Hebrew For Dummies

Shalom! Are you ready to dive into an ancient-yet-modern and rich language full of nuance? Then open up Hebrew For Dummies and get started learning your way around Hebrew by immersing yourself in its sounds and rhythms. You'll start with the basics—like simple grammar and the Hebrew alphabet—before you move onto commonly used phrases and small-talk.

This book gets you used to the more unfamiliar sounds of the Hebrew language—like gutturals—that English speakers aren't used to seeing. It will also help you:

• Recognize what Hebrew has in common with English (and what it doesn't)
• Learn to read from right to left, get a handle on the basics of Hebrew grammar, and pick up your first few phrases
• Discover commonly used expressions that help you get around, shop, eat, and have fun

Complete with online resources that help you pick up Hebrew by listening to real speakers have actual conversations, Hebrew For Dummies is the perfect companion to help you work your way towards Hebrew fluency!

Jill Suzanne Jacobs is a fluent Hebrew speaker having picked up the language through study, three years of living in Israel, and multiple extended visits. She holds graduate degrees in Jewish and Israel education, and she taught in the classroom for ten years before moving into leadership roles in educational nonprofits. She is the author of the first edition of Hebrew For Dummies and mom to a second generation diaspora Hebrew speaker.

 Introduction 1

About This Book 1

Foolish Assumptions 2

How This Book Is Organized 3

Part 1: Getting Started 3

Part 2: Hebrew in Action 3

Part 3: Hebrew on the Go 4

Part 4: Israeli Life 4

Part 5: Sacred Hebrew 4

Part 6: The Part of Tens 4

Appendixes 4

Icons Used in This Book 5

Beyond the Book 5

Where to Go from Here 6

Part 1: Getting Started With Hebrew 7

Chapter 1: You Already Know Some Hebrew 9

Taking Stock of What’s Familiar 10

Speaking Hebrew Like a Native 12

Stressing out (not) 12

Getting out the gutturals 13

Opening your mouth to say “Ah!” 14

Counting in Hebrew 14

Counting objects 15

Counting higher 15

Recognizing Tips to Help You Read Hebrew 18

Figuring out the Hebrew alphabet’s shapes, sounds, and stories 18

Reading and writing from right to left 23

Chapter 2: The Nitty-Gritty: Basic Hebrew Grammar 27

Making Sense of Hebrew Syntax 28

Putting your sentences in order 28

Questioning 29

Recognizing Parts of Speech 30

Naming nouns 30

Perfecting your pronouns 32

Applying adjectives 36

Pinpointing Hebrew verbs 37

Detecting adverbs 40

Spotting prepositions 41

Understanding Gender and Number 42

Chapter 3: Shalom, Shalom!: Meeting and Greeting 45

Greeting and Saying Goodbye 46

Greeting all day long 46

Replying to a greeting 47

Putting a name to a face 49

Making Grand Introductions 51

Introducing yourself 51

Introducing others 51

Getting Better Acquainted 54

Finding out who speaks English 54

Talking about where you come from 56

Chatting about how you feel 57

Extending and Responding to Invitations 58

Asking Questions: The Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How 59

Asking yes or no questions 60

Forming negative questions 60

Part 2: Hebrew In Action 63

Chapter 4: Getting to Know You: Making Small Talk 65

Shootin’ the Breeze 65

Talking About Yourself and Your Family 67

Chatting About the Weather 69

Six Days You Shall Labor: Talking About Work 73

Getting Addresses, Phone Numbers, Email, and Instagram/ Twitter handles 76

Asking and telling where you live 76

Asking and giving a phone number, email address, or Instagram handle 77

Chapter 5: Eat! Eat! You’re So Thin! 81

Jewish Love Means Never Having to Say “I’m Hungry” 81

Quieting a growling stomach 83

Taming a wild thirst 83

Getting Down to Business: Food, Glorious Food! 84

Starting the day with breakfast 84

Enjoying lunch 86

Eating dinner 86

Raiding the refrigerator 87

Going to Shabbat dinner 88

Chefing it up at home 89

Matching Adjectives and Nouns 90

Taking Your Grocery List to the Market 95

Going Out for a Bite 98

Chapter 6: Going Shopping 105

Exploring Places to Shop 105

Selecting the Perfect Outfit 106

Styling Your Clothes around the Seasons 111

Fall fashion 111

The winter look 111

Spring attire 113

Summer wear 113

Sweatin’ it out in the summer 113

Color Me Beautiful 117

The Israeli Fashion Scene 117

Getting More (and Less) Than You Bargained For 118

Making comparisons 118

Speaking in hyperbole 119

Chapter 7: Having Fun Hebrew Style 121

Counting the Hours and Minutes 121

Telling time like an American 121

Knowing the time of day 123

Relating time to the past, present, and future 123

Discovering the Days in a Week 128

Catching Some Culture 128

Visiting museums and art galleries 129

Going to the movies 129

Enjoying live entertainment: Music and theater 130

The Israeli Music Scene 135

The Animals Went on the Ark Two by Two: Visiting the Zoo! 136

Spicing Up Your Sentences with Adverbs 137

Chapter 8: Enjoying Your Free Time: Hobbies, Sports, and Other Fun Activities 141

Chatting About Your Hobbies 141

Amassing an amazing collection 142

Creating things with your hands 142

Playing and Watching Sports 146

Kickin’ to score in soccer 146

Shooting for three in basketball 147

Swinging away at baseball 147

Taking a dip in the pool 149

Working up a sweat playing other sports 149

Venturing Outdoors for Some Fun 152

Boogieing Till You Drop 153

Chapter 9: Talking on the Phone 157

Dialing Up the Basics 158

Finding someone’s number 158

Telling someone to call you 158

Socializing in fake time (also known as social media) 159

Asking for People and Getting the Message 160

Leaving a message 161

Dealing with voicemail and other annoyances 163

Making Arrangements over the Phone 165

Talking About the Past: How Was Your Shabbat? 166

Chapter 10: At the Office and Around the House 171

Finding Your Way Around Your Job 171

Supplying your office 172

Searching for the perfect job 174

Working from Home 178

Hanging Out at Home 180

Looking through the rooms 180

Furnishing your humble abode 181

Residing in an Apartment 183

Hunting for your very own flat 183

Giving your apartment some flair 185

Keeping your apartment safe 185

Commanding People: Do As I Say 187

Part 3: Hebrew On The Go 189

Chapter 11: Planning and Taking a Trip 191

Choosing Your Final Destination (And When You Want to Go) 191

Whittling down your choices — so many places you can go! 192

Finding your way around 194

Packing 195

Booking a trip 196

Traveling internationally 196

Coming and Going: Knowing Where You Are 197

Discussing the Future: Verb Forms and Popular Expressions 199

Finding the Hotel That’s Right for You 200

Making your reservations 201

Asking about the price 203

Checking In: Names, Addresses and Room Numbers 204

Filling out the registration form 204

Settling into your room 206

Checking Out and Paying the Bill 207

Asking for your bill 207

Asking about special charges 208

Leaving the hotel 208

Staying at an Airbnb 211

Making Sure You Don’t Get Lost 212

Giving and Understanding Directions For Lost Souls 215

Keeping North, South, East, and West Straight 218

Chapter 12: Getting Around: Flying, Driving, and Riding 221

Getting Through the Airport 221

Checking in 222

Suffering through the flight 223

Getting your feet back on the ground 223

Renting a Vehicle and a Phone to Go with It 224

Renting a car 225

Understanding the rental contract 226

Navigating Public Transportation 228

Traveling by taxi 229

Watching the wheels on the bus go round and round 229

Traveling on trains and the light rail 230

Reading maps and schedules 232

Being Early or Late 233

Chapter 13: Money, Money, Money 235

Going to the Bank 235

Talking to tellers 235

Counting your change 236

Changing Money 240

Flowing with the Currency 242

Using Credit Cards 243

Using Electronic and Digital Currency 243

Directing Your Objects 243

Chapter 14: Handling Emergencies 249

Tackling Your Uncooperative Car 249

Doctor, Doctor, Give Me the News 253

The knee bone’s connected to the leg bone: Identifying your body parts 253

Describing your symptoms 254

Explaining your unique medical needs 255

Receiving a thorough examination 255

Paying attention to the diagnosis 256

Going to the pharmacy 258

Getting Help After You’ve Been Robbed 260

Part 4: Diving Deeper Into Hebrew Life 265

Chapter 15: An Introduction to Israel 267

Discovering Multicultural Israel 267

Touring Israeli Cities and Towns 269

Starting at the Beginning: A Brief History Lesson 271

Fleeing to and from Europe 274

Wanting to be in charge: Nationalism, self-determination, and the Jewish State 274

Chapter 16: War and Peace 279

The Big Bang 279

War 280

Paths to Peace 282

Environmental Cooperation May Be the Key 284

Part 5: Sacred Hebrew 287

Chapter 17: Let’s Get Biblical 289

Figuring Out the Word Order in Biblical Hebrew 290

Emphasizing When God Really Meant It 292

Wishing, Intending, and Prohibiting 294

Deciphering One-Word Wonders 295

Counting Down the Greatest Biblical Hits 296

Chapter 18: Like a Prayer 299

Blessing: The Basics 299

Deciphering the blessing formula 300

Identifying some basic blessings 301

Spiritually Speaking: Figuring Your Way around the

Prayer Book 306

The Sh’ma and her blessings 306

Dissecting the Standing Prayer 310

Concluding prayers 310

Praying for peace 311

Making Prayer Meaningful 313

Chapter 19: Sacred Time, Sacred Space 315

Going to a Synagogue 315

Checking Out Holy Words for Holy Days 316

Shabbat: The Sabbath 317

Rosh HaShanah: The Jewish New Year 318

Yom Kippur: The Day of Atonement 318

Sukkot: The Fall Harvest Festival 319

Sh’mini Atzeret and Simchat Torah: Praying for Rain and Rejoicing in the Torah 319

Celebrating Sigd: The Holiday of Ethiopian Jews 320

Ḥanukkah: The Jewish Festival of Lights 321

HaHag shel HaHagim: The Festival of Festivals 321

Tu BiShevat: The Birthday of the Trees 322

Purim: A Jewish Mardi Gras 322

Pesach: Passover 323

Yom HaShoah V’Ha’G’vurah: Holocaust Remembrance Day 324

Yom HaZikaron: Israeli Memorial Day 324

Yom HaAtzma’ut: Israeli Independence Day 324

Lag B’Omer: The 33rd Day of the Omer 325

Shavuot: The Festival of Weeks 325

Tisha B’Av: The Ninth of Av 325

Tu B’Av: The Holiday of Love 326

All My Life’s a Circle: Jewish Life-Cycle Events 326

Brit/Simchat Bat: Welcome to the family 327

B’nai Mitzvah: Coming of Age 327

Kiddushin: Sacred Partnership 327

Baruḥ Dayan HaEmet: End of Life 328

Part 6: The Part of Tens 331

Chapter 20: Ten Books On Hebrew You Just Gotta Have 333

Hebrew Roots. Jewish Routes: A Tribal Language in a Global World 333

Hebrew: The Eternal Language 334

The Tongue of the Prophets: The Life Story of Eliezer Ben Yehuda 334

The Hebrew Alphabet: A Mystical Journey 334

Hebrew Talk: 101 Hebrew Roots And The Stories They Tell 334

Aleph-Bet Yoga: Embodying the Hebrew Letters for Physical and Spiritual Well-Being 335

The Word: The Dictionary that Reveals the Hebrew Source of English 335

How the Hebrew Language Grew 335

The Story of Hebrew 335

Poems of Jerusalem and Love Poems 336

Chapter 21: Ten Favorite Hebrew Expressions 337

Mazal Tov 337

B’Karov Etzlehḥ. 338

Titchadesh 338

B’Teavon 338

B’Ezrat HaShem 339

Yishar Koahḥ. 339

Dash 339

Nu 340

Kol HaKavod 340

L’Ḥaim 340

Chapter 22: Ten Great Israeli Phrases 341

Mah Pitom 341

Yesh G’vul L’Chol Ta’alul 341

Pa’am Shlishit Glidah 342

Im K’var, Az K’var 342

B’Shum Panim VaOfen Lo 342

Stam 343

Betahḥ 343

Ḥaval Al HaZ’man 343

Ḥazak V’Amatz 343

Yehiyeh Tov 344

Appendix A: Verb Tables 345

Appendix B: Hebrew–English Mini-Dictionary 355

Appendix C: Answer Key 377

Index 383

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