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Learn Hebrew

Read Hebrew right to left and speak modern Israeli Hebrew, one lesson at a time.

Free to start. Built from a single prompt. No credit card.

Hebrew is written right to left in an abjad of 22 letters, five of which take a special form at the end of a word. Vowels are usually left out, and are shown with dots and dashes called niqqud only in books for children, poetry and learner texts. Words are built from roots of three consonants: k-t-v gives katav (he wrote), mikhtav (letter) and katuv (written). Verbs follow seven patterns called binyanim, and even the word "you" changes for gender. Modern Hebrew was revived as an everyday spoken language in the late 19th and 20th centuries. Learnr builds a personalized Hebrew course from a single prompt and teaches it in short lessons.

How to learn Hebrew, step by step

Learn the 22 letters and the final forms. Learn the letters with their sounds, and the five letters with final forms: kaf, mem, nun, pe and tsadi. Pay attention to look-alikes such as ב and כ, and ד and ר, which beginners often swap.
Read with niqqud at first. Use texts with niqqud to learn how words sound, then gradually switch to unvowelled text. Pay attention to matres lectionis, letters like ו and י that often stand for vowels.
Learn the modern pronunciation. Modern Israeli Hebrew pronounces ח and כ as a throaty sound like the ch in Bach, and ר as a sound made at the back of the throat. Practice with native audio rather than English approximations.
Learn gender with pronouns and verbs. Hebrew verbs and adjectives agree with gender: ata medaber (you speak, to a man) and at medaberet (to a woman). Practice both forms from the start, since gender appears in almost every sentence.
Use roots to grow your vocabulary. Learn words in root families, such as l-m-d giving lomed (learns), limed (taught) and talmid (student). Spotting roots helps you guess new words and read unvowelled text faster.
Learn the binyanim gradually and practice daily. Start with pa'al and pi'el in the present tense, then add past and future. Short daily Learnr lessons help you drill verb patterns until reading and speaking become automatic.

What you'll learn

Read and write the Hebrew alphabet, including final letter forms
Read with niqqud and then move to unvowelled text
Recognize three-letter roots and the common binyanim
Use gendered pronouns and verb forms correctly
Hold everyday conversations in modern Israeli Hebrew

What's inside your Hebrew course

A sample path Learnr builds for Hebrew. Your real course adapts to your goal and level.

1. The alphabet, final forms and reading right to left
2. Vowels, niqqud and pronunciation
3. Greetings, pronouns and gender
4. Present tense and the root system
5. Past and future tenses and the binyanim
6. Reading without vowels and real conversations

How long does it take to learn Hebrew?

The alphabet takes most learners one to two weeks. After several months of daily study, simple conversations become possible, and comfortable everyday fluency usually takes a few years. Reading unvowelled text smoothly grows with vocabulary and practice.

What you need before you start

You can begin with no background. Some Arabic helps with roots and sounds, and familiarity with Biblical Hebrew gives a head start on reading.

Common mistakes to avoid

Relying on transliteration for too long instead of reading Hebrew letters, which slows down your progress with real texts.
Using masculine forms for everyone, when Hebrew changes verbs and pronouns for women and men.
Learning words in isolation without noticing shared roots, missing an easy way to expand your vocabulary.

How Learnr builds your course

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Hebrew questions, answered

Is modern Hebrew different from Biblical Hebrew?

Yes. They share the alphabet and much vocabulary, but modern Hebrew has a different pronunciation, simplified grammar and many new words. Reading the Bible needs extra study even for fluent modern speakers.

Why are vowels missing in Hebrew writing?

Hebrew is an abjad, which means the letters mainly represent consonants. Vowels are optional marks called niqqud, and fluent readers understand words from context and roots without them.