Survival Phrases for Your First Lessons
Greetings, politeness, classroom lifelines (“I didn’t understand”), and goodbyes.
Welcome! These are the phrases you will use from your very first day in Hebrew. You do not need any grammar yet — just listen, repeat, and enjoy sounding Israeli. Read the Hebrew out loud with the transliteration, and notice how often one little word does a lot of work.
Greetings and goodbyes
| Hebrew | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| שָׁלוֹם | shalom | hello; goodbye; peace |
| בֹּקֶר טוֹב | boker tov | good morning |
| עֶרֶב טוֹב | erev tov | good evening |
| לַיְלָה טוֹב | laila tov | good night (only when parting / going to sleep) |
| לְהִתְרָאוֹת | lehitra'ot | see you (the normal "goodbye") |
💡 Tip: שָׁלוֹם shalom works when you arrive and when you leave — one word, two jobs. When in doubt, say shalom.
Politeness basics
| Hebrew | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| תּוֹדָה | toda | thank you |
| תּוֹדָה רַבָּה | toda raba | thank you very much |
| בְּבַקָּשָׁה | bevakasha | please; you're welcome; here you go |
| סְלִיחָה | slicha | excuse me; sorry |
| כֵּן | ken | yes |
| לֹא | lo | no; not |
| בְּסֵדֶר | be-seder | okay; fine; all right |
| סַבָּבָּה | sababa | cool; great (informal slang) |
💡 Tip: בְּבַקָּשָׁה bevakasha answers "thank you" and gets someone's attention politely. If you learn only one politeness word, make it this one.
Checking in on people
| Hebrew | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| מָה שְׁלוֹמְךָ? | ma shlomkha? | how are you? (to a man) |
| מָה שְׁלוֹמֵךְ? | ma shlomekh? | how are you? (to a woman) |
| מָה נִשְׁמָע? | ma nishma? | what's up? (literally "what's heard?") |
| הַכֹּל טוֹב, תּוֹדָה | ha-kol tov, toda | everything's good, thanks |
Notice the ending changes: -kha for a man, -ekh for a woman. Hebrew "tailors" many words to the person you're talking to — you'll see this everywhere.
Getting help
| Hebrew | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| אֵיפֹה הַשֵּׁרוּתִים? | eifo ha-sherutim? | where is the bathroom? |
| אֲנִי לֹא מֵבִין | ani lo mevin | I don't understand (man speaking) |
| אֲנִי לֹא מְבִינָה | ani lo mevina | I don't understand (woman speaking) |
| אַתָּה מְדַבֵּר אַנְגְּלִית? | ata medaber anglit? | do you speak English? (to a man) |
| אַתְּ מְדַבֶּרֶת אַנְגְּלִית? | at medaberet anglit? | do you speak English? (to a woman) |
| אֶפְשָׁר עוֹד פַּעַם? | efshar od pa'am? | can (we do) one more time? |
| לֹא יוֹדֵעַ / לֹא יוֹדַעַת | lo yode'a / lo yoda'at | I don't know (m / f) |
Classroom phrases for your lessons
Use these with your teacher from lesson one:
| Hebrew | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| אֶפְשָׁר עוֹד פַּעַם? | efshar od pa'am? | one more time, please? |
| מָה זֶה? | ma ze? | what is this? |
| אֵיך אוֹמְרִים... בְּעִבְרִית? | eikh omrim... be-ivrit? | how do you say... in Hebrew? |
| מָה זֶה אוֹמֵר? | ma ze omer? | what does this mean? |
| יוֹתֵר לְאַט, בְּבַקָּשָׁה | yoter le'at, bevakasha | slower, please |
| אֲנִי מֵבִין / מְבִינָה | ani mevin / mevina | I understand (m / f) |
Mini dialogue
- — שָׁלוֹם! מָה שְׁלוֹמֵךְ? shalom! ma shlomekh? — Hi! How are you? (to a woman)
- — הַכֹּל טוֹב, תּוֹדָה. וְאַתָּה? ha-kol tov, toda. ve-ata? — All good, thanks. And you?
- — סַבָּבָּה. לְהִתְרָאוֹת! sababa. lehitra'ot! — Great. See you!
✅ Key takeaways
- שָׁלוֹם shalom = hello, goodbye, and peace — all in one.
- בְּבַקָּשָׁה bevakasha and תּוֹדָה toda cover 90% of polite daily life.
- Many phrases change for men (-kha, mevin) vs women (-ekh, mevina).
- אֶפְשָׁר עוֹד פַּעַם? efshar od pa'am? is your best friend in class.
- סַבָּבָּה sababa is casual slang — fun with friends, not in formal settings.
✏️ Practice
- Say "good morning" and "good night" in Hebrew. When would you use each?
- Your teacher spoke too fast. Ask her to slow down, politely.
- You bump into someone on the bus. What do you say?
- Answer "תּוֹדָה" with the correct word.
- A woman speaker wants to say "I don't understand." Write it in Hebrew.
Answers
- בֹּקֶר טוֹב boker tov in the morning; לַיְלָה טוֹב laila tov only when parting or going to sleep.
- יוֹתֵר לְאַט, בְּבַקָּשָׁה yoter le'at, bevakasha.
- סְלִיחָה slicha.
- בְּבַקָּשָׁה bevakasha.
- אֲנִי לֹא מְבִינָה ani lo mevina.