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Hebrew phrases, tips, and cultural guides for your Israel trip
19 articles →Street Hebrew, idioms, and expressions Israelis actually use
8 articles →Gender rules, verb conjugation, and sentence structure explained simply
23 articles →Jewish holidays, traditions, and the cultural context behind the language
2 articles →Combine structured learning with real-world practice. Start with the Hebrew alphabet and basic phrases, then use a context-aware translator like baba to see how words are actually used in conversation. Reading our topic-organized articles helps you learn in the areas most relevant to you — whether that's travel, slang, grammar, or culture.
Basic conversational Hebrew (greetings, ordering food, asking directions) can be learned in a few weeks with daily practice. Reading and writing take longer — typically 3-6 months for comfortable reading. Full fluency takes 1-2 years of immersion. Using baba alongside your learning helps you practice with real Hebrew at every stage.
Hebrew has a different alphabet and reads right-to-left, which is unfamiliar. But the grammar is actually more regular than English — once you learn the root system (3-letter roots that form word families), vocabulary expands quickly. Gender agreement is the trickiest part for English speakers.
Not strictly — most signs in tourist areas have English transliterations. But learning the 22 Hebrew letters makes navigating much easier, especially for reading bus signs, menus, and street names. Our beginner guide covers the full alphabet with pronunciation.
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