Even though Hebrew is a very old language, it is still used today and is spoken by millions of people worldwide. One of Israel’s two official languages, it has undergone significant development since its birth.
Hebrew is often seen as a challenging language to learn, read, and write—but it’s also true that practice makes perfect. Even though learning Hebrew may present certain particular difficulties, with practice, you may quickly get beyond them all.
We’ve written a thorough post to explain just how difficult Hebrew is to learn—actually, it’s not hard, and here’s why—whether you’re hoping to travel to Israel, communicate with friends and family, or learn biblical Hebrew to better understand Judaism.
Table of Contents
How Hard is it to Learn Hebrew?
It would probably be easy to learn if your only goal was to recite a few sentences to your friends or family. In contrast, the language learning procedure for someone who wishes to relocate to Israel and work for an Israeli corporation could be more challenging.
What languages do I know or am I familiar with? This is the next thing you should ask yourself. Comparatively speaking, bilinguals are more likely than monolinguals to learn a new language quickly. It will therefore probably come more naturally if you have any prior experience with another language. However, even if this is your first language, you can still become highly proficient if you put in the necessary effort. Once you get hold of the basics, these hurdles will have no impact on your learning progress.
Let’s get to know some other challenges that you’ll likely face when learning Hebrew:
Unfamiliar Alphabets
Although Hebrew alphabets don’t appear or sound like typical European languages, Arabic speakers may find them to be more familiar and simpler to understand.
Hebrew is transcribed from the Phoenician branch of current English. This means that once you start looking at individual letters, you’ll notice similarities among them.
Instead of learning consonants and transcripts, it is advisable to spend some time examining the similarities between Hebrew letters.
RTL Inscription
You’ll become accustomed to Hebrew’s right-to-left transcription as you master the alphabet. The smallest obstacle to learning Hebrew may be this alteration, but it is not innate for beginners.
Pronunciation
Your mother language will determine how well you can understand and use Hebrew’s intonation. It could be a little difficult for native English speakers to pick up the distinctly harsh “r” sound. Some distinct sounds can overlap, which confuses a mind that is unfamiliar with them and makes learning more difficult.
Conjugations
Hebrew verbs can take on many forms depending on the gender of the subject, just like French verbs can. The fact that Hebrew only has two tenses, making gender modifiers challenging to master, is a benefit of learning the language. Additionally, the first, second, and third persons serve as modifiers for a verb’s singular and plural forms. See more about How Hard Is It To Learn Romanian?
Is Hebrew Grammar Easy to Understand?
While most would agree that Hebrew grammar is simpler than Arabic grammar, it is undoubtedly more difficult than, say, Spanish or French grammar. For instance, there are three situations in Arabic that you must remember while creating phrases. There are hardly any in Hebrew (still some cases where the accusative case is used but very rarely).
It should be simple for you to grasp the concept in Hebrew if you have ever studied a language where nouns are grouped according to gender (male, female, neuter). Hebrew nouns can be classified as male or female. Their conclusions can be used to determine this.
Is Modern Hebrew Hard for English Speakers?
English is an Indo-European language, whereas Hebrew is a Semitic language. When compared to English, there are initially very few parallels in terms of grammar, vocabulary, and composition. This is frequently what deters English speakers from studying Hebrew.
Hebrew follows a common Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) word order, which is similar to English’s. This knowledge may give you some comfort. Despite the fact that it is more flexible
When you take into account the fact that you need to learn a new alphabet (Hebrew also contains sounds that English speakers don’t use), new words that sound absolutely alien, gendered nouns that we aren’t used to, and other strange notions that English speakers do not face. For English speakers, learning Hebrew is challenging. But you shouldn’t let it stop you from trying it.
In fact, if you keep reading, you’ll discover why grammar may actually make learning the language simpler than you might imagine! See more about How Long Does It Take To Learn Dutch?
Why We Should Learn Hebrew?
Hebrew is a particularly fascinating language. There are a ton of good reasons to learn this language, but I’ll list my top three.
The language’s intricate history. The Bible was written in Hebrew, to put it simply. However, for a time, perhaps 2000 years, no one spoke it. After that, it reappeared as a spoken language over a century ago. Few languages can assert something of this nature. One of the strangest and most fascinating aspects of Hebrew is how it has been projected onto the current world. Observing how old words and structures are used to represent modern concepts.
Hebrew’s significance in contemporary Israel. Hebrew language is one of the foundations of Israeli culture and has a long and turbulent history in the country. One of the most technologically advanced and rapidly developing nations speaks Hebrew. If you plan to visit Israel for any length of time, learning even a little Hebrew is clearly advantageous.
depth of culture With its music, cuisine, and literature, Israel is a cultural powerhouse. But let’s simply focus on the sense of humor for the purposes of this discussion. Being subjected to such hardship for millennia has led the Jewish people to develop one of the most distinctive and unique types of humor. By learning Hebrew, you can have a better understanding of much of the root of that humor.
Six Tips To Learn Hebrew
Hebrew is an ancient and beautiful language, and we’re here to help you begin learning with these tips.
Speak it
Given that there are only 22 letters in the Hebrew aleph-bet, learning it can be quite easy. However, we advise learning a little Hebrew terminology first.
Speaking with Hebrew speakers will help you pick up new vocabulary and give you a better understanding of Hebrew grammar than simply reading new words.
Read Easy Hebrew Texts
Do you hold a special place in your heart for the printed word? Perhaps reading Hebrew is really your major objective? That’s fantastic, but read a news piece or a short fiction before starting the Bible or David Grossman’s most recent book.
Reading Hebrew for the first time typically involves opening a children’s book because the texts are brief. For adults, it can be a little frustrating, so we advise reading publications in simple Hebrew.
Listening To Music And Watching Movies Can Be Educational
Listening to Hebrew music and viewing films and TV shows with Hebrew-speaking actors are two of the most effective and enjoyable ways to learn foreign languages. By doing something you like, you can improve your listening comprehension while also learning new words and phrases.
On YouTube, you can find many Hebrew songs, and you can also access Israeli radio online. By now, you’re surely aware if you have Netflix that it offers Israeli movies and TV episodes. Watch the programs with English subtitles at first, then attempt the programs with Hebrew subtitles once you feel more confident about your Hebrew reading abilities. You’ll overeat for academic purposes.
Read Something Familiar (In Hebrew)
You’ve just made the decision to read a novel, book, or magazine in Hebrew to test your ability to comprehend it without the use of nikud, dictionaries, etc. That’s wonderful, but we advise you to start reading something you are already familiar with, like that Harry Potter book you’ve read ten times or the sports section of the newspaper, so you know what you’ll be reading about. It’s a lot simpler to read a text that you are already familiar with, and it’s also a terrific chance to improve your Hebrew.
Use Online Material
There are online Hebrew courses as well as free worksheets, blogs, magazines, and other sources that will help you study Hebrew.
Study Hebrew continuously.
It will not be simple to learn a new language, and it will take time. The best way to achieve your aim of studying Hebrew is to set aside some time each week to work on your Hebrew. Hebrew study can be challenging, but that doesn’t mean it can’t also be enjoyable. Talking on the phone, watching TV, going to cultural events, listening to music, and reading periodicals are all effective ways to learn Hebrew. The most crucial thing is to persevere until you master Hebrew.
Conclusion
There may be new difficulties as you learn Hebrew, but don’t let them deter you! The ancient language of Hebrew is fascinating, lovely, and exciting to learn. Therefore, whatever motivated you to study Hebrew, you’ll discover that making the time to practice is well worth it. On your quest to learn Hebrew, we wish you luck!
Read more about: Learning Spanish For Kids (3 Benefits And 8 Tips)
