For the beginner, learning Hebrew may seem a little difficult at first. Of course you are very excited to get started with your lessons and start speaking the words and using them in a sentence but it is important to start with the basics so that you can have a place to start. As with any language, including your native tongue, you need to start with the alphabet and learn the letters. Once you have them committed to memory, the next steps will feel like a walk in the park. Without this step, you may find yourself struggling.
After you have learned the alphabet you will be ready to take the next step which is vowels. You will find that these consist of dots above or below some of the letters. The dots are going to change the sound and the meaning of the words. Although this may seem strange at first, you will get the hang of it and find that the sentences seem shorter than what you are normally accustomed to. With a little practice this will become second nature to you as well and it will become less difficult when learning Hebrew.
One of the best ways to commit the letters and vowels to memory is to write them as you are learning them. You will find that there are special books you can purchase that are made for just this specific purpose. As you open the book for the first time, you are going to find that the lines and the spacing are different than what you are used to. This is because they are written in a different manor. For some, this can be the most difficult part of learning Hebrew since you have to learn a whole new way of writing as well as speaking.
Now that you have mastered the letters and vowels you will be ready to start forming words and speaking them. In taking your course for learning Hebrew, it can be very beneficial if you can actually listen to someone pronounce the words. It will give you a better understanding and you will know if you are saying them correctly. There are many videos that you can watch on the internet to do this part and there are also audio CD’s that you can purchase to listen to while you are driving, or even just sitting at home.
These are the basic steps that you will need in order to learn the language. Reading goes from right to left and you are going to learn this once you get the wording and the pronunciation down. You will not know everything that there is to know at this point but you will be able to speak sentences and talk with someone comfortably. Learning Hebrew takes time just as it does with any language even if it is going to be your native tongue. By starting out slowly and getting the knowledge that you need to move on to intermediate and more advanced classes, you will find that the language is beautiful.