I will never forget when I was in grade 3 (9 years old) and I didn’t even know basic Hebrew. This is relevant, because I had started attending a Jewish day school for the first time. Although I had heard the language read at Synagogue, I really did not know an aleph from a beit. So, imagine being put in a class with other 9-year-old children who could read, and I did not even know basic Hebrew.

I was given a text book to start me with my learning, which was adequate. Oh, if only I was a 9-year-old with computer, it would have been so much more fun to learn basic Hebrew that way. However, that was not the case. So, I had to sit with a text book to learn the basics, with occasional input from the class teacher.

Helping someone else with basic Hebrew!

The most exciting part of my school year in grade three, was not moving from basic Hebrew to mid-level Hebrew (although it was pretty cool!), was helping a new girl in the class who started the school year late. She was a family friend’s daughter, so I was obliged to help her. The exciting thing was, because I had “graduated” to mid-level knowledge, I could help the “new girl”.

You need to learn to walk before you can run – even with basic Hebrew

When learning something new, one needs to start with the foundation of that particular skill. The old saying “you need to learn to walk before you can run” is so true. This can definitely be applied to this topic. You need to learn the building blocks before you move onto the more complex levels. Start with an App such Easy Learn Hebrew, or even a text book. Work your way through it slowly, and you will achieve your goal.