---
title: Hebrew phrases you actually need
slug: hebrew-phrases
canonical: https://www.itsbaba.com/hebrew-phrases
question: What are the Hebrew phrases I actually need to know?
answer: The Hebrew phrases you need first are shalom (hello), todah (thank you), bevakasha (please), slicha (excuse me), kama ze ole (how much) and eifo (where is), and baba shows each one in Hebrew script with transliteration, with speaker and listener gender set explicitly for the phrases that change.
description: The core Hebrew phrases in script and transliteration, including the ones that change with speaker or listener gender.
cluster: direct-task
html_status: live
updated: 2026-07-28
numbers_used: [7, 10, 2500]
competitors_named: []
---

# Hebrew phrases you actually need

The Hebrew phrases you need first are shalom (hello), todah (thank you), bevakasha (please), slicha (excuse me), kama ze ole (how much) and eifo (where is), and baba shows each one in Hebrew script with transliteration, with speaker and listener gender set explicitly for the phrases that change. Some of these phrases are fixed and some are not. A phrase said to one man, to one woman or to a mixed group is a different sentence in Hebrew.

## Key facts
| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Gender contexts in baba | 7 |
| Israeli slang terms in baba's dictionary | curated |
| Languages | 10 |
| Format shown | Hebrew script with transliteration |

## Which Hebrew phrases should I learn first?
These carry most ordinary interactions, and none of them change with gender.

| Hebrew | Transliteration | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| שלום | shalom | hello, goodbye, peace |
| תודה | todah | thank you |
| בבקשה | bevakasha | please, or here you are |
| סליחה | slicha | excuse me, sorry |
| כמה זה עולה | kama ze ole | how much does this cost |
| איפה | eifo | where is |
| להתראות | lehitraot | see you, goodbye |
| כן / לא | ken / lo | yes / no |

Two more are worth adding immediately because Israelis use them constantly and they are not in most phrasebooks: יאללה (yalla), meaning let's go or come on, and סבבה (sababa), meaning cool or fine.

## Which Hebrew phrases change depending on who I am talking to?
Any phrase containing a verb or an adjective about a person changes. Hebrew conjugates verbs, adjectives and possessives by speaker gender, listener gender and subject gender, so there is no single correct form to memorise. Both forms are given here side by side, because presenting one of them as the translation is what produces the wrong sentence.

| English | Speaker or listener | Hebrew | Transliteration |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Do you speak English | To one man | אתה מדבר אנגלית | ata medaber anglit |
| Do you speak English | To one woman | את מדברת אנגלית | at medaberet anglit |
| Do you speak English | To mostly men or a mixed group | אתם מדברים אנגלית | atem medabrim anglit |
| Do you speak English | To mostly women | אתן מדברות אנגלית | aten medabrot anglit |
| I do not understand | Male speaker | אני לא מבין | ani lo mevin |
| I do not understand | Female speaker | אני לא מבינה | ani lo mevina |
| How are you | To one man | מה שלומך | ma shlomcha |
| How are you | To one woman | מה שלומך | ma shlomech |
| I want | Male speaker | אני רוצה | ani rotze |
| I want | Female speaker | אני רוצה | ani rotza |

Note the last two pairs. מה שלומך and אני רוצה are spelled identically in both forms and differ only in pronunciation, because written Hebrew usually omits vowel marks.

## Why does the Hebrew change depending on who is speaking?
Gender in Hebrew depends on three things at once: who is speaking, who is being spoken to, and who is being spoken about. "I love you" is the standard example, because both the verb and the object pronoun move.

| Speaker | Listener | Hebrew | Transliteration |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Male speaker | To one man | אני אוהב אותך | ani ohev otcha |
| Male speaker | To one woman | אני אוהב אותך | ani ohev otach |
| Female speaker | To one man | אני אוהבת אותך | ani ohevet otcha |
| Female speaker | To one woman | אני אוהבת אותך | ani ohevet otach |

baba lets you set speaker gender and listener gender explicitly across seven contexts:

- General
- Personal
- To One Man
- To One Woman
- To Mostly Men
- To Mostly Women
- To Mixed Group

Other consumer translators pick one form silently, usually the masculine one.

## Which everyday Israeli words are not in a phrasebook?
Israeli speech runs on a small set of slang words that appear in ordinary conversation rather than only among teenagers. baba includes a slang dictionary of curated Israeli terms; these are the ones you will hear on the first day.

| Hebrew | Transliteration | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| סבבה | sababa | cool, fine |
| תכלס | tachles | bottom line, in practice |
| וואלה | walla | really, is that so |
| אחי | achi | bro |
| יאללה | yalla | let's go, come on |
| באסה | basa | a bummer, a shame |
| חבל על הזמן | chaval al hazman | literally a waste of time, used to mean amazing |

חבל על הזמן (chaval al hazman) is the clearest example of why a literal rendering fails. Word for word it says a waste of time. In use it means amazing or incredible.

## Frequently asked questions
### Is shalom really used for both hello and goodbye?
Yes. שלום (shalom) works as a greeting and as a parting, and it also means peace. In everyday speech Israelis often say היי (hai), meaning hi, on arrival, and להתראות (lehitraot), meaning see you, on leaving.

### What is the polite way to get someone's attention?
סליחה (slicha) covers it. The same word serves as excuse me, sorry, and pardon me, and it is what you say before asking a stranger a question.

### Do I need Hebrew at all in Israel?
English is widely understood in Israeli cities, and you can get by. Signage, official letters, menus outside tourist areas and anything from a government office are still Hebrew, which is the gap a translator fills.

### Which form do I use for a group of men and women together?
Hebrew uses the masculine plural for a mixed group, which is why baba names To Mixed Group as its own context rather than leaving you to guess. Set the context and the sentence comes out in the plural form that matches.

## What baba does not do
- baba is a translation tool, not a Hebrew course, and using it will not by itself make you fluent.
- Machine translation of Hebrew slang depends on context that a short message may not carry.
- The free tier is 2,500 characters per month, which is enough for a handful of messages a week and not enough for documents.
- Transliteration approximates Hebrew sounds in Latin letters and is not a phonetic notation.

## Related pages
- https://www.itsbaba.com/hebrew-slang-dictionary — Israeli slang terms with meanings and usage
- https://www.itsbaba.com/hebrew-slang/yalla — what yalla means and how it is used
- https://www.itsbaba.com/hebrew-slang/sababa — what sababa means and how it is used
- https://www.itsbaba.com/hebrew-slang/walla — what walla means and how it is used
- https://www.itsbaba.com/hebrew-text-to-speech — hearing these phrases pronounced
- https://www.itsbaba.com/hebrew-translator-with-camera — translating Hebrew signs and menus from a photo

Canonical page: https://www.itsbaba.com/hebrew-phrases
Last updated: 2026-07-28
Questions: shalom@itsbaba.com