If I had to write this blog twenty or thirty years ago, and had to answer the question can you learn Hebrew by yourself? My answer would have been very different to what it is now. Thirty years ago, the internet existed, but was in its infancy. There may have been a few online courses […]
Reading in Hebrew
Jewish Prayer Book – an important book
The Jewish prayer book, known in Hebrew as the siddur, has songs, psalms, readings and prayers that date back to to the fifteenth century. The Jewish prayer book provides an opportunity for people to participate in a service that is uniquely Jewish. In many prayer books the translation is also available in the local dialect. […]
My name in Hebrew – what does it mean?
One of the first words I learnt in Hebrew, was how to say my name in Hebrew. I was lucky enough to have been given a name that was interchangeable. So, my name in Hebrew is the same as my name in English. Not everyone is the same though. Many people are given an English […]
Hebrew alphabet chart – is it helpful?
When I was growing up, my mother bought me an alphabet chart to learn to the English alphabet. Similarly, she also bought me a Hebrew alphabet chart. This really helped me to start becoming familiar with the Hebrew alephbet chart. It gave me an opportunity to recognise shapes, and to start associating the shape with […]
How are you in Hebrew
One of the first basic phrases a person will learn, is to say “how are you” in Hebrew. This seems simple enough. After all, when learning this language, by asking a person “how are you” in Hebrew, is a way to make a human connection with a person from another country, another culture. When you […]
Hebrew verbs – how easy are they?
As with anyone who has been to primary school, I learnt what verbs are. To put it simply, verbs are “doing” words, or, as the dictionary states, action words. This is the same in any language. Interestingly enough, I have been thinking about Hebrew verbs recently. I have come to conclusion they are my favourite […]
Hebrew translation to English
On the various Hebrew learning Facebook groups that I am part of, there are many members who ask for a Hebrew translation to English. They might post the transliteration, or the actual Hebrew text, but regardless of how they present the it, they are asking for Hebrew translation to English. Is Hebrew translation to English […]
Ancient Hebrew Alphabet
The ancient Hebrew alphabet is one of the oldest alphabets in the world. In fact, it is said to be the oldest recorded alphabets. Some other ancient alphabets include Latin, Egyptian hieroglyphics. One person who is interested is Douglas Petrovich, an ancient inscription specialist. In 2016 he stated that the over 3800 years ago, the […]
Hebrew alphabet song – does it help to sing it?
Whether a person is from an English-speaking background, or a speaks a different language, chances are he or she would have learnt the alphabet of their language through singing a song. For people who learnt the English A, B, C, it would have been sung at the beginning of their reading journey to help them […]
Should I learn Arabic or Hebrew?
It is interesting to look at a world map, focusing on the Middle East region of the world. There are 25 countries in that area that claim Arabic as an official language, ie Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt, to name a few. In comparison, there is one country that claims Hebrew to be the official language, […]