The vast majority of people in Israel speak Hewbrew but a lot do not speak English so learning some phrases before departing is highly recommended.

These phrases are a good start whether you are planning a short break, a holiday or you are planning on taking a gap year in Israel. If you would like to pick up more than just the basics you might want to book a Hebrew language school in Israel.

Some local people have a good level of English but they will be really impressed if you try to converse with them in Hebrew. When first starting out some pronunciations can be difficult to start with so be sure to practise with some locals, watch videos or download some apps to aid your learning. 

Below are our essential phrases, we have added a (m) / (f) to show you the different ways men and women say things.

 

Greetings

  • Hello - Shalom
  • Good morning - Boker tov
  • Good afternoon - Achar tzahara'im tovim
  • Good evening - Erev tov
  • Good night - Laila tov
  • Goodbye - Lehitraot

 

Conversational

  • My name is... (Paul) - Shmi... (Paul)
  • I'm from... (France) - Ani meh... (France)
  • Yes - Ken
  • No- Loh
  • Maybe - Oolai
  • Sorry - Slicha
  • Please - Bevekshah
  • Thank you - Toda rabah
  • Do you speak English? - (m) Ata medaber anglit / (f) At medaberet anglit
  • I don’t speak much Hebrew - (m) Ani lo medaber harbe ivrit / (f) Ani lo medaberet harbe ivrit
  • Could you speak more slowly? - (m) tukhal ledaber yoter le-at / (f) tukhli ledaber yoter le-at
  • Please write it down - (m) Bevakasha ktov et ze / (f) Bevakasha kitvi et ze
  • I understand - (m) Ani mevin / (f) mevina
  • I don’t understand - ani lo mevin / [f]: mevina
  • Do you understand? - [m]: ata mevin / [f:] at mevina

 

Emergencies

  • Help - Atsiloo
  • Stop - Atsor
  • Please call the police - Haz-iku mishtarah

 

Shopping

  • How much is it? -Kama ze ole?
  • Cafe - Beyt kafe
  • Restaurant - Mis-ada

 

Transport & Getting Around

  • Taxi - Monit 
  • Train - Rakevet 
  • Bus - Otobus 
  • Airport - Nemal hate-ufa
  • Where is? - Eyfo? 

 

Numbers

  • 1 - Ehad
  • 2 - Shtaim
  • 3 - Shalosh
  • 4 - Arba
  • 5 - Hamesh
  • 6 - Shesh
  • 7 - Sheva
  • 8 - Shmone
  • 9 - Tesha
  • 10 - Eser

 

Days of the Week

  • Monday - Yom sheni
  • Tuesday - Yom shlishi
  • Wednesday - Yom revi-i
  • Thursday - Yom khamishi
  • Friday - Yom shishi 
  • Saturday - Shabat
  • Sunday - Yom rishon
  • Yesterday - Etmol
  • Today - Hayom
  • Tomorrow - Maxar

 

Hopefully our list of Hebrew words and phrases will help you to get the basics on the language. If you would like to visit Israel and be more than just a tourist these pages will help: