Learn basic Hebrew

I realised the importance of having to learn basic Hebrew when I was fourteen years old. I travelled to Israel with my family for the first time as a teenager. At passport control, the man behind the booth said, “boy”,. I said I’m a “girl, not a boy”. He kept saying “boy” until he realised I had no idea what he was saying! Eventually, he said, “come here”. I was later told that he was saying “bo-i”, which means “come here” in the feminine form. At that point, I realised that I did not learn basic Hebrew when I was learning Hebrew in primary school.

Before you go to any country, it is vital to try and learn a bit of the language. Going to Israel is no exception. Therefore, it is crucial that you learn basic Hebrew before you land! Therefore, I suggest that you either buy an online Hebrew learning program or enrol in face-to-face or online Hebrew classes to help you learn basic Hebrew.

Imagine you go to Israel, and you need to find a bathroom urgently, or you are really hungry and want to order some food; two very common scenarios. If you have not had the opportunity to simple Hebrew, it will be challenging to navigate what I consider to be ‘the basics’ of everyday life. 

When I lived in Israel when I was twenty-four years old, I found that learning the language provided me with a deeper understanding of the Israeli culture and mentality. Indeed, taking the opportunity to the basics of this ancient language will definitely give you an insight into Israeli culture. For example, I found that the language used was used in the imperative, such as “sit”, “stand” and so on; many Israelis do not say “please”; it is their culture.