63 Common Hebrew Words Every Traveler Should Know

Planning to visit Israel or developing an interest in Hebrew? Learn these 63 common Hebrew words and phrases to get a head start on the language and your travel plans!

 

Why learn Hebrew words and phrases?

Why wouldn’t you? Whether you’re planning a trip to Israel or simply want to learn the country’s language, picking up common Hebrew words can benefit you greatly. 

For starters, if you’re going to Israel, knowing some words will help you travel around more confidently. Think about it: you’ll rely less on phrasebooks, are less likely to get caught in miscommunication, and will understand more of the Hebrew you read and hear.

Second, knowing and using everyday phrases in a foreign language is an easy way to get brownie points with the locals. 

Lastly, frequently used Hebrew vocabulary will allow you to understand the culture surrounding the language much better. 

So, are you ready to learn some common Hebrew words and phrases? Jump to this list, or read along and learn more about this ancient language. If you’re interested in learning more Hebrew words, check out our frequency list of 625 Hebrew Words.

Lastly, if you want to learn Hebrew pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar all in one place, download and use the Fluent Forever app.

 

Where is Hebrew spoken?

Israel is the only country where Hebrew is the official language since 1948, in the aftermath of World War 2. Currently, around 8,300,000 people speak Hebrew in Israel as a first or second language. Other significant languages spoken by Israelites include Arabic and Russian.

 

How many people speak Hebrew? 

Hebrew is spoken by 9,387,050 people worldwide. As we already mentioned, more than 8 million of these are based in Israel. Outside of the Middle East, the largest population of speakers – 220,000 of them – is found in the United States.

 

History of the Hebrew language

Modern-day Hebrew is drastically different from the original Biblical or Classical version of the language. The latter was an ancient tongue that emerged sometime in 1,000 B.C. Back then, Jewish people used this version of Hebrew to record their history, literature, and religion.

 

 

 

During the Roman Empire, however, Hebrew was almost wiped out of existence. Fortunately, surviving Jews kept it alive in its written form. Later, in the 19th century, the language experienced a revival thanks to Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, who wrote the first Modern Hebrew Dictionary, and other Jewish intellectuals.

This re-emerging version of the language was influenced by European culture and languages – especially French and German – and the need to come up with words for things that didn’t exist in Biblical times. 

Therefore, elements like grammar, pronunciation, and vocabulary in Modern Hebrew have all changed significantly compared to its Classical version. 

You can learn more about the history of Hebrew and how the language has changed in the last centuries in the video below:

 

Quick intro to the Hebrew language

Hebrew is read from right to left and has an alphabet of 27 letters. This alphabet is an abjad: a system where only consonants are represented.

That said, some of these letters can function as vowels. A system of points, dashes, and lines called niqqud was developed to label consonants that are serving as vowels. 

The following table shows the full alphabet:

 

Alef	Bet	Gimel	Dalet	He	Waw/Vav	Zayin	Chet	Tet	Yod	Kaf
א‎	ב‎	ג‎	ד‎	ה‎	ו‎	ז‎	ח‎	ט‎	י‎	כ‎
										ך‎
Lamed	Mem	Nun	Samech	Ayin	Pe	Tsadi	Qof	Resh	Shin	Tav
ל‎	מ‎	נ‎	ס‎	ע‎	פ‎	צ‎	ק‎	ר‎	ש‎	ת‎
	ם‎	ן‎			ף‎	ץ‎

 

In terms of pronunciation, words in Hebrew are generally stressed on the last syllable, and the language doesn’t have regional dialects.

 

63 essential Hebrew words for travelers

Keep these common Hebrew words and phrases handy in case you’re planning to travel to Israel or meet up with native speakers. Remember, you can learn more Hebrew vocabulary using the Fluent Forever app! Our integrated flashcard system makes creating, studying, and reviewing word and sentence flashcards quick, easy, and fun!

 

Greetings & courtesies

#	Hebrew term	English translation	Romanized pronunciation
1	שלום	Hello	Shallom
2	להתראות	Goodbye / See you later	Lehitraot
3	בוקר טוב	Good morning	Boker tov
4	לילה טוב	Good night	Layla tov
5	ערב טוב	Good evening	Erev tov
6	תודה	Thank you	Todah
7	בבקשה	Please	Bevakasha
8	סליחה	Excuse me	Slikha
9	?מה נשמע	How are you?	Ma nishma?
10	טוב, תודה	Good, thank you	Tov, toda!

 

Questions

#	Hebrew term	English translation	Romanized pronunciation
11	?מתי	Why?	Lama?
12	?איזה	Which?	Eize?
13	?מה	What?	Ma?
14	?איפה	How?	Eikh?
15	?איפה	Where?	Eifo?
16	?מי	Who?	Mi?
17	?מתי	When?	Matai?
18	?כמה זה	How much is this?	Kama ze?
19	?איפה השירותים	Where is the toilet?	Eifo haSherutim?
20	…אפשר בבקשה	Can I have…?	Efshar, bevakasha…?

 

Numbers

#	Hebrew term	English translation	Romanized pronunciation
21	אחת	One	Akhat
22	שתיים	Two	Shtayim
23	שלוש	Three	Shalosh
24	ארבע	Four	Arba
25	חמש	Five	Khamesh
26	שש	Six	Shesh
27	שבע	Seven	Sheva
28	שמונה	Eight	Shmone
29	תשע	Nine	Tesha
30	עשר	Ten	Eser

 

Days & temporal words

#	Hebrew term	English translation	Romanized pronunciation
31	יום שני	Monday	Yom sheni
32	יום שלישי	Tuesday	Yom shlishi
33	יום רביעי	Wednesday	Yom revii
34	יום חמישי	Thursday	Yom khamishi
35	יום שישי	Friday	Yom shishi
36	שבת	Saturday	Shabat
37	יום ראשון	Sunday	Yom rishon
38	היום	Today	Ha-yom
39	מחר	Tomorrow	Makhar
40	אתמול	Yesterday	Etmol

 

Moving around

#	Hebrew term	English translation	Romanized pronunciation
41	כניסה	Entrance	Knisa
42	יציאה	Exit	Yetzia
43	(שמאל(ה	Left	Smol(a)
44	(ימינ(ה	Right	Yamin(a)
45	תחנת אוטובוס	Bus stop	Takhanat otobus
46	תחנת רכבת	Train station	Takhanat rakevet
47	שדה תעופה	Airport	S’de teufa
48	ישר	Straight ahead	Yashar
49	שמאלה	Turn left	Smola
50	ימינה	Turn right	Yamina

 

Food & drink

#	Hebrew term	English translation	Romanized pronunciation
51	!היה ממש טעים	The meal was excellent!	Haya mamash taim!
52	?מה אתה ממליץ לי	What do you recommend?	Ma ata mamlitz li? (addressing a man)  Ma at mamlitza li? (addressing a woman)
53	?אשפר חשבון, בבקשה	Can we have the bill, please?	Efshar kheshbon, bevakasha?
54	אני צמחוני	I’m a vegetarian	Ani tzimkhoni (when you’re a man)  Ani tzimkhonit (when you’re a woman)
55	-יש לי אלרגיה ל	I’m allergic to…	Yesh li alergiya le-…
56	מים, בבקשה	Some water, please	Mayim, bevakasha
57	תפריט, בבקשה	The menu, please	Tafrit, bevakasha
58	ארוחת בוקר	Breakfast	Arukhat boker
59	ארוחת צהריים	Lunch	Arukhat tsohorayim
60	ארוחת ערב	Dinner	Arukhat erev

 

Emergencies

#	Hebrew term	English translation	Romanized pronunciation
61	!תתקשרו למשטרה	Call the Police!	Titkashru le-mishtara!
62	!הצילו	Help!	Hatzilu!
63	!שריפה	There’s a fire!	Srefa!

 

That’s it for today. We hope you enjoyed this article on common Hebrew words – להתראות!