Learn Hebrew Online: All That You Need to Know
The online world provides us news and entertainment. But now, it is also a medium where we can learn virtually anything. Learning a new language is so easy, when you have so many options to choose from.
But when you are learning a language that possesses with such a fascinating origin and evolution as Hebrew, we cannot help but admire you. To make your journey easier, we are here to tell you everything that you need to know about learning Hebrew online.
A Brief History of Hebrew
Before learning a language, it’s good to first learn the history of that language. Learning the history of Hebrew can be an interesting journey as very few languages have such a rich and dynamic history such as this.
The origin of Hebrew dates back to the 10th century BCE, as the first written form of the language was found as a fragment of Hebrew Bible. Given that date, the language has been evolving for nearly 3,000 years. Many people even associate the existence of the language as early as 14th century BCE – that Moses had actually used this language in communication.
Jewish belief even dates the origin back to the creation of mankind, claiming that Hebrew was the language spoken by Adam and Eve.
Considering the language as part of the creation, and being God’s language, brings us to associate the language with Jewish religion. So, the ebb and flow of the language is associated with the Jewish people.
We can divide the history of Hebrew into 4 major periods.
Firstly, Biblical or Classical Hebrew which dates back to 3rd century BCE. It is also the language of written Torah, the first five books of the Old Testament. This version of Hebrew is often considered the ‘original’ form of the language.
The origin is said to be the result of encountering the Abrahamic use of Mesopotamian language with the adoption of local Canaanite aspects. Classical Hebrew was in practice until the Babylonian exile of Jewish people in 586 BCE.
Secondly, Mishnaic or Rabbinic Hebrew dating back to 200 CE, as evident from the many collections of Jewish tradition. This version too is considered sacred, as it is the language of Jewish law.
Mendele Mokher Sefarim, one of those who modernized Hebrew in written form, drew upon this version of Hebrew. He created a new dictionary based on this version, which was published in the 19th century CE.
Thirdly, Medieval Hebrew which dates back to 6th to 13th century CE. By this period, the Jewish community had gone through a series of rises and falls. They had been exiled from their land and subordinated again by external forces.
Which means that they had to adapt themselves with multiple languages in order to survive under many powers. So, the language had to include many loan words from other languages like Arabic, Aramaic, Spanish, Greek and German. Hebrew-enriched local languages developed, including as, Ladino (Spanish influenced by Hebrew), Yiddish (German influenced by Hebrew), Judaeo-Arabic (Palestinian/Syrian/Iraqi Arabic influenced by Hebrew).
Finally, Modern Hebrew. Modern Hebrew is the language that is now used by Israelis. Eliezer Ben Yehuda, a Jewish activist, pioneered the movement to modernize Hebrew as a language which can be applicable for spoken purposes by the people of Israel.
How Close Are Classical Hebrew and Modern Hebrew?
Classical Hebrew exists basically as a written language. The Modern Hebrew we know today has its origin in this earliest version, which makes it one of the only modern spoken languages based on ancient written form. Throughout history, the language has adapted to the times.
So, Modern Hebrew has introduced many innovative words to serve the needs of today’s world. In a Semitic script of 22 letters, the language is written from right to left. The origin of words derives from the use of 3 consonants – root- or stem-letters – where vowels and other consonants are added to derive meaning.
The syntax is based on Mishnaic or Rabbinic Hebrew. However, Modern Hebrew pronunciation comes from the Sephardic (Hispano-Portuguese), rather than that of the Ashkenazic (East European) Jews. The traditionally-Semitic guttural consonants are also lost in the modern version.
How Many People Speak Hebrew?
As many as 9 million people around the world speak the Hebrew language. Among them, about 5 million people speak it as their native tongue. Around 220,000 Hebrew speakers live in the United States.
This makes American Hebrew speakers the second largest Hebrew speaking community in the world. In the 1948 with its declaration of independence, Israel announced Hebrew as the national language of the new state.
So, today about 8.3 million people are regarded to speak Hebrew, but many of them cannot say that Hebrew is their native tongue.
Why? The reason behind this is associated with the history of Jewish people. As the community has long been scattered around the world, when the state of Israel was formed, people came to the land from all parts of the world – and continue to do so.
Hebrew was used as a tool to tie all the people in a common string. Hebrew is the dominant language in Israel, but it is still used in other countries. For example, Poland recognizes Hebrew as a minority language.
How to Learn Hebrew Online
Learning a new language is quite similar to an adventure ride. You do not know what the experience would be like, but you feel an immense desire to go further. And they say, sometimes the journey is more beautiful than the destination. So, the learning phase can be lots of fun.
As you walk along the road of vocabulary and syntax, you not only associate yourself with the speech that people of that language use, but you also become a part of the tradition and emotion that the people share. This is one of the many beauties of learning a new language.
Collecting each word into your vocabulary is like collecting moments from the alley of history through which the people of that language walked. So, do not assume that you are learning the words and grammars of a language only. You are strolling in the fields of the culture and tradition of a people.
So, learning it thoroughly should be taken seriously. But the basic of learning any language is still the same. There are 2 parts of basic language learning skill, the spoken part, and the written part. The spoken part includes listening, and speaking. The written part includes reading and writing. Let’s look at how to acquire each of these.
Phase 1: The Spoken Part
Listening is the stepping stone for you in the way of learning Hebrew. We assume that you are not familiar with the language at all. Or, you have only learned the greeting word ‘shalom’.
We ask, how did you learn ‘shalom’ in first place? Perhaps you have heard people using the word when they greet each other – which means you were listening to people using words in Hebrew. This is why it is the first step to learn a language.
You learn at first simply by observing how people use words. For example, many people easily catch words like ‘bonjour’, or ‘sawadika’, or ‘gracias’. Using small words like these does not mean that they are all known to French, Thai, or Spanish.
But they have heard people of that language using these words. Easy-to-learn small words have eventually become the stepping stone for some people to enter the gateway of that language. This is why listening is so important in learning any language.
Whether you are listening to your Hebrew teacher, or listening to Hebrew songs, or Israeli radio or podcast – the goal should be to listen carefully to understand the embroidery of the language. Eventually, when you become skilled in Hebrew in future, acquiring native intonation would be a piece of cake.
Speaking is the next thing you should do. Remember the Hebrew word ‘shalom’. You listened to that word, and your subconscious mind had uttered the word in no time.
Eventually, you use your mouth and use the word by dividing syllables. You do not have any grammar knowledge of the language, yet you know how to pronounce the word step by step. You start by ‘sha’, and end by ‘lom’.
Progress? Definitely.
Speaking helps you with the intonation of language also. If you are enlisted in any Hebrew Learning course such as Ulpan La-Inyan’s, then your instructor is surely going to encourage you to speak.
No matter how awfully wrong your pronunciation starts with, you will do better with each try. If you are learning from an app, or using internet tutorials, try to speak each word with determination to pronounce it like the instructor. At first, the word may seem hard to pronounce. Keep practicing consistently.
Again, listening to good music in Hebrew can be helpful. Music captures you quickly with the tune. You can listen to music longer than the speech. As you become familiar with the tune, you can concentrate on the lyrics to know better.
Even try to sing along. And as you become more skilled, try to include Hebrew words in your daily life. You may even call a friend who speaks the language and try to speak. Start with easy ‘hello’ (shalom), ‘how are you’ (mah nishma?) type expressions. As you gather more vocabulary, start including them in your speech.
Phase 2: The Written Part
Reading is helpful to know the inner workings of any language. You can learn so many things just by going through pages of texts written in Hebrew. You not only learn new words, but also about syntax. Reading can be fun too.
We are not telling you to start reading the Hebrew Bible at the beginning. Rather, we are telling you to read simple stories, short stories, magazines written in colloquial Hebrew. You can read children’s books at first. They are for preliminary readers. So, beginner learners can read them easily.
Or, read the translation of your favorite book on Hebrew. If that seems overwhelming, try reading the headlines from a Hebrew newspaper at first. Your reading skill will improve, along with your knowledge on world affairs.
If you are not a book person, then watching movies with Hebrew subtitles can be a great help. Find a film that you like, and search for Hebrew subtitles. Learning language through a movie can be fun too.
Writing is the final skill that you need to acquire. When you achieve this skill, we consider that you have passed the basic level of learning Hebrew. But it is also the most difficult part of learning a language. Writing is more than knowing the alphabet, and the order of subject and verb.
Writing a language associates you with the process of knowing the inner work of the language. It can be quite intimidating as it includes the sometimes-daunting task of learning grammar. But it is writing, eventually, that measures your full command of any language.
You can learn the Hebrew alphabet easily. After all, there are only 22 letters with five variations. Like many Semitic languages, the Hebrew letters are read from right to left. Similar to Arabic, most words consist of 3 root letters.
You have to add other vowels and consonants to change the meaning and usage of any word. Learn basic grammar from a reliable source such as this one. Try to solve worksheets online to understand the writing structures more. And keep practicing so as to improve your Hebrew handwriting.
How Difficult is to Learn Hebrew?
Level of ease in learning a language can be subjective for many reasons. If you are familiar with the works of languages of the same group, then it will be easier for you to catch the language. But in case of anyone who is absolutely unfamiliar with the Semitic family of languages, you might find yourself working hard in order to learn Hebrew. The following will make your life easier:
Alphabet
As mentioned earlier, there are only 22 consonants that you have to get familiar with. So, if you have any experience of learning Chinese alphabets, then it is a piece of cake for you to learn the Hebrew consonants. The written cursive form is very similar to the printed. So, you do not have to get burned out in order to know the basics.
A Semitic Language
If you are already know some Arabic, or any other Semitic language, then Hebrew learning will be easier for you. But it is comparatively hard for Europeans with Germanic, Latin or Slavic languages of origin. There are many words in Hebrew that are difficult to pronounce, due to the guttural letters they have. For example, the ‘R’ sound in Hebrew is guttural, similar to French or German.
Outside Influences
Modern Hebrew has lots of loanwords from European languages. As the language has adapted to the modern world, a lot of scientific words have found their places in the language. So, it might be easier for you to learn the Modern version since you might find similar words.
But again, if you are not familiar with the gender use of the language, you might not get the grammar right. So, it depends on the factors that you are influenced by, in order to decide how rapidly you learn Hebrew.
Things You Didn’t Know About the Hebrew Language
- The Jewish religion holds Hebrew as the sacred language, as it is the language of the Torah. Jewish mysticism also has it that the angels around the divine throne use Hebrew as their language
- Hebrew is the most successful example of a ‘dead language’ that eventually revived in modern times.
- Modern Hebrew language has diacritical marks to indicate missing vowel sounds – there are no separate letters to indicate vowels in the language system. In this way the Hebrew writing system is similar to Arabic.
- Arabic is very close to Hebrew in terms of grammar and terminology.
- Hebrew is not a gender-neutral language. Verbs and adjectives end differently depending on the gender in use.
- When you say ‘I am here’ in Hebrew, you actually say ‘I here’. It occurs like this because there is no ‘to be’ verb for present tense in the language.
- The Hebrew alphabet that you see today actually comes from Aramaic.
- You have to read the written texts from right to left. But the numbers work from left to right.
- In most modern texts, vowels are implied – you have to derive them based on context.
- Initially, some Orthodox Jewish scholars had opposed the idea of using Hebrew colloquially.
- The Academy of the Hebrew Language is the official body that defines new terms in the language, though many of their suggestions have been overlooked many times.
- Hebrew verbs are generally based on a three-letter root.
- Some flashy words like Hallelujah and Chutzpah are actually Hebrew.
Final Thoughts
Learning any language is beneficial. When you know a language, you are more likely to get close to people. In a world where many of the ancient languages are endangered, valuing the role of each language has become far more important.
Because when we value a language, we value the people that speak the language. We value and preserve not only language, but also the tradition and history related to the speech – a history that becomes a part of each of us.
