The most interesting thing about the Hebrew language is that it went from being the language of sacred texts known only to a few people to a language spoken by almost 7 million people is such a short time. Granted that most people who speak Hebrew live in Israel, but Hebrew has remained and important part of life to a Jew even outside Israel.
As you take your Hebrew lessons, you will learn that the Hebrew language is not at all that difficult. With patience and persistence, you can learn the language without too much trouble.
Do not be confused into thinking that, in Hebrew lessons, grammar is of primary importance. It is not. Grammar plays a smaller part in Hebrew lessons, in terms of quantity, than Hebrew vocabulary. This makes grammar less of a problem.
Hebrew lessons always start with the 22 letter Hebrew alphabet which is commonly referred to as the “alefbet.” The pronunciation of words in Hebrew is not that much different from English, except for the letters “kh” which has a guttural pronunciation as in “Loch.”
As you progress in your Hebrew lessons, you will note that the Hebrew verb grammar is very similar to English. Hebrew has tenses for past, present and future. It has conditionals, infinitives and imperatives. Hebrew also has active and passive voice. And, it differentiates between transitive and intransitive verbs. However, there are some differences. There is no verb “to be” in the present tense with Hebrew. You need to pay attention to this during your Hebrew lessons.
You need to understand that Hebrew is indeed complex Language. Hebrew lessons will reveal that in Hebrew, almost every form of a verb is different; based on who is being spoken about and the tense involved.
Hebrew lessons will also involve learning the correct use of singular and plural; which is very important. The plural for female ends with “ot” while the plural for male ends with “im.” When it comes to verbs, the plurals end with “oo.” With respect to irregular verbs, there are no formulae to them. You must memorize those.
You must focus on conjugating verbs properly. Taking Hebrew lessons will require the use of a special dictionary of conjugation to help you. Do not lose heart, verb conjugation is a difficult part of Hebrew lessons and most people struggle. Do not think you are alone. Have patience.
To help you along your Hebrew lessons, you can choose to get simple but effective learning aids. If you can somehow get a Hebrew children’s book, you will find that it does help. Because children’s books have illustrations, you can remember words easily by association.
Hebrew lessons need not mean structured lessons all the time; there are many ways you can make your lessons enjoyable. You can find many songs in Hebrew, as well as poetry and movies. Listen to the songs and watch as many shows or movies as you can. You need not worry that most of what you will hear sounds alien to you at first. Immersion in the Hebrew language will make you learn faster and will make your Hebrew lessons fun and enjoyable.
You must not worry about understanding every word or every single conversation. Comprehension will come with time. The reason why you are taking Hebrew lessons is to learn the language and learning is never instant.
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