Page 3: Basic Vocabulary

A. Greetings and Introductions

In Hebrew, greetings and introductions are an essential part of basic vocabulary. Some common phrases include:

• שלום – Shalom – Hello/Peace
• בוקר טוב – Boker Tov – Good morning
• לילה טוב – Laila Tov – Good night
• מה שמך? – Ma shimcha/shmech? – What is your name? (for a male/female)
• שמי … – Shmi … – My name is …

B. Numbers

Being able to count and use numbers is a fundamental skill in any language. In Hebrew, numbers have masculine and feminine forms. Here are the numbers from one to ten in both forms:

• אחד, אחת – Echad, Achat – One
• שניים, שתיים – Shnayim, Shtayim – Two
• שלוש, שלוש – Shalosh, Shalosh – Three
• ארבע, ארבע – Arba, Arba – Four
• חמישה, חמישה – Chamesh, Chamesh – Five
• שש, שש – Shesh, Shesh – Six
• שבע, שבע – Sheva, Sheva – Seven
• שמונה, שמונה – Shmone, Shmone – Eight
• תשע, תשע – Tesha, Tesha – Nine
• עשר, עשר – Eser, Eser – Ten

C. Colors

Knowing how to describe colors can help you describe things more vividly. Here are some basic colors in Hebrew:

• אדום – Adom – Red
• כחול – Kachol – Blue
• ירוק – Yarok – Green
• שחור – Shachor – Black
• לבן – Lavan – White
• צהוב – Tzahov – Yellow

D. Days of the Week and Months

Days of the week in Hebrew are based on numbers, with Sunday as the “first day” and Saturday (Shabbat) as the “seventh day.” The months are either based on the Babylonian calendar (in everyday use) or a numeric system used primarily in the Hebrew Bible and Jewish liturgical contexts.