about "one book" or "a book." Sometimes we have to talk about "books," "two
books," or "many books." To make an English noun plural, we usually add -s or -es to the end. "Book"
becomes "books"; "fox" becomes "foxes", etc. Making a noun plural in Hebrew requires that you know its
gender. It is usually quite easy and straightforward.

1. For masculine nouns, you will add - to the end of the word.
2. For feminine nouns, you will drop the - or the - and add - to the end of the word.

For Example:

Gender Singular Hebrew "English" Plural Hebrew "English"

Masculine "boy" "boys"
"king" "kings"
"circle" "circles"
Feminine "girl" "girls"
"queen" "queens"
"brush" "brushes"

3. Pronouns

Pronouns are that small class of words found in many languages that we use as replacements or substitutes
for nouns and noun phrases and that have a very general reference-words such as "I," "you," "he," "this," etc.

If we didn't have pronouns in English, we'd have to talk like this: "My brother lives in Maryland. My brother
works for the government. My brother is married, and my brother's wife works as a paralegal. I visit my
brother and my brother's wife twice a year."

Aren't we lucky we have pronouns-words that take the place of a noun-to simplify our lives and avoid that
horrible, lengthy repetition? Try this instead: "My brother lives in Maryland. He works for the government.
He is married, and his wife works as a paralegal. I visit him and his wife twice a year."

Pronouns have person, which tell us who's talking or whom we're talking about.

Here's a chart of the English pronouns.

Person Singular Plural

First person "I" "we"
Second person "you" "you"
Third person "he" "she" "it" "they"

Notice that English does give a nod to gender in the third person singular. Now, here's the corresponding
table in Hebrew.

Person Singular Plural

First person ani (" )I" anach'nu (" )we"
Second person atah (" )you" masculine atem (" )you" masculine
at (" )you"feminine aten (" )you" feminine
Third person hu (" )he" hem (" )they," masculine
hi (" )she" hen (" )they," feminine

In Hebrew, second person singular and plural and third person singular and plural have different forms for
masculine and feminine.
4. Conjugation

Generally, a verb describes existence, a condition, or an action.

Let's start our discussion of verbs with a regular verb in English, "to study."

Person Singular Plural

First person "I study" "we study"
Second person "you study" "you study"
Third person "he, she, it studies" "they study"

When we combine the pronouns and verb forms, that's called conjugating a verb. You'll notice that the verb
"to study " in English is pretty simple in its conjugation. Most other verbs in English, like "to walk" or "to
run," don't change as much, just like "to study."

In Hebrew, each regular verb in the present tense has four conjugated forms that you will need to learn.
Most verbs are regular in Hebrew because they fit into a structured system of conjugation. Even verbs that
are partially irregular (they have weak letters that disappear or turn into other letters) still fit within this
system.

In Hebrew, the verb meaning "to study" also needs to be conjugated. Here it is.

Person Singular "English" Plural "English"

First person Masculine ani lomed (" ) I study" anach'nu lom'dim (" ) we study "
First person feminine ani lomedet () anach'nu lom'dot ()
Second person masculine ata lomed (" ) you study " atem lom'dim () "you study "
Second person feminine at lomedet () aten lom'dot ()
Third person masculine hu lomed () "he studies" hem lom'dim () "they study"
Third person feminine hi lomedet (" ) she studies " hen lom'dot () "they study"

Notice that in the present tense, there are four forms of the verb:

1. Masculine singular

2. Feminine singular

3. Masculine plural

4. Feminine plural

Once you've learned these forms, you'll be in a position to make a complete Hebrew sentence.

Note: The verb "to be" in Hebrew does not have a present tense form, which can be confusing in the
beginning, but you will get used to it. You simply put a subject with another noun or adjective and the verb
"to be" is understood. For instance, if you want to tell someone what your profession is, you simply say "I"
and then your profession, such as "I teacher" (ani moreh) .

Unique Aspects of the Hebrew Language

The Hebrew language is built from a system of three- and four-letter roots. These root letters are then put
into a pattern, including vowels and sometimes additional consonants, which determine the meaning of the
word. When you see words that have the same three-letter root in it, those words will most likely be related
in some way.

There are examples of this concept used in English that may help you to understand how it works. If you
take the root "cred-," which means "to believe," you get the following related words that use that root: credo,
credible, credence, credit, credential, credulity, incredulous, creed, and incredible.

Adjectives

Another important part of speech is the adjective, which is a word that describes a noun. The bold words in
the sentences below are all adjectives.

1. "The big city is in Israel."

2. "The apple is sweet."

3. "I read a good book."

4. "The good books are on the shelf."

Look at the last two sentences. In English, you see that adjectives don't change their form when the noun
becomes plural. English adjectives come before the nouns. In English, an adjective's form never changes.

In Hebrew, however, adjectives must change their endings to match their nouns. An adjective has to match
the noun that it modifies in:

number (singular or plural) and

gender (masculine or feminine)

In Hebrew, adjectives follow the noun instead of coming before the noun. For example, let's look at the
adjective "gadol" (), which means "big."

For Example:

Person Romanization Hebrew "English"

Masculine singular yeled gadol "big boy"
Feminine singular yal'dah g'dolah " big girl"
Masculine plural yeladim g'dolim " big boys" or "big children"
Feminine plural yeladot g'dolot " big girls"
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Lesson Transcript
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All About Hebrew Lesson 3 Painless Hebrew Grammar. [ ]everyone. Welcome back to
Shira: HebrewPod101.com. And congratulations to you on having the guts to click play on a grammar
lesson.
Amir: The word grammar seems so [foreboding].
Shira: Yeah, a lot of us have grammar anxiety.
Amir: I know I do.
Shira: Fortunately, at HebrewPod101.com, we have developed a therapy for this.
Amir: Well, what we do is take all that grammar and simplify it for you.
Shira: Yes. Were going to prove it for you today with a grammar head start.
Amir: So lets get started.
--
Ok, first of all, we need to let you know the good news, which is that Hebrew is very similar to
Shira: English. In other words, its an SVO language, where the sentence is structured as Subject, Verb,
Object. So if you are familiar with this basic structure, things will be easier for you.
Amir: Well nothings that easy.
It doesnt stop there. Just as English has three basic tenses, past, present and future, so does Hebrew.
Shira:
The one big difference is that in Hebrew there are more conjugations of each verb.
Yeah. The verb must agree in both gender and number. Lets demonstrate what were talking about
Amir:
by using the most basic kind of sentence.
In a normal Hebrew declarative sentence, the word order is the same as a normal English declarative
Shira:
sentence. Subject, verb, object.
Amir: So for example, [] .
I study Hebrew is precisely the same as English. [ ]is I, [ ]is study and [ ]is the
Shira:
word for Hebrew. But thats the masculine form, I would say [] .
Yes. In the present tense, the verb changes according to the subject. For example, when the subject is
Amir:
I, the conjugation of the verb differs when the speaker is a man or a woman.
Shira: Ok, I guess here is where it gets a little more difficult than English.
It is, but in the present tense you only have to learn four forms of the verb conjugation. And Hebrew
Amir:
is very consistent, so youll be able to apply those four forms to most other words.
Shira: Right. Hebrew doesnt have irregular verbs like in English.
Amir: There are verbs that are partially irregular, but they still follow the same pattern as the regular verbs.
Shira: That does make it easier.
It does. And because the sentence structure is the same as in English, it makes it easier to start
Amir: speaking Hebrew. I mean think of all the things youll be able to say right away. Lets see more
examples. How about [] .
Shira: I drink tea. Again, the same structure as in English. And I would say [] .
Amir: And how about [] , meaning I teach Hebrew?
Thats a good one. My version is [] . So you can see how easy it is to start speaking
Shira:
Hebrew. You can already make three sentences.
Amir: I love it.
Shira: Well, unfortunately we have to get negative.
Amir: What?
Shira: Negating verbs.
Amir: Ah, yes. Making sentences negative. Ok, this is easy too.
Shira: Yes. Throw that grammar book out the window.
Negation occurs before the verb and any prepositional phrase. And all we have to do is add our
Amir:
negation word there.
Shira: So, for the example we just had, you just add the negation word [ ]in front of the verb.
Amir: []
Shira: Which means I dont study Hebrew.
Amir: Ok, but we are studying Hebrew, so lets talk about something else.
Shira: How about everyones favorite irregular verb, to be.
Amir: Oh, this one is so easy in Hebrew. Theres absolutely nothing to learn.
Shira: Well, at least in the present tense.
Amir: So lets start by saying I am Israeli. []
Shira: Did you catch that. The literal translation of what Amir just said is I Israeli.
Thats correct. The verb to be, [], doesnt exist in the present tense. You just put the sentence
Amir:
together like you normally would and leave the verb out.
Thats not the only thing that can disappear in Hebrew. In the past and future tenses, personal
Shira:
pronouns are usually not present.
The subject of the sentence is understood through the verb conjugation. So unless you need specific
Amir: information about the subject, using it would be redundant. Lets see our sentence that we used
before, I study Hebrew, to demonstrate this.
In the past, that sentence would be [] . Studied Hebrew are the only two words there. The
Shira:
subject I is in the conjugation of the verb.
Amir: The future of that would be [] . Once again, the I is in the verb conjugation.
So that gives you a little taste of what the past and future tenses sounds like. So moving on. Should
Shira:
we talk a little bit about the root system in Hebrew? Its very interesting.
Sure. Words in Hebrew are made up from three to four letter roots. The root gives the word its
Amir: essence, and when the word is applied to a pattern, it determines the words part of speech and its
meaning.
This often comes in handy because even if you dont know a word, you can guess its meaning by the
Shira:
root letters. Lets give some examples of this.
A good example is the root [..]. The verbs that come from this root are [], meaning to write,
[ ]meaning to be written, [ ]meaning to dictate and [ ]meaning to correspond.
Amir:
The nouns, on the other hand, that come from the same root are [ ]meaning handwriting, []
meaning spelling, [ ]meaning letter, and [ ]meaning dictation.
Shira: Theyre all related. And they all sound similar. Thats brilliant.
Amir: Now that weve covered word roots, lets have a closer look at gender.
In English, some nouns are automatically thought of as masculine or feminine, such as king, boy,
Shira:
queen and girl. Everything else is referred to as it, such as pencil, dog and so forth.
In Hebrew, on the other hand, all nouns are assigned a gender. Some of them, like the words for
Amir: man and woman, have an obvious classification, while other nouns that are usually thought of as
it in English are classified into one of these two categories in Hebrew. Here are some examples.
Amir: Masculine [].
Shira: Boy.
Amir: []
Shira: King.
Amir: []
Shira: Circle.
Amir: Feminine. []
Shira: Girl.
Amir: []
Shira: Queen.
Amir: []
Shira: Brush. So the question then becomes how do you determine a nouns gender?
The end of the word will give you some clues as to what gender the word is. If a noun ends in a [ ]or
Amir:
a [], its probably feminine. If it ends with any other letter, its probably masculine.
Now we need to know how to make those words plural, because we dont just talk about one book or
Shira:
a book. Sometimes we have to talk about books, two books or many books.
Making a noun plural in Hebrew requires knowing its gender. Take a deep breath. It goes like this.
Amir:
For masculine nouns, you start with singular [].
Shira: Meaning boy.
Amir: Which becomes [].
Shira: Boys or children.
Amir: Likewise, we have [].
Shira: King.
Amir: Which becomes [].
Shira: Kings.
Amir: Finally, [].
Shira: Meaning circle.
Amir: Becomes [].
Shira: Circles.
Amir: Well done. So for feminine nouns we have [].
Shira: Meaning girl.
Amir: Which becomes [].
Shira: Girls.
Amir: Similarly, we have [].
Shira: Meaning queen.
Amir: Which becomes [].
Shira: Queens.
Amir: And [].
Shira: Meaning brush.
Amir: Becomes [].
Shira: Brushes.
With most masculine nouns, we simply add [ ]to the end of the word. With most feminine nouns,
Amir:
we drop the [ ]or the [ ]at the end and add [].
Shira: Theres a special group of nouns we should mention doubled nouns.
Amir: Right. Nouns that come in pairs have a special plural ending. []
Shira: For instance, if you take the word for leg, [], it becomes [ ]in the plural.
Amir: And [, shoe.
Shira: Becomes [].
And so forth. Now lets look at articles. The is the definite article in English. Well, in Hebrew the
Amir:
definite article is actually a prefix.
Shira: You just add [ ]to the beginning of a word and voila, you have a definite article.
So adding a definite article to the nouns that we were just using would sound like this. [ ]meaning
Amir:
the boy. [ ]meaning the girl. [ ]meaning the boys or the children.
Shira: There must be more than that, right?
Of course, we also have indefinite articles. The English ones are a and an, depending on the
Amir:
vowel sound. The Hebrew ones are
Shira: Dont tell me. They dont exist again, right?
Thats right. Theyre just implied. When you say [], its understood that youre talking about a
Amir:
boy.
Shira: Wow, you Israelis are all about saving your breath.
Amir: Exactly, its pretty resourceful as a language.
Shira: Were missing a bit of color in our grammar study, dont you think? And by color I mean adjectives.
Amir: I agree. If you want to make your Hebrew more colorful, you can add adjectives.
Adjectives need to agree with a noun theyre modifying both in gender and in number. Luckily they
Shira:
basically use the same endings as nouns do.
This is what our nouns sound like when we make them more colorful. Shira, would you like to do the
Amir:
honor?
Shira: Sure. Lets use the word [], which means big. The masculine singular is [ ] or big boy.
Amir: The feminine singular is [ ] or big girl.
Shira: The masculine plural is [ ] which can mean either big boys or big children.
Amir: The feminine plural is [ ] or big girls.
The placement of the adjective is different from English. The adjective follows the noun instead of
Shira:
coming before it.
Amir: That wasnt so tough. Hebrew uses those four endings all throughout the language.
--
Shira: That was an enlightening shot of grammar.
Amir: We promised painless and I think we delivered.

Grammar

The Focus of This Lesson Is Five Must-Know Hebrew Phrases.

The following are five essential phrases that will make the most difference in your studies.

Phrase One: "Hello" and "Good-bye"

The most useful phrase you should know in Hebrew is shalom (), which means both "hello" and "good-
bye."

For Example:

1. Shalom, ma shlom'cha? (Feminine: Ma shlomech?)

? ,
"Hello, how are you?"

Phrase Two: "Thank You"

Show off your manners by saying "thank you," which in Hebrew is toda ().

For Example:

1. Toda al ha-mam'takim.

.
"Thank you for the sweets."

Phrase Three: "Please" and "You're Welcome"

With these next two expressions, you can ask for anything you like. "Please" or "you're welcome" is be-
vakashah ().

For Example:
1. Kafeh, be-vakeshah.
. ,
"Coffee, please."

Phrase Four: "I Don't Understand."

A phrase that comes in handy when you have no idea what people are talking about is Ani lo mevin (
), meaning "I don't understand."

For Example:

1. Ani lo mevin, ef'shar lach'zor al zeh? (Feminine: Ani lo mevina...)

? , ( Feminine: ...)
"I don't understand, can you repeat it?"

Phrase Five: "Sorry" or "Excuse Me."

Another useful Hebrew phrase is slichah (), which means "sorry" or "excuse me." Being humble and
apologizing when appropriate is another way of showing good manners.

For Example:

1. sliah al ha-tir'ah.
. .
"I'm sorry for the inconvenience."

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Lesson Transcript
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All About Hebrew Lesson Number 5 Top Five Must Know Hebrew Phrases. Welcome back to
Shira: HebrewPod101.com, the place to learn and to love Hebrew. In this lesson, were taking years of
experience in Israel and boiling it down to a few essential phrases that are a great place to start.
Amir: These are real life Hebrew words thatll help you every day.
Shira: They are guaranteed to be the best things you ever learn in Hebrew. Amir, where should we begin?
Well, we want to make a good impression from the very beginning, so I think the place to start is with
Amir:
a simple greeting. [].
And if you dont know [ ]yet, we dont know where youve been. We would be remiss if we
Shira:
didnt teach you hello.
Amir: Remember, [].
Shira: And to be even more polite and friendly, just add [?] .
Amir: [? ,]. It means Hello. How are you?
I dont know whether you noticed, but the way I asked How are you?, [?] , and the way
Shira:
Amir asked it, [?] , was different. Maybe you should explain that, Amir.
Well, in Hebrew theres a masculine and feminine form of you. So when I asked you, Shira, how
Amir:
you were, I used the feminine form. And when you asked me, you used the masculine form.
Shira: Wow. I bet our listeners are thinking that sounds kind of complicated.
Amir: Its not so bad. Youll get used to it the more you hear it.
Thats true. For me, it was a little unusual in the beginning, but after a while I did get used to it.
Shira:
[ ]has other meanings as well, doesnt it?
Amir: It sure does. Its one of those useful phrases you can use. It not only means hello and goodbye,
 but even peace.
Thats so cool. So while youre greeting people, you are actually wishing them peace at the same
Shira:
time. So you really just need to learn one phrase for a greeting, and youll get along just fine.
Amir: Next, I think we need to mention [], which is the Hebrew for thank you.
Shira: Showing good manners is very important. And a simple thank you, [], will do the job.
Amir: Indeed. This phrase can be used at any time just to show manners and appreciation.
Shira: And if you want to show that you really appreciate something, you can stick a [ ]on the end.
Amir: That means many thanks or great thanks.
Shira: [ ] While were on the topic of politeness, a please will really come in handy.
Amir: Well, in that case, you can just say [].
Shira: [ ]is used for both please and youre welcome, right?
Amir: Correct, it is. And heres another phrase for when youre in doubt. [] .
Now thats one that I would say differently because I use the feminine form. I would say [
Shira:
], which means I dont understand.
Native Israelis dont like to say this phrase too often. They like to make you think that they know
Amir: everything and understand everything. But its very useful for when youre learning Hebrew because
in the beginning there are going to be a lot of things you dont understand.
Shira: Its also perfect when you want help reading Hebrew.
Amir: Thats right. Israelis always appreciate enthusiasm and will be more than willing to help you out.
Shira: Heres another phrase that can come in handy - apologizing.
Amir: You mean []. Literally it means forgiveness but its used for sorry or even excuse me.
Shira: Yes, this is also used when you need to get someones attention, right?
Right. You can use it when someone gets in your way and you need him or her to move, or when
Amir:
youre looking for someone to help you in a shop.
Youre likely going to need to use [ ]a lot in your travels in Israel when asking the locals for
Shira:
directions and advice.
Amir: Youll use it a lot, but youll also hear it a lot.
It may be good to use it often just to be on the safe side of [inaudible 00:04:24]. What are some other
Shira:
occasions when [ ]will come in handy?
Amir: Maybe when you accidentally bump into someone?
Yeah, thats good. Or when you need to interrupt someone. Ok, we know thats five already but hey,
Shira: some of them were pretty sort. So were including a bonus phrase just because we want to give you
one more tool when speaking Hebrew. So youll be off to a good start.
Amir: So the bonus phrase is [], meaning My name is. [ ]Amir.
Shira: [ ]Shira. Being able to present your name will be highly appreciated and help you on your way.
Amir: I think those are all great phrase, Shira. Weve really given you a good head start.
Shira: I agree.
So everyone, get started with these and keep coming back for more essential and fun Hebrew here at
Shira:
HebrewPod101.com.

Historically, pronunciation in Hebrew has changed quite a bit. Because Modern Hebrew speakers have come
from so many different backgrounds, these diverse linguistic roots have had an influence on the way that we
pronounce Hebrew today. Two of the biggest influences on modern pronunciation are Ashkenazi Hebrew
and Sephardic Hebrew. The Academy of the Hebrew language adopted the Sephardic pronunciation for the
alphabet, but a large part of the Israeli population has not adopted this pronunciation in its entirety. As a
result, there are pairs of letters that sound the same today but were not always the same and officially are not
supposed to be pronounced the same. An example of this is Tav (( and Tet (), which today both sound like
the English "-t" but historically were two different sounds.

Hebrew's Adaptation of Common Sounds from Other Languages

There are sounds common in other languages that do not exist in Hebrew. These include sounds such as [-Z]
as in "pleasure," [-ch] as in "church," [-dZ] as in "job," and [-th] as in "thanks." So what do Israelis do when
they want to spell foreign words with these sounds? They simply take letters close to these sounds and adapt
them by adding an apostrophe-like symbol called a diacritic "geresh." [-Z] is ', [-ch] is ', [-dZ] is ', and [-
th] is '.

References

Here are a few references for Hebrew pronunciation to help you on your way:

1. http://www.dictionary.co.il/pronunciation_guide.php

2. http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Grammar/Unit_One/Letter_Chart/letter_chart.html

One of the best ways to perfect your Hebrew pronunciation is to listen and repeat, then listen and repeat
again, which is something you can do at HebrewPod101.com. We have audio files of native speakers and
even a voice recorder for you to see how you sound in comparison.

Grammar

The Focus of This Lesson is to Give Some Suggestions for the Top Five Useful Tools for Learning
Hebrew.

Here are some great tools to aid you in your Hebrew studies.

I. A Hebrew Dictionary

A good old dictionary is always a good start when learning a new language. There are a few electronic
dictionaries out there, and you can find this great one at http://www.hebrewworld.com/babylon.html. But if
you prefer good old hardbacks, check out the Oxford English Hebrew Dictionary.

II. Online Dictionaries

You can find some good dictionaries online. One of the best is Morfix (http://morfix.mako.co.il/). This is a
free dictionary and the webpage is in Hebrew, but it is by far the best online dictionary. Just type the word
you want to translate into the text box, and it will give you the translation you need.

Free ones, such as Babylon (http://www.babylon.com/products/babylon/) or LingvoSoft

(http://www.lingvozone.com/LingvoSoft-Online-English-Hebrew-Dictionary), work fine but have
limitations.

If you use FireFox as your browser, you can install an add-on called Quick TransLation that translates from
Babylon just by hovering your mouse over the word you are looking to translate.

III. Hebrew Grammar Reference

A Reference Grammar of Modern Hebrew by Edna Amir Coffin and Shmuel Bolozky is one of the best
grammar references on the market. This book is very well organized and easy to use for quick look ups or as
a primer for Hebrew grammar.
Two good online references for verb conjugation can be found here, http://www.hebrew-verbs.co.il/, and
here, http://learnhebreweasily.blogspot.com/2010/02/grammar-verbs-table.html

Note: When looking for grammar references, be sure that the reference is for Modern Hebrew and not
Biblical Hebrew.

IV. Flashcards

We recommend flashcards as a language-learning tool for learning any language. Be sure to make flash
cards with any new vocabulary you learn. At first, you might want to learn theme-related vocabulary (e.g., at
the hotel, fruits and vegetables, or common greetings).

We have developed a very useful iOS and Android application for this called WordPower. You can check it
out here: http://www.innovativelanguage.com/products/WordPower

V. Audio and Visual

Audio and visual means are two of the best ways to learn a language. Make sure you listen to the language
every day, even for five minutes, to let your ears get used to the sound. You can listen to Israeli radio online
at http://www.iba.org.il/ or http://www.radiox.co.il/. The first site also has links for Israeli television.

Moreover, have your eyes memorize the language through reading. At first, reading may be a challenge, but
remember, we were all learning our own language at some stage, and picture books came in handy. It is
fortunate that you are studying Hebrew, since the Bible has some of the best-written stories in the world!
Picture Bible story books are readily available for all levels.
Lesson Notes
Hide

Grammar

The Focus of This Lesson Is to Learn Some Useful Phrases for the Classroom in Hebrew.

Here are the phrases from the lesson.

1. ?
If'shar la'zor al zeh?
"Please repeat that."

2. ...?
E'ikh om'rim... be-ivrit?
"How do you say...in Hebrew?"

3. ...
If'shar lish'ol...
"May I ask..."

4. \.
Ani lo mevin/mevinah.
"I don't understand."

5. .
If'sharla'zoralzehle'atyoter?
"Can you repeat that a bit more slowly?"

Phrase One: ?

This phrase is so useful because you can use it anytime, whether it is in class or outside the classroom.

If'sharmeans "Is it possible?"

La'zor means "to repeat."

Almeans "on."

Zehmeans "that."

Phrase Two: ...?

This is a great phrase. You get to rediscover the world again through Israeli eyes.

You can learn very quickly if you use this phrase and ask lots of questions.

E'ikh means "how."

Om'rimis the verb for "they say."

After that, you insert the word or point at what you want to know.
Be-ivrit means "in Hebrew."

PhraseThree: ...

This is a great phrase to learn so that you can ask the teacher a question!

If'shar, means "Is it possible?"

Lish'ol means "to ask."

Phrase Four: \.

We can use this phrase on all occasions.

Ani means "I."

Lohere is a negative and translates as "no."

Mevin/mevinah means "understand." Mevin is masculine singular, and mevinah is feminine singular.

PhraseFive: .

As Israelis tend to talk at the speed of light, this phrase will come in handy.

If'sharmeans "Is it possible?"

Lach'zor, as mentioned earlier, is "to repeat."

Alis "on."

Zeh means "that."

Yoter is "more."

Le'at means "slowly."

Grammar

The Focus of This Lesson is Teaching You Some Very Common Hebrew Expressions That You Might
Not Learn from a Hebrew Teacher.

Here are the phrases we will explain in further detail below:

1.
haval al ha-zman
"it's a waste of time" or "fantastic"

2.
Atah dafuk.
"You're crazy."

3.
balagan
"a mess"

4.
sof ha-derekh
"excellent"

5.
al ha-panim
"terrible," "awful"

These are high-frequency Hebrew phrases and expressions that you can use all the time.

( haval al ha-zman)

This expression literally means "a pity on the time." It can mean either "fantastic" or "it's a waste of time,"
depending on the context. You can usually tell which meaning the speaker intends by the tone of his or her
voice as well. We frequently use this phrase in response to a question like "How was the...?"

( atah dafuk)

This expression means "you're a fool" or "you crazy." When a person is displeased with another's actions or
words, ( atah dafuk) is a cutting retort. You usually utter it on its own and direct it at someone as an
insult. The word ( dafuk) literally means "beaten" or "knocked."

(balagan)

This word can have many meanings, such as "mess," "disorder," or "confusion." We can also use it to
describe a difficult situation. We use it as a noun and use it in reference to anything from your difficult
relationship with your parents, to the political situation in the Middle East, to the state of your bedroom.

( sof ha-derekh)

This literally means "end of the road," but we use it as an adjective to describe something "excellent." This
phrase is usually reserved for really special cases, usually something that is "out of this world" as we would
say in English.

( al ha-panim)

This phrase means "awful" or "terrible." It literally means "on the face." You can use it to describe people,
places, things, experiences, etc.

For Example:

1. !
Ha-mesibah et'mol hay'tah aval al ha-zman!
"The party yesterday was fantastic!" or "The party yesterday was a waste of time!"
2. ?!
Ma atah, dafuk?
"What are you, crazy?"
3. .
Yesh lekha balagan ba-eder.
"You have a mess in your room."
4. .
Ha-ugah ha-zot hi sof ha-derekh.
"That cake is out of this world."
 5. .
Ani mar'gish al ha-panim!
"I feel terrible."

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Lesson Transcript
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F1: Hello everyone. Welcome back to HebrewPod101.com, All About Lesson 13. Im Shira.
M1: [ , ]In this lesson, youll learn five phrases your Hebrew teacher might never teach you.
No, no, dont get the wrong idea. Were not going to teach you any swear words or anything, just some
F1:
real gritty Hebrew.
M1: I can guarantee that you can use each of these phrases every single day if youre in Israel.
Yes, theyre very frequently used phrases. Weve included everything from how to have road rage in
F1:
Hebrew to how to shout and glee.
--
M1:
Ok, so I'm sure youre all dying to pick up this new lingo. Lets get started, Shira.
F1: Ok. The top five phrases your teacher might never teach you are.
M1: []
F1: Fantastic or a waste of time.
M1: []
F1: Youre crazy.
M1: []
F1: Miss.
M1: []
F1: Excellent.
M1: []
Horrible. If you dont know them yet, youre going to be hearing them everywhere now. Lets hear
F1:
them again, slowly.
M1: [ , , , ,]
Ok, so were starting with a phrase I still cant stop using. In fact, Ive noticed that everyone whos
F1:
lived in Israel for some period of time cant stop saying this.
M1: Oh, really?
F1: Its so versatile that you can use it in good situations and bad situations. Its [] .
M1: Ah, [] , yes.
F1: It can be [] , which is Fantastic or [] , which is a waste of time.
M1: Now how can we translate something like [] .
Its like saying something is a waste of time, as I said, but this phrase can have many good meanings,
F1:
such as great or fantastic.
M1: You can use this expression in so many ways. Youll hear it all the time.
F1: You can use it to describe your last date, a trip overseas or even food.
M1: And what is cool is that you can use it both in a good way or a bad way.
Like, my date with Amir was [] . I think Im in love. Or My date with Amir was [
F1:
]. He didnt even pay for the meal.
Sorry. But unfortunately, sometimes you feel the need to tell someone what you really think of him or
M1:
her, and then this phrase just wont do.
 So Amir, what do we say when we want to tell someone hes an idiot, out of his mind or something to
F1:
that effect?
M1: Ah, we have the perfect phrase. []
F1: [] . Oh, yes. Ive heard this while driving or even in the streets.
M1: Basically it means youre knocked, so youre calling someone crazy.
F1: Youre kind of saying that someone is messed up.
Yes and its very effective. But if you use it, you better be able to back it up, because youre likely to
M1:
get into a very heated conversation.
F1: Yeah. Israelis like to stand their ground. So now were going to turn from rage to disorder.
M1: Hebrew has a great word to describe disorder.
F1: Yes, even my American family has picked this one up.
M1: []
F1: []
[ ]is also a very versatile word. You can use it when youre talking about the state of your room,
M1:
the current political situation or your relationship with your in-laws.
F1: It literally means a mess.
M1: So how about something positive?
Ok. Heres a positive phrase that you can use when you want to describe something thats out of this
F1:
world.
M1: Ah, yes. That would be the English equivalent. The Hebrew for this is [] .
F1: Literally it means end of the road, and its used in special occasions to describe something excellent.
M1: You only use it to describe the experience of a lifetime.
F1: So now lets move to the polar opposite of
This is a funny expression. And it always cracks me up when I hear it translated literally and used in a
M1:
sentence in English.
F1: Like, Oh, Amir, Im feeling so on the face today!
M1: Exactly.
English speakers have a tendency to do that because its such a unique phrase. The meaning of the
F1:
phrase is terrible, but as I demonstrated, the literal translation is on the face.
And you use it when youre not feeling well. Or you can use it to describe anything from last nights
M1:
party to the restaurant service.
F1: Like, The service in this restaurant is [] .
M1: Or Shes singing [] . See? It can be used for so many occasions.
Yes. I would say this is all really handy Hebrew to know. Sometimes I think text books are too formal,
F1:
so you dont start learning things until you really start hanging out with Israelis.
M1: You could probably use each of these phrases every day if you liked.
Yeah? Ok, let me try. So, lets see. Amir, lets say youre hanging out with your friends, and a friend of
yours tells you about her favorite singer. You say, Oh, I went to her concert. It was [] . Then
she says, [ , ]You didnt take me with you to the concert? You say, Oh, Im sorry. It was a
F1:
[ ]and I couldnt find you. Then she says, [] , Amir. Ill never forget that you didnt
take me. Then you tell her, Stop. Im joking. The concert was [] . She was so sick and she
couldnt sing very well. So how was that?
M1: Very, very good. I noticed that you threw in a bonus word for us too. []
F1: I did. It is one of those words thats impossible to translate literally.
Its pretty much like saying just kidding in this context. But there are many more meanings for []
M1:
and the best way to learn them is to spend time with Hebrew speakers.
Lesson Notes
Hide

Grammar

The Focus of This Lesson Is to Help Students Overcome Some Common Errors That Hebrew
Learners Make

Common Error Number One: noun and adjective agreement

In Hebrew, adjective endings agree with the noun they modify.

Correct:

Hi studentit tovah.

"She's a good student."

Incorrect:

Hi student tov.

"She's a good student."

Common Error Number Two:Use of definite article with adjective

In Hebrew, if the noun has the definite article prefix, the adjective must also have the same prefix.

Correct:

Ha-studentit ha-tovah lomedet har'beh.

"The good student studies a lot."

Incorrect:

Ha-studentit tovah lomedet har'beh.

"The student who is good studies a lot."

Common Error Number Three: Number agreement

In Hebrew, there are feminine and masculine numbers and the number must agree with the noun it modifies.
The confusion comes with masculine numbers because they end in "ah", which is a typical feminine ending.
Correct:

Ani ro'eh shlo'sha g'varim.

"I see three men."

Incorrect:

Ani ro'eh shalosh g'varim.

"I see three men."

Common Error Number Four: Verb conjugation in the first and second person

Verb conjugation in the first and second person must agree with the gender of the subject.

For example:

Second person masculine:

Atah lomed ivrit.

"You study Hebrew."

Second person feminine:

At lomedet ivrit.

"You study Hebrew. "

Common Error Number Five: Pronunciation of guttural letters

The last common mistake is wrong pronunciation. Hebrew uses several guttural letters that may be difficult
for foreign speakers to say. Chet, Khaf and Resh can be particularly troublesome.

For example:

We pronounce "wise" - ( akham)

We pronounce "bitter" - ( mar)

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Five Most Common Mistakes People Make in Hebrew

Learn how to say the five most common phrases used in a classroom

Lesson Notes
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Grammar

The Focus of This Lesson Is to Help Students Overcome Some Common Errors That Hebrew
Learners Make

Common Error Number One: noun and adjective agreement

In Hebrew, adjective endings agree with the noun they modify.

Correct:

Hi studentit tovah.

"She's a good student."

Incorrect:

.
Hi student tov.

"She's a good student."

Common Error Number Two:Use of definite article with adjective

In Hebrew, if the noun has the definite article prefix, the adjective must also have the same prefix.

Correct:

Ha-studentit ha-tovah lomedet har'beh.

"The good student studies a lot."

Incorrect:

Ha-studentit tovah lomedet har'beh.

"The student who is good studies a lot."

Common Error Number Three: Number agreement

In Hebrew, there are feminine and masculine numbers and the number must agree with the noun it modifies.
The confusion comes with masculine numbers because they end in "ah", which is a typical feminine ending.

Correct:

Ani ro'eh shlo'sha g'varim.

"I see three men."

Incorrect:

Ani ro'eh shalosh g'varim.

"I see three men."

Common Error Number Four: Verb conjugation in the first and second person

Verb conjugation in the first and second person must agree with the gender of the subject.

For example:

Second person masculine:

.
Atah lomed ivrit.

"You study Hebrew."

Second person feminine:

At lomedet ivrit.

"You study Hebrew. "

Common Error Number Five: Pronunciation of guttural letters

The last common mistake is wrong pronunciation. Hebrew uses several guttural letters that may be difficult
for foreign speakers to say. Chet, Khaf and Resh can be particularly troublesome.

For example:

We pronounce "wise" - ( akham)

We pronounce "bitter" - ( mar)

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Lesson Transcript
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Shira: Hello everyone and welcome back to HebrewPod101.com, All About Lesson 14. Im Shira.

Amir: [ ,]

Shira: In this lesson you will learn five of the most common mistakes people make when learning Hebrew.

Amir: So lets get right to it. Well give you the top five mistakes not to make and then go into more detail a bit later.

--

Shira: The top five mistakes you dont want to make are

Amir: Incorrect noun and adjective agreement.

Shira: Not using the definite article with the adjective, as well as with the noun.

Amir: Mixing up the numbers.

Shira: Incorrect verb conjugation.

Amir: And wrong pronunciation.

Theres a lot of mixing up in Hebrew, but dont be scared. We dont want you guys to get all gun shy or
Shira:
anything.
 Of course these mistakes are not a big deal and since there are so many foreign speakers in Israel, you wont
Amir:
be the only ones trying to get it right.

Shira: Today well just give you a heads up so you can be aware. And these tips will make things a lot easier.

--

Mistake one is noun and adjective agreement. [ ] can be said incorrectly as [

Amir:
].

So this mistake probably arises probably from not being used to everything having gender agreement.
Shira:
Everything is gendered in Hebrew. And I mean everything.

Thats right. And forgetting the nouns and adjectives agree in gender as well is one of the most common
Amir:
mistakes to make.

Shira: So lets look at our example again.

Amir: The correct sentence is [] .

Shira: So in English, this is She is a good student.

Amir: Yes. []

Shira: So what does the wrong sentence looks like?

Here, we know from the beginning of the sentence that were talking about a girl because he in Hebrew
means she. If we leave the rest of the sentence in the base form instead of using the right gender, it would
Amir:
sound like [] . Then were saying that she is a good student, but she has become a male student
as well.

The sentence is now confusing because we cant tell whether youre talking about a female student or a male
Shira:
student.

So you need to make sure the word student is also in the feminine form. And that the adjective agrees with
Amir:
the noun by having the feminine ending.

One hard thing about Hebrew is that plural endings are also gendered. So you need to learn all the gendered
Shira:
endings.

There arent too many. And we went through them in less than three, so you can always go back and double
Amir:
check.

Shira: So now what is the second and most common mistake not to make?

Amir: Mistake number two is not adding the definite article before the adjective and the noun.

This is quite similar to the first mistake. It can be difficult to remember to add this, because in English, you only
Shira: have one definite article for the whole noun clause. If you were to say the good student in Hebrew, it would
sound like the good the student.

Amir: Exactly. So a correct sentence would sound like this: [] .

Shira: The good student studies a lot.

Amir: So remember to add the definite article before the adjective, as well.

Shira: Once you get used to the rhythm of it, it becomes second nature.

Amir: You just need to listen to Hebrew a lot. Remember, listen and repeat.

Shira: So moving on to our third most common mistake. Mixing up the number genders.

Amir: This is on even Israelis still mix up.

Shira: To make the gender issue even more difficult, Hebrew has two different number genders.

Amir: When youre counting, you use the feminine numbers, [ , , , ]etc.

Shira: But when youre counting specific, you use the right gender number for that specific noun.

It sounds similar to what weve been doing, but its a little counter intuitive, because the feminine numbers
Amir: end like masculine words, and the masculine numbers end with an [], the way that many feminine words in
Hebrew.

It took me a while to get the hang of this, and there are even days now where I go back and forth between the
Shira:
numbers, trying to decide what the appropriate gender of the number is.

Amir: So just laugh it off and try again.

Right. Thats all you can do. As we said earlier, its a mistake that even native Hebrew speakers make. So lets
Shira:
give you an example with the number three.

Amir: Three girls would [] . And three boys would be [] .

Shira: Mistake number four is verb conjugation for masculine and feminine subjects.

So lets address this verb situation. English speakers have difficulty with Hebrew verb conjugation for the very
Amir:
simple reason that, in Hebrew, you must conjugate the verb according to the gender of the subject.

Yes. In English we dont have to differentiate between masculine subjects and feminine subjects. But in
Shira: Hebrew, even when youre speaking in the first person, the verb is conjugated differently if youre a guy or a
girl.

Again, we addressed this in the third lesson and you can go back and review it there if you dont remember.
Amir:
Were now going to go a little further and give you some more examples.

Shira: Lets give them an example in the second person. You this time.

So the Hebrew word for you is the feminine [ ]or the masculine []. So if we want to say You study
Amir: Hebrew, we first need to know who were talking to. If I were going to talk to Shira, I would use [ ]and the
sentence would be [] .

Shira: And likewise, if I were talking to Amir, I would use [ ]and the sentence would be [] .
Amir: If we were to give the same example in third person, I would say Shira, [] .

Shira: And I would say Amir, [] .

Amir: I think were getting the idea. Lets move on to mistake number five, incorrect pronunciation.

Shira: Pronunciation can be the hardest thing with learning a language. And Hebrew is no different.

Hebrew has many sounds English doesnt have and vice versa. So practicing them is the best way to really get
Amir:
to know them.

Talking to as many people as you can, and listening to everyday conversations, like on the radio or on TV, are
Shira:
some great tools that you can use to get the pronunciation right.

Amir: And in Hebrew we love guttural sounds.

Shira: Oh, yes, you do. Many people think that Hebrew is an ugly language because of it, but Ive grown to like it.

I think the two worst offenders are [ ]and []. And luckily I have a word that has both of these letters in
Amir:
it, [].

Shira: Thats a good one to practice with. [ ]means wise.

The other letter that people struggle with is []. Its a rolled R, but its rolled way back in the back of the
Amir:
mouth.

If youve learned German or French, you might have already practiced this sound. You can try it with the word
Shira:
[].

Well said. [ ]means bitter. Now keep practicing these words and you should be speaking like an Israeli in
Amir:
no time.

Shira: Just keep at it.

--

Amir: So those are the top five mistakes to avoid. That should get you on the right track.

Shira: Thats all for this lesson. Thanks for listening.

Amir: []

Shira: Bye
Lesson Notes
Hide

Grammar

The Focus of This Lesson Is to Learn a Few of HebrewPod101's Favorite Pet Phrases in Hebrew.

Pet Phrase Number One

You often use this phrase when asking a favor from someone.

?
Ef'shar levakesh mim'cha mashehu?

"Can I request something from you?"

Ef'shar means "Is it possible?"

Levakesh means "to request."

Mim'kha means "from you."

Mashehu means "something."

Pet Phrase Number Two

You will hear this phrase often in Israel. It means "No problem."

.
E'in Be'ayah.

"No problem."

E'in means "there isn't."

Be'ayah means "problem."

Pet Phrase Number Three

This is a lifesaver in a desperate situation! You will never end up looking for a toilet all day ever again!

?
E'ifo ha-shirutim?
"Where is the toilet?"

E'ifo means "where." Shirutim literally means "services," which is the polite way to say "toilet" in Hebrew.

Pet Phrase Number Four

Use this phrase when you want to say "Let's go."

!
Bo nilekh!
"Let's go!"

Bo literally means "come."

Nilekh means "we will go."

Pet Phrase Number Five

Just like the English phrase "Really?" we use this phrase to express surprise or disbelief. It is a very good
way to acknowledge something interesting your conversation partner has said.

?
Be'emet?
"Really?"

Be'emet literally means "in truth."

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Lesson Transcript
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Hello everyone. Welcome back to HebrewPod101.com. This is the last All About Lesson Number 15
Shira:
Top Five Pet Phrases. Im Shira.
Amir: []
Shira: After years of living in Israel, Amir, I have some pet phrases to share.
Amir: Go ahead.
Shira: After a while, you will have you own favorite phrases too. But for now, well give you some of ours.
Amir: These are all phrases that Israelis use a lot.
Theyre kind of like the cool and awesome of English. Youll fit in right away when you use
Shira:
them.
--
Shira: Now, our favorite phrases, Amir.
Amir: Ok, here we go. []
Shira: Can I request something from you?
Amir: []
Shira: No problem.
Amir: []
Shira: Wheres the toilet?
Amir: []
Shira: Lets go.
Amir: []
Shira: Really? Lets hear these phrases one more time, slowly.
Amir: [?]
Shira: Can I request something from you?
Amir: []
Shira: No problem.
Amir: [?]
Shira: Wheres the toilet?
Amir: []
Shira: Lets go.
Amir: []?
Shira: Really?
--
Shira: Lets take a close look at how to use these Hebrew expressions.
Amir: Pet phrase number one is [?] .
Basically this is the polite way of getting someones attention by asking the person Can I request
Shira:
something from you?
Amir: Exactly. [?]
Shira: Its also generally used when you want to ask someone a favor.
Amir: So for example, I might ask you for directions and start off by saying [] .
Shira: Can I request something from you? Wheres the post office?
Amir: Good work, Shira.
Shira: Thank you. That was very useful.
Amir: Pet phrase number two is [] .
Shira: This is a great phrase. Basically its the Hebrew equivalent of forget about it or no problem.
B; So for example, if someone steps on your foot you can say [] .
Shira: Or if something weird happens, just throw out a [] .
Amir: We love this expression and we use it all the time.
Shira: Yes we do.
Amir: Pet phrase number three is []? .
Shira: Now heres the ultimate life saver.
Amir: Yes. Not knowing how to ask for directions to the toilet can be a matter of life and death.
Shira: Indeed, so this, as you might have guessed, means Wheres the toilet?
Amir: This is a very useful phrase.
Shira: Yeah, it saved me in so many situations. And absolute must know phrase.
Amir: Ok, so on to number four. Pet phrase four is [] .
Shira: Ok, this is a great phrase for when you want to leave some place but you dont want to go alone.
Amir: It means Lets go but it literally means Come, we go.
Shira: So first of all, lets get this down.
Amir: []
Shira: How about an example of how we can use this in a sentence.
Amir: []
Shira: This means Lets go to the beach.
Amir: How about [] .
Shira: No, no, not yet. Nice try though.
Amir: We cant go home yet. We still have one more phrase to tell them.
Amir: So pet phrase number five is []?.
Shira: []. It means Really?
Amir: []?
This phrase can be used when you want to express surprise, doubt or something else along those lines,
Shira:
just like we would use Really? or Really? in English.
Amir: Yes, its a great interjection.
Shira: Well, those were our favorite phrases in Hebrew.
Amir: We hope you like them too.
Shira: Were sure youll find lots of uses for them.
--
Shira: So thats it for this lesson. Thanks for listening!
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Oto the same

makom place
 Refet dairy farm

Misken unfortunate/miserable

universitah university

eifo where

Ananu we

Aten you (pl.,fem.)

Ha-yom today

Lesson Notes
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Grammar

The Focus of This Lesson Is Using Feminine Grammar.

Mah aten asiten ha-yom?

"What did you (plural) do today?"

This lesson is meant to be a review of using feminine grammar. Now that you have a better handle on the
language, it's important to refresh these words in your vocabulary because they are not used often in day-to-
day language, but you still may need to know them now and again. The sample sentence from the dialogue
features Ofir speaking to Anna and her roommates. Because they are all girls, he addresses them with ,
which is the feminine plural pronoun for "you." We also see here ( la-asot) with the feminine plural
second person ending in the past, ( asiten). When you conjugate verbs in the past, - (-ten) is always
the ending from the feminine plural in the second person. If you wanted to use the same sentence in third
person, you would say the following sentence.

For Example:

1. ?

Mah hen asu ha-yom?

"What did they do today?"

( hen) is the feminine plural pronoun in the third person, which is "they" when the group is only made up
of girls or women. In the third person, we conjugate the verb the same way for "they" in the masculine and
"they" in the feminine.

Remember that it only takes one man in the group to change the grammar to use masculine pronouns. You
could have a room full of 100 women, and if there is one man present, you would use the masculine. There
are academics who would like to change this, but at the moment, this is the rule.

Here are the endings for feminine plural conjugations:

Pronoun Past Present Future

( aten) "you" - feminine plural -

(-ten) - (-ot) ---( t---u)

( hen) "they" - feminine -( -u) - (-ot) ---( y---u)

Here are some examples of feminine plural pronouns that we used in sentences.

For Example:

1. .

Aten ayevot lavo la-shi'ur ba-z'man.

"You have to come to class on time."

2. .

Aten heyiten ba-shi'ur sheli et'mol.

"You were in my class yesterday."

3. .
 .

Aten tevashlu aruat erev ha-yom.

"You will cook dinner today."

4. .

Hen ratzot ba-me'rutz.

"They are running in the race."

5. .

Hen hayu ba-kaniyon.

"They were at the mall."

6. .

Hen ya'aminu lo.

"They will believe him."

Examples From This Lesson

1. ?

Mah aten asiten ha-yom?

"What did you (plural) do today?"

2. ?

Aten ov'dot be-oto makom ba-kibbutz?

"Do you work in the same place in the kibbutz?"

Cultural Insights

Options for Israelis Post-Graduation

In other countries, when you finish school, you go on to study in university or you find a job
somewhere. This is not so in Israel. When you finish high school in Israel, you must do your mandatory
service in the IDF or the Israeli army. Both men and women are required to serve. When you are finished
with your required army service, you can then find a job or go to university. Most people choose to take a
small break after the army and travel the world before going on to more serious things like work or
studies. Many Israelis travel in the Far East or Latin America. These travels may take a month or several
months or maybe even a year. Most Israelis then choose to study in a university or in one of the many small
colleges around Israel. It's difficult to find a job in Israel without a university degree, so most Israelis will at
least complete their bachelor's degree.

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Lesson Transcript
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INTRODUCTION

Hello and welcome to HebrewPod101.com. This is Lower Beginner Series Season 1, Lesson 12 - How to Use
Sherah:
Hebrew Feminine Grammar. Im your host, Sherah!

Amir: And Im Amir.

Sherah: In this lesson, youll learn how to use feminine grammar.

Amir: The conversation takes place in Annas dorm room in the evening.

Sherah: The conversation is between Anna, Ofir and Annas roommates.

Amir: The speakers are friends, so theyll be using informal Hebrew.

Sherah: Lets listen to the conversation

POST CONVERSATION BANTER

Sherah: Well, I thought we should talk about timing in Israel...

Amir: Im not sure I follow, what do you mean by that?

Sherah: Well, the timing of major life events is a little different than in other countries.

Amir: Oh, you mean like University and the army and such?

Exactly, when Israelis finish high school, they go on to do their army service, or their national service. Men
Sherah:
serve for 3 years and women for two.

Amir: The army or national service is something that is required for most of the population of Israel.

But because you have these 2-3 years in the army, the timing of life events like going to University is a little
Sherah:
different from other countries.

Right, in other countries you go to University when you are 18 or 19. In Israel, you go when youre around 21
Amir:
or 22.

Sherah: Most people take a half year or year break to travel the world after the army, so this makes the timing even
 later.

Amir: We usually dont finish University until we are in our mid-20s, so we tend to marry later as well.

I think another thing is that almost all Israelis go to University or a college after the army, so later timing is
Sherah:
pretty universal.

Well, its extremely difficult to find a job without a degree in Israel, so most people choose to go to
Amir:
university.

And its not too expensive. Its quite a bit cheaper than studying in the States, but it is more expensive than
Sherah:
in some European countries.

Amir: I think the result is that we have a very different atmosphere in our Universities.

Sherah: Thats true, the difference from 18 to 22 is usually pretty big. Well, now lets move on to the vocabulary.

KEY VOCAB AND PHRASES

Sherah: Lets take a closer look at some of the vocabulary from this lesson. The first word is .

Amir: This word is found in the sentence and it means the same

There are two words with this spelling, so you have to find the meaning from the context of the sentence. In
Sherah:
this lesson, we are only talking about the that means the same.

Amir: This word needs to agree in gender with the noun is it modifying. is masculine, so you use .

There are 4 versions - , , and . What you use depends on the gender and number of what
Sherah:
you are comparing.

Amir: One phrase that we use a lot with this word is or its the same thing.

Sherah: The next word we want to talk about is .

Amir: A refet is a dairy where they keep cows for milking.

Sherah: In Israel, there are small refets all over the country and they all sell their milk to the big dairy producers.

Amir: In one village, you could have 2 or 3 refets and on a kibbutz you would have one large one.

Sherah: Our last word is and it means miserable or wretched.

Amir: Israelis use this a lot when they feel sorry for someone, and then they will call that person .

You can also use this ironically if you are jealous that someone gets to do something fun that you dont get
Sherah:
to do. !Okay, now lets move on to the Grammar.

Lesson focus
In this lesson, we will review using feminine grammar. This was one of the tougher things for me to pick up,
Sherah:
just because I wasnt used to having to separate everyone into male and female.
Amir: Right, in English you dont have that at all.

And in many European languages, you separate the nouns into genders, but when youre talking to
Sherah:
someone, you dont have to think about whether they are male or female.

Thats what makes Hebrew different, but it is similar in other semitic languages. Arabic also has similar
Amir:
grammar.

So, what we want to review in this lesson is feminine grammar, or the grammar that you use when you are
Sherah:
talking to one or more girls or women.

Amir: Lets start out with what Ofir asks the girls, ?

Because Ofir is talking to all women, he uses the pronoun and the feminine plural ending - on .
Sherah:
Lets take this sentence and change it to a singular you .

Amir: Then the sentence would be ?

Sherah: And if we wanted to ask what they did, when they is all women...

Amir: ? .

With this last sentence, you use the pronoun , but the verb is used for both and . So, for the
Sherah:
masculine and the feminine.

Right, the hardest one to remember is the second person you plural in the feminine because thats the
Amir:
version youll use the least.

Sherah: Right, it only takes one man to change the grammar, and then you have to use .

Amir: Thats exactly why you use it so little.

So lets listen to some examples to get used to the feminine plural pattern. Well give you sentences for
Sherah: and then sentences for . Well give you one sample sentence for the present, the past, and then the future
for each. Take it away Amir.

Amir: Okay, first sentence -

Sherah: You have to come to class on time.

Amir: .

Sherah: You were in my class yesterday.

Amir: .

Sherah: You will cook dinner today.

Amir: .

Sherah: They are running in the race.

Amir: .

Sherah: They were at the mall.

Amir:

They will believe him. There are so many little things in the grammar that change from past, to present, to
Sherah: future. Sometimes the verbs are the same as with other pronouns and sometimes the verbs are different
from all other pronouns.

Amir: My tip is to write down all the different conjugations of a verb to see the patterns throughout the language.

Sherah: I know that that really helped me. Im the type of person who benefits from seeing the structure of things.

Outro
Sherah: Okay, well, thats it for this lesson. Thanks for listening, everyone!

Amir: Make sure you check the lesson notes, and well see you for the next lesson.

Sherah: Bye!